Adidas has launched a special commercial to commemorate Derrick Rose being the youngest recipient of the NBA’s MVP award.

Congratulations to Derrick Rose on being named the 2010-2011 NBA MVP. During the regular season he averaged 25 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game while playing 37 minutes a night and led the Bulls to an NBA-best 62-20 record.

I couldn’t help but think to myself during today’s 89-84 loss that maybe a loss wouldn’t necessarily be the worst thing for the Bulls in this series. In all three games prior to this one the Pacers led for the majority of the game, only to lose it late to late game heroics by Kyle Korver, Luol Deng, and Derrick Rose. At some point Chicago needs to realize that they cannot expect to win every game late, especially in the playoffs.

Had the Pacers been able to close out any of the three games prior to today, or all three for that matter this series could’ve been 3-0 the other way coming into today and the Pacers would have been looking for the sweep instead of the other way around. To the credit of the Bulls, they haven’t given up in the face of a deficit and fought back to win games 1-3 so they have a cushion to fall back on.

But this is the playoffs and playing bad for 3.5 quarters and good for the last 6-8 minutes won’t cut it against the good teams teams they will face the further they progress. If only they could come out in the first half and play like they finish the games, neither game to this point would have been close. Maybe they just wanted the series to go back to the United Center so they could close it out at home, in front of their fans? Okay maybe that one’s not necessarily true, because Conseco Fieldhouse today probably had as many Bulls fans as there will be at the UC on Tuesday.

At any rate, there will be a game 5. And hopefully this will serve as a reminder that this is the playoffs and you can’t take any team lightly. The #8 seed will be just as tough an out as the #2 seed. Rose will get a day to rest that sore ankle, Thibodeau will get a day to motivate, and Boozer will get a day to figure out how to not get in foul trouble. I fully expect to the Bulls to take care of business Tuesday night and close this series out while the Magic and Hawks beat up on each other in that series. On to round 2, hopefully.

Not many point guards played at the level of Derrick Rose this season. He continued that brilliance in the opening game of today’s playoffs against the Pacers. We’re almost to the point where he doesn’t need any introduction so just watch and enjoy.

In case you missed it, nba.com did a really good video of their Top 10 Plays of the season for the Bulls. Enjoy!

The Bulls and Pacers met four times during the regular season with Chicago winning three. On Saturday, in Chicago they will meet for a fifth time, but this time it’ll be the start of the “second season”, the NBA playoffs. On paper it’s the #1 seed against the #8 seed, but the playoffs have taught us time after time that seeds mean nothing. Will this be the start of a playoff run that will end with a seventh title for the Bulls or a first for the Pacers? A closer look at both teams will help figure out who might come out of this series on top.

Point Guard

Derrick Rose is having arguably the season of his life, one that most feel will end with him hoisting the league’s MVP trophy. Darren Collison’s second season has gone basically the same as his rookie year from a statistical standpoint, but watching him you can see that’s becoming more comfortable running the offense. If there’s any point guard in the Eastern Conference that might be capable of keeping up with Rose on a fast break or staying in front of him in the half-court set it might just be Collison. Rose will have the ball in his hands alot so we will get to see from very early on if he’s up to the task. Rose in such a zone right now that’s it’s hard to see him slowing down anytime soon though.

Edge: Bulls

Shooting Guard

Neither Paul George or Keith Bogans generally contribute heavily on the offensive end and typically make their presence felt on the defensive end. In the matchup between these two it wouldn’t surprise me if they combined for about 10 points a game and essentially cancel each other out. Bogans does have an edge when it comes to outside shooting sporting a 38% from beyond the arc and 89 made threes this season, but George’s 6′8” height advantage and wingspan over the 6′5″ Bogans may be enough to eliminate the space Bogans would need to get his shot off.

Edge: Push

Small Forward

This might be the best matchup on the floor on most occasions. With Granger being the top scoring threat the Pacers have, Luol Deng will have the opportunity to make a huge impact on this series on the defensive end if he can contain him. Offensively, Deng is no slouch himself averaging 17 points with 144 three’s made. The same can be said for Granger on the defensive end. Equally as effective as a defender, Granger could go a long way in helping the Pacers make it out of the first round if he can keep Deng under wraps. With the amount of offense the Pacers run through Granger and number of shots he will probably take it’s hard to see him having a minimal impact unless Deng plays all-world defense.

