Bobcats lose; Bulls win spot in playoffs

Following Thursday's victory over Philadelphia, Tyrus Thomas declared that the Bulls would be the most dangerous team in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

At home, they have been a menace, going 13-1 at the United Center since the all-star break. On the road, the danger factor is quite a bit lower.

The Bulls officially clinched a playoff spot with Charlotte's 84-81 loss at Oklahoma City on Friday.

Philadelphia's 102-92 loss to Cleveland means the Bulls are just 1 game behind the Sixers for sixth place in the East. Detroit knocked off New Jersey 100-93, moving back into a tie with the Bulls for seventh. The Bulls play the Pistons at the Palace on Monday.

A win tonight would give the Bulls a .500 record for the first time since Nov. 15 when they were 5-5. The low point was nine games below at 18-27 on Jan. 25 after a loss to Minnesota.

Following Friday's light practice at the Berto Center, coach Vinny Del Negro didn't take issue with Thomas' comments. The third-year forward also said he thought the Bulls would shock a lot of people by their playoff performance.

"I think it's good," Del Negro said. "I'd rather have a guy with a lot of confidence. Tyrus played really well, especially in the second half."

Thomas scored a season-high 24 points in the 113-99 victory over the 76ers. He scored most of his points at the foul line, hitting 14 of 14 free throws while the Bulls as a team were perfect on 19 attempts.

Thomas has been providing consistent offensive contributions lately. Over the past 12 games, he has hit double figures 10 times and averaged 15.5 points. He also ranks eighth in the league in blocked shots at 1.9 per game.

Rebounding has been spotty, though. During one five-game stretch in mid-March, he averaged 11.4 boards. In the past five games, he has been at 4.2.

"Tyrus is so athletic, he can impact a game a lot of ways," Del Negro said. "He has a lot to learn, if he's able to keep that perspective and work in the summertime and improve his game."

For the past few weeks, Del Negro has stressed taking nothing for granted, even while the Bulls seemed to have their fourth playoff berth in the last five seasons virtually locked up.

"Everyone thinks that automatically because we're at home, you just roll the ball out and it's going to happen," he said. "It doesn't work like that. We have to get our mind-set right."