2012 NBA Playoffs: How Derrick Rose's Injury Impacts NBA Playoff Picture

Basketball fans everywhere cringed when Derrick Rose went down yesterday against the Philadelphia 76ers. No one likes to see something like that happen, especially to a player who's been struggling with injuries all year. So, with Derrick Rose out for the season, how does it affect the entire NBA picture?

The Bulls were not a favorite to win the NBA Finals, but they were in the discussion. Many people thought that they were out of the playoff race when Rose went down earlier in the year, but they were able to win and stay in the chase. ESPN's Arash Markazi tweeted, "Derrick Rose has missed 27 games this season, the second most games missed by a reigning MVP. The Bulls are 18-9 this season without him."

So the Bulls win two-thirds of the time without him, but that is regular-season basketball, not the playoffs where stars are made. Before yesterday's game, Joakim Noah said, "We know that to get to where we want to get to we need Derrick playing at a high level. Injuries are a part of the game. We've dealt with his absence very well, but it's always good to have your ace on the court."

The Bulls will likely be able to defeat the 76ers in the first round, even without Rose. They were 3-1 against the team during the regular season. Rose played in only two of these games, one of which was the loss. So the team can win against Philly, but it will be a struggle.

Luckily, the Bulls are led by Coach Thibodeau who told his team, "We have more than enough to win with."

In terms of the first round, this doesn't change things too much. The Bulls will probably win, although it's not a sure thing. Which means they'll likely face the Celtics in the second round.

If they do see the Celtics, the Bulls should keep Coach Thibodeau's words close to their hearts because they are 2-2 against the Celtics this year, with Rose playing in only one of those games. The Celtics are an experienced, veteran playoff team, so they know how to kick it into second gear for the playoffs, but you should not count the Bulls out. They've risen to the occasion before so there's reason to believe they can again.

Whoever wins that series will probably play the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat will have to defeat the Knicks and Pacers or Magic. There's little doubt the Heat can beat all those teams no matter who they see in the semifinals. With Iman Shumpert out for the Knicks, the current series may have gotten shorter.

The Bulls are 2-2 against the Heat this season, with Rose playing in two of those games, including one win. I never like to count out an underdog, but it looks doubtful that the Bulls will be able to beat the Heat. On average, the Heat have held the Bulls to 40 percent shooting and 87.8 points. They'll need much more than that to win.

This series will be important because it's the one that affects the playoff picture the most and could possibly give the Heat an even bigger edge overall.

If they have a quick series against the Bulls, whoever comes out of the West will have to play a potentially rested Heat team. The Western Conference is tough, where nearly any team has a believable chance to make it to the finals. Since most of the series will go six or seven games, a rested Heat team will play much better against a tired team out of the West.

Before the injury, if the Bulls had been able to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, they had a puncher's chance of knocking out a giant. Now, chances are slim and if they do beat the Celtics, it could make things easier for the Heat overall in the finals.