Bulls feeling 'boxed' in as playoffs approach

With two weeks left in the regular season, Taj Gibson had an interesting take on how the Bulls are getting focused.

Basically, the players are supposed to stop answering their phones, and if anyone has a problem with that, refer the pests to coach Tom Thibodeau.

"Thibs is telling us, around this time, we have to shut everybody out," Gibson said. "We have to even probably, possibly change our (phone) numbers because right now it's all about team and nobody else.

"That's basically what he's preaching, to put yourself in a box. Just you and your teammates. If you've got distractions, tell them to call him and he'll tell them no for you. Because it's that time of the year. He doesn't want any distractions."

The Bulls' final eight games are spaced out over 15 days, with just one set of back-to-backs next week in Orlando and Miami.

"We really need to rest our guys," Gibson said. "Just the way we practice, it was really tough. But it's more time to watch more film, really dig into your game and focus on your task. We understand the playoffs are right around the corner."

Playoff seeds not set:

If the playoffs started today, the Bulls would face Wednesday's opponent, Milwaukee, in the first round.

But they don't start now and plenty could change over the next two weeks. The Bucks, for example have lost 12 of their last 16 games and easily could slide out of the No. 6 spot.

"You never know. There's still a lot of games left," Taj Gibson said. "Miami's on their tail. We're chasing Cleveland, Toronto's chasing us. You never know. Right now we're just focused on our team and focused on pushing ahead."

If the Bulls fall behind Toronto into fourth place, they'll almost certainly face Washington in the first round. Otherwise, Miami, Brooklyn, Boston and Indiana are all within 3 losses of Milwaukee.

Trust in Thibs:

Taj Gibson was asked if the Bulls might be trying to learn something about Milwaukee on Wednesday that could be put to use in a potential playoff meeting. No real need, he replied.

"We have one of the best scouts in the game in Tom Thibodeau," Gibson said. "He knows the team from top to bottom. He understands everything. We have a lot of guys who've been in the playoffs, especially deep like Nazr (Mohammed) and Pau (Gasol), and we listen to what they tell us.

"The last month we've been digging deep and being sharper in practice. Guys aren't playing around; we're really serious about this time, with the playoffs right around the corner."