Tyrus Thomas: The Bulls' Key to Playoff Success

How can you stop Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard? 

The Chicago Bulls may not have a definite answer, but they do have a special weapon to give the underdogs a chance in the upcoming NBA Playoffs.

After their victory over the Philadelphia 76ers and the loss of the Charlotte Bobcats that followed, the Bulls are back in the postseason after a period of mediocrity that was too long in the minds of everyone associated with the team. 

The Bulls are getting hot at the right time. They hold a half-game lead over Detroit for the seventh spot, trail Philadelphia by a game for the sixth spot, and are only two games behind Miami for the fifth spot. 

Still, despite their recent strong play, conventional wisdom would say that, with three games remaining, the Bulls are probably not going to surpass the Heat for the fifth seed. In that case, they'll therefore be left to face off against one of the "big three" in the East—Boston, Orlando, or Cleveland.

But even if they do have to face one of these teams, there should be little debate about whether or not they have the best chance out of the sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-seeded teams to upend one of the powerhouses.

A debate that could ensue, however, is which player will have to step up for them to have a chance.

Perhaps the uneducated observer would say Derrick Rose, the No. 1 overall draft pick last summer and soon-to-be Rookie of the Year. 

And maybe the researcher would say Ben Gordon, the streaky but explosive small guard who is averaging a team-leading 20.5 points per game. 

But the right answer is Tyrus Thomas. The freakishly athletic third-year forward has averaged a humble 10 points per game to go along with six rebounds and two blocks. However, as is common in the regular season-to-"second season" transition, the stat line can be deceiving.

It makes perfect sense to point to the point guard and say that he is the center of the team and directs where it will go. But where would Tom Brady be without Randy Moss? Where would Shaq be without Kobe?

In case you have not been watching lately, Rose and Thomas are clicking like a championship duo has to. It has been pretty obvious that Rose has gone to Thomas as his go-to-guy as the season as gone on, and Tyrus delivers when he drives to the basket. 

He's not too bad on defense, either. Reggie Miller swears to his grave that Thomas could get seven blocks per game, and that may not be too far off. Thomas has blocked eight and seven shots in two different contests this year and has had at least four blocks seven times in '08-'09.

But there's no way he could guard King James, right?

But these are just ramblings and highlights. What really counts is how Thomas performs against the elite.

Let's take a look at just how he's done in his last games against the Lakers, Celtics, Magic, and Cavaliers:

• Against L.A.: 15 points, 16 rebounds, three blocks
• Against Boston: 18 points, five rebounds, two blocks
• Against Orlando: Nine points, five rebounds, two blocks
• Against Cleveland: 15 points, seven rebounds, four blocks

As it can be seen, his biggest struggles came against Orlando. He got into foul trouble in that game (and finished with five), and the team got rocked away from home, 107-79.

However, if the most recent contest is any indication of how he might perform in the postseason, Bulls fans may have a reason to get excited. 

Against Philadelphia on Thursday, Thomas racked up 24 points and four rebounds. The highlight of the night, however, was his perfect 14-of-14 shooting form the charity stripe.

He was the first Bull to put up such free throw numbers since a certain Michael Jordan.

Now, this is by no means saying he is the next MJ, or that he will lead the Bulls to the promised land. They probably will not get out of the first round. 

But if there is an "X-factor" on a dark horse team that everyone has forgotten about, it is Thomas.

A comparison of two Tyrus quotes, two years separated, shows the maturating of player who went from athlete to professional. 

Before the 2007 All-Star Dunk Contest, Thomas said:

"I'm just going to go out there, get my check, and call it a day. I'm just into the free money. That's it. I'll just do whatever when I get out there."

But after the victory in Philadelphia, he stated:

"It (would be) kind of tough for us not to make the Playoffs, but at the same time, we have to realize we're not in there and just keep playing and winning and not get complacent."

He sounds like a man now, he plays like a man now, and, like Garnett said last June:

"Anything is possible."