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Pacers forward Danny Granger made headlines recently when he said stopping Derrick Rose would mean stopping the Bulls. While it is easier said than done, Indiana interim head coach Frank Vogel has put a plan in place to try and accomplish just that.

Vogel and his staff have compiled a “Rose Plan”–those words were written on the team’s locker room chalkboard–for the team with one specific focus in mind: slowing down the Bulls’ Rose.

It sounded a little like the “Jordan Rules” utilized by the Detroit Pistons in late 1980s to stop Michael Jordan, though Vogel made a point of dispelling any similarities.

“I didn’t use the word ‘rules’ specifically because I didn’t want the comparison,” stated Vogel. “We know what we have to do against him; we just have to execute it.”

The Pacers will start with Darren Collison on Rose, but that matchup may prove to be a difficult one for the Indiana point guard, who checks in at 6-0 and 170 pounds. Vogel acknowledged Collison will need help and he won’t be the only one who gets a crack at slowing down the front-runner for NBA MVP.

“Without being too specific, we’ll have a couple different guys guarding him at different times,” said Vogel. “Really, we have to guard him with five guys. We understand that no one guy can stop him. It’s got to be a team effort.

“We believe in what we do,” added Vogel. “We’re going to play our defense with a few different wrinkles for [Rose]. We’re here for a reason. We’re a good basketball team.”

After getting the opportunity to take over as head coach once Indiana dismissed Jim O’Brien of his duties on Jan. 30, he Vogel said he’d be thrilled to follow in the footsteps of Tom Thibodeau in terms of getting a chance to remain in his position. And he even took a few pages out of the book of Thibodeau’s old team.

“I’ve used what the Boston Celtics have done in the last few years as a model for this team in terms of their togetherness, their teamwork, their passing,” said Vogel. “They’ve got Hall of Fame talent, but they won one championship and almost a second one because of their teamwork and the ability to make the extra pass.”

Notes on the Bulls and NBA Playoffs

— This season marks the 30th appearance by the Bulls in the NBA Playoffs, and their sixth appearance in the last seven years. The Bulls have won six NBA titles (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998), the third most by a single franchise.

— As a franchise, the Bulls have appeared in 287 playoff games and hold an all-time playoff record of 161-126 (.561). Chicago’s playoff record is the fourth-best in NBA history, trailing the Los Angeles Lakers (413-272, .603), Boston Celtics (311-227, .578) and Baltimore Bullets (9-7, .563).

— At home in the playoffs, the Bulls hold an all-time postseason record of 108-36 (.750) – second among existing NBA franchises (Los Angeles Lakers: 280-89, .759). On the road in the playoffs, the Bulls own an all-time postseason record of 53-90 (.371) – fifth-best in the NBA.

— This marks the second time that Chicago and Indiana have faced off in the playoffs. Chicago defeated Indiana 4-3 in the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals, en route to the franchise’s sixth, and last, NBA Championship.

— The team that wins the Game 1 in a best-of-seven series has gone on to win 320 of 408 (.784) best-of-seven series.

— In 408 best-of-seven series, the team with home-court advantage has is 308-100 (.755).

— Out of 408 best-of-seven series, 106 have gone seven games, and 57 have resulted in four-game sweeps.

— The Bulls are 33-25 (.569) in Game 1’s in team playoff history, including 26-5 (.839) in Game 1’s played at home.

Bulls vs. Pacers season notes

Chicago went 3-1 against the Pacers this season … the Bulls lead the all-time series with the Pacers 84-73 and are 56-21 against Indiana in the Windy City … since the 2003-04 season Chicago has gone 13-3 against the Pacers at the United Center; Chicago is just 5-18 all time at Conseco Fieldhouse … the Bulls have won or split the season series versus the Pacers the last seven seasons … against the Pacers last year, Derrick Rose averaged 24.8 ppg, 6.3 apg and 4.8 rpg in 39.0 mpg; in three contests against the Bulls, Danny Granger paced Indiana with averages of 25.7 ppg and 8.3 rpg in 37.3 mpg … last season, the Bulls outscored the Pacers 105.8 ppg to 101.5 ppg … in 154 games between the Bulls and Pacers, they have gone to overtime just four times (Chicago is 2-2), with the most recent overtime contest occurring on March 18, 2011, a 115-108 Pacers win.

Audio—Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau’s pregame comments (04.16.2011):

Audio—Pacers interim coach Frank Vogel’s pregame comments (04.16.2011):