Here’s what I learned from the Bulls/Celtics first round playoff series:

1. Derrick Rose is going to be a phenomenal player in the NBA.  He has the potential to be an all-time great.  His penetrating ability will only afford him and his teammates countless scoring opportunities.  If he develops a consistent mid-range jump shot, or even a decent three-point stroke, watch out everyone.
2. Rajon Rondo is turning into Isaiah Thomas or John Stockton, and not in the good way.  That is, he’s almost as dirty as he is good.  I saw his skills come through in last year’s playoffs, and he really blossomed this year, averaging a triple double in the series.  But what irks me about Rondo is that he’s so good he doesn’t need to take cheap shots, such as the obviously flagrant foul on Brad Miller in Game 5 or his tossing Kirk Heinrich in Game 6.  He doesn’t need to be a dirty player to succeed.  I hope, for the Celtics’ sake, that he cleans up his act in the next series.
3. Kendrick Perkins is the real “Big Baby.”  I can’t ever remember his facial expression having anything other than a scowl or a puzzled “Who, me?” look.  He criticized the refs midway through the series, saying the refs don’t like the Celtics.  Yeah, like that’s going to help your case come game time, Kendrick.  I have an idea for you: grow up, shut up, and just play basketball.  Quit your bitchin’, already.  Fouls happen, especially in the paint.
4. Speaking of Big Baby, Glen “Big Baby” Davis is really good.  He’s got good range for a big man, and moves very well without the ball.  If he could improve his defense, he could be the integral player who helps transition the Celtics after Kevin Garnett leaves (I’m not saying that’s happening anytime soon, just that he’s got a lot of potential.)
5. I hate the last minute of an NBA game.  Those final 60 seconds of game time could last 15 minutes, with all the timeouts and fouls.  I think the NBA should look into rule changes, limiting the number of timeouts a team can call in a certain period of time or heavily penalizing a team for employing a “foul-right-away-so-we-can-get-the-ball-back” strategy.  Perhaps they could treat those intentional, late-game fouls like they do flagrant fouls, and have the fouled team shoot two free throws and retain possession.  Anything to speed up the closing moments of a game.
6. The Celtics run screen-and-rolls as well as anyone in the league.  Those plays killed the Bulls, who had trouble switching or rotating after switches.  It was especially effective when Paul Pierce or Ray Allen found their shooting touch early.
7. Ray Allen is better than Reggie Miller was.
8. It was obvious to me which team was the experienced, veteran team and which team was still wet behind the ears.  The Celtics showed great poise down the stretch of every game, and played great team basketball.  They didn’t panic whenever the Bulls would make runs or jump out to leads; they just kept their composure and weathered the storm by making good defensive stops or chipping away at the deficits one basket at a time.  On the other side of the ball, the Bulls showed their inexperience by not being able to put away the Celtics on several occasions.  You could tell the Bulls wanted to thrown down that dagger shot or that they tried to get fancy at critical junctures, when all that was necessary was to milk the clock and set up a good play that would result in an open look or a foul call.  All that being said, the Bulls showed tremendous heart, courage, and potential in this series.  A little patience and some polished execution and the Bulls could contend for titles for years to come.
9. Holy crap, can Tyrus Thomas get up.
10. Derrick Rose needs to use his athleticism even more.  Since he hasn’t yet developed a consistent outside jumpshot, he needs to drive to the hoop more to force defense to collapse into the paint, thereby leaving someone open on the wings.  Also, Derrick Rose needs to the handld the ball more.  Too often, Ben Gordon or John Salmons would run the ball upcourt, with Rose off the side.  Derrick, you’re the point guard and the future of the franchise.  Take control and be the floor general.  You can do this.
11. Ben Gordon needs to learn how to more better and more efficiently without the ball.  Too many times I saw him standing around while Rose was at the top of the key, trying to find passing or driving lanes.  Take notes from the great Ray Allen, Ben.
12. Vinny Del Negro earned his paycheck this year.  Imagine being a rookie head coach, with a rookie point guard, and the youngest team in the NBA, and taking the defending champions to the limit, after starting the year 18-30.  This playoff experience can do nothing but help him run the team even better next year, as well as establish some chemistry and rapport among the players and coaching staff.
13. What Joakim Noah lacks in pure physical skill is made up with his heart and intensity.
14. While I’m still a baseball and football guy, this series did a lot for my basketball fandom.  In the late-1980’s and through the 1990’s, I was a huge Bulls fan, thanks in no small part to the one and only Michael Jordan.  But, in recent years, I’d lost interest in the NBA, perhaps because the style of play changed slightly from when I watched it regularly.  Perhaps it was because the Bulls didn’t do much in the decade following the Jordan era.  Or maybe, it just wasn’t as compelling to watch in 2004, for example, as it was in for me in 1997.  The way I see it, this playoff series was compelling, competitive, interesting, hard-fought, dramatic, and made even more exciting because it played between two of the NBA’s marquee franchises.

Welcome back to the big time, Chicago Bulls.  It’s good to have you back.