LOS ANGELES — Derrick Rose wants to know if his Chicago Bulls are ready to establish a new NBA order, or if the post-season will again belong to the likes of the Lakers and Celtics or even, at last, LeBron James. The Bulls finished the regular season with the best record in the league.
But it remains to be seen how far they can go in a post-season that sees the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers vying for a three-peat and reigning — and aging — Eastern Conference champions Boston seeking one more title shot.
The Celtics and Lakers are trying to line up their third title clash in four years — a 13th overall.
Then there’s Miami, in search of a crown that would be the ultimate vindication of their free-agency created star trio, and Western Conference top seeds San Antonio, who led the league until a spring slump left them looking vulnerable.
“I’m very curious,” said Rose, whose Most Valuable Player-caliber season has thrust the Bulls into the title conversation.
“I’m even more anxious right now, because I’ve never been in the situation, in the NBA, where I’m the top seed,” Rose added as he looked toward the start of the Bulls’ first-round series against Indiana on Saturday.
Rose became the seventh player in NBA history to post averages of at least 25 points, 7.5 assists and four rebounds in a single season, joining heavyweights Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Dwyane Wade and James.
But he knows that in the playoffs it’s unlikely one player can deliver a title.
“It’s a team thing,” Rose said. “Playoffs, you definitely need a team. You can’t win in the playoffs by yourself.”
That’s just what James decided when he opted to forsake Cleveland and join Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, creating an instant title contender.
After some early season teething troubles, the Heat have earned the second seed in the East and open against Philadelphia on Saturday.
Fourth-seeded Orlando, who fell to the Lakers in the 2009 finals, face Atlanta in the first round beginning on Saturday.
But despite the Celtics’ late-season struggles, it could prove tough to dislodge the conference champions.
Certainly the Celtics showed last year they could rally in the playoffs.
After a disappointing finish to the regular season, they powered their way to the finals and another showdown with the Lakers that went the maximum seven games.
“Don’t let them fool you, they gear up mentally for the playoffs and the long run,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said of the Celtics.
The Lakers, too, have shown they can step it up in the post-season.
With coach Phil Jackson back on board for a run at his 12th title — a sixth with the Lakers after six with Chicago — the Lakers got off to an erratic start.