Edge: Pacers

Power Forward

Tyler Hansbrough will probably start, but Josh McRoberts will see significant time here as well. Both have played well this season, in particular Hansbrough over the last month or so. Carlos Boozer has missed 23 games this season due to various injuries, but when he’s played he’s looked very similar to his two-time all-star self. He’s settled for his jumper a bit more this year than in year’s past, but he’s still a threat in the post as well. Defensively, he’s not the best and the good thing for Chicago is that neither Hansbrough or McRoberts have a vast array of offensive moves to throw at him. Individually he’s better than what the Pacers have, but in quantity they make it up.

Edge: Bulls

Center

Like Boozer, Joakim Noah has been hampered with injuries for most of the season, only appearing in 47 games, but his impact on the defensive end is noticeable when he’s been in the lineup. His 10 rebounds per game, along with 48 steals, and 155 blocks shows that he’s more than capable of controlling the paint. He won’t have any plays run for him, but his ability to get to the offensive glass can’t be ignored by Roy Hibbert. In his third season, Hibbert has become what the Pacers hoped he would be when they drafted him in the first round of the 2008 draft. While he isn’t the theft Noah is, he’s essentially his equal in the rebounding and blocked shot departments. With an improving post game he will make Noah work on the defensive end and could get him into foul trouble. Much like the shooting guard matchup, baring either guy getting into quick foul trouble, these two will probably cancel each other out.

Edge: Push

Bench

If the Bulls win this series, their “Bench Mob” will probably have a large say in it. Tom Thibodeau is fortunate to have one of the deeper, more effective benches in the league. On many occasions this season Chicago has extended leads or even eliminated deficits with it’s bench on the floor. Taj Gibson, Ronnie Brewer, C.J. Watson, Kyle Korver, and Omer Asik have all played significant roles off the bench at different points throughout the season and Thibodeau won’t hesitate to call on any when the situation presents itself. Josh McRoberts and Jeff Foster see considerable minutes up front off Indiana’s bench. Neither is expected to provide a huge offensive lift, but they could be key in helping on Boozer. Brandon Rush can provide some scoring punch. A key could be Mike Dunleavy, who’s started in his career both in Golden State and when he first arrived to the Pacers.

Edge: Bulls

Conclusion

This will be a fun series to watch and anyone thinking that a 1 vs 8 matchup means an automatic sweep for Chicago hasn’t watched Pacers play this year. The Bulls might have the edge in overall talent level, but the energy and effort that Frank Vogel’s team has been playing with lately can’t be ignored. An always raucous Indiana crowd that hasn’t seen a playoff game since 2005 will surely do more good than not in their home games. I think the Bulls bench, dominance at the United Center, and that guy Derrick Rose will ultimately see them get past the Pacers and into the second round. It won’t be as easy as some think though, I’m predicting Chicago in 6.

In case you didn’t know, Skip Bayless might be the biggest hater of Derrick Rose alive. On today’s 1st and 10 he went all in on Derrick Rose and made his case why this year’s MVP race isn’t as clear cut as everyone thinks. It’s definitely worth a watch, but I’m not responsible if you want to punch your monitor or send him hate tweets (@RealSkipBayless).

For those of you who missed it, Kelly Dwyer posted an interesting article today on Yahoo’s Ball Don’t Lie Blog about Floyd Mayweather betting on the Chicago Bulls to win the game against the Atlanta Hawks last week. It’s definitely worth the read.

Before yesterday’s game against Memphis Stacey King posted a contest on his twitter account (@Sky21King) to predict how many points the “Bench Mob” would score. Not that they’re reaching Derrick Rose popularity levels, or even Stacey King for that matter, around the Windy City, but the bench of the Bulls has been making quite a name for themselves this season as one of the most productive in the league. Tom Thibodeau has a luxury that not many coaches in the league have, being able to extend leads or even come from behind with his bench in the game. With that being said, lets meet the Bench Mob.

First, there’s the 6′7” Ashton Kutcher look-a-like, sharp shooting Kyle Korver. On Kyle I’m convinced of two things. First, his range is as soon as he steps on the court. Second, he must have one of the top 3 quickest releases in the game. His ability to curl off a screen, catch, and shoot in seemingly all one motion is as good as anyone I’ve watched not named Ray Allen. When the Bulls need a 3 or an offensive spark off the bench, Thibodeau usually calls on #26.

Next, there’s Taj Gibson, who’s probably the favorite member of the Mob of my partner in crime here at Bulls Extra, Stephanie. He’s one of those players that every team needs. He doesn’t get many headlines (doesn’t really want them), you won’t see him in highlight reels, but he makes all the little plays. At various points this season when Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah have been injured, it’s been Gibson who’s stepped in and filled the void up front, admirably might I add. His hard-nosed defense and uncanny ability to, at 6′9”, block shots (96 in 69 games) has helped the Bulls to the #2 scoring defense in the league, only giving up 91.2 points per.

A tough wing defender with the ability to play passing lanes pretty much sums up Ronnie Brewer. He generally draws the assignment of the opposing team’s top scorer when he’s on the floor and, more often than not, does a good shutting him down. He leads the team in steals this season with 95, a number that almost seems low when you see how active his hands are when guarding his man. Back in the ‘08-’09 season with the Jazz he averaged 13.7 ppg playing 30+ minutes a night so his offensive ability is there when needed as well. And for all of the highlight reel plays that Derrick Rose has provided us this season, it might be Ronnie Brewer who provided THE Bulls highlight of the year so far.

Being the backup to Derrick Rose doesn’t always yield alot of minutes since he’s on the court so often, but C.J. Watson, or C.J. Wattttttttttson as most Bulls fans know him as courtesy of Stacey King, makes the most of his minutes on the floor. A very good floor general and distributor of the ball, the offensive flow rarely tapers off when he’s on the floor. Whether he’s penetrating to dish to a wide open Korver in the corner, or finding Taj Gibson on the block, Watson generally stakes his claim to the paint, and trying to keep him out is easier said than done.

The two-headed low post monster of Omer Asik and Kurt Thomas provides hustle, rebounding (Asik), and a baseline-to-wing jumper that Kurt Thomas probably perfected on Dr. James Naismith’s peach basket. Asik’s work on the glass, particularly the offense boards, isn’t the prettiest thing to watch, but it’s definitely effective. What he makes up for in refined skills at this early stage of his career he makes up for in sheer determination and hustle. During the ‘94-’95 season at TCU Thomas lead the NCAA in scoring and rebounding playing in the Southwest Conference, a conference that dissolved in 1996. Just to give you an idea how long he’s been playing. Earlier this season when Chicago was dealing with injuries to both Noah and Boozer Thomas stepped in and looked almost like he did 10 years ago. In January he had games of 13 and 18 rebounds in a 8-game stretch and came back earlier this month and had games of 13 and 15 boards in a 3-game span. Not bad for a 38 year old huh?

How far the Bulls go in this year’s playoffs clearly rest on the shoulders of Derrick Rose, closely followed by Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, and Joakim Noah. But don’t discount how important the Bench Mob will be the Bulls success either. Whether they’re in due to foul trouble, picking up the slack for an injured teammate, or just to give the starters a breather, any member of the bench that Thibodeau pionts to is more than capable in filling in. That’s quite a luxury to have when you look at several teams who maybe go 2-3 deep on the bench and the Bulls can easily go 6 deep or more when you add Rasual Butler to the mix. It’s almost time for the tonight’s game against the Bucks, so we’ll get to see which member has the biggest impact on tonight’s game.

It’s hard to come up with a top 5 or even top 10 list of Derrick Rose highlights from this season, so I’m not going to try. To try and pick one would be like trying to pick 1 of the 72 wins the Bulls had in the ‘95-’96 season as my favorite. Or which pair of Air Jordan shoes I like the best. Which one of Rodman’s hairstyles was the weirdest? Which Stacey King call has been the best? You get the idea. So instead of picking a favorite, here are a few that we’ll be seeing over and over again, most likely in a montage to commemorate his MVP season.