Bulls point guard Derrick Rose didn’t practice on Monday, but his sprained left ankle won’t keep him from playing against the Pacers in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series.

“It’s not broke, so I’m definitely going to be playing,” Rose told reporters including Herb Gould of The Chicago Sun-Times. “I’m getting [a pain killer before the game] for sure.”

Rose sprained the ankle late in the first quarter of Saturday’s Game 4 loss in Indiana. He still played 43 minutes, but was only 3 of 16 from the field after the injury took place.

Game 5 will take place in Chicago on Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST.

{AUTHOR_BOX}Doctor: Kobe’s Foot May Need Time to Heal

The results of Kobe Bryant’s MRI on his left foot won’t premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, but not for lack of interest. Southern Californians are fixated on the results of the test after seeing the Lakers star roll his ankle in Sunday’s Game 4 loss in New Orleans.

As HOOPSWORLD’s Steve Kyler mentioned in the NBA AM, Bryant is practically refusing to sit, but it may not be that easy. He previously rolled that ankle back in March, but he avoided missing any games because pain was limited to an ankle sprain and had nothing to do with his foot. This time around Bryant said the pain is in his foot, and, as one doctor told HOOPSWORLD, that could be more complicated.

“Foot injuries can take a long time to heal,” said Dr. Victor Khabie, who did his fellowship with the Lakers medical staff at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic and is now co-chief of the Orthopedics and Spine Institute at the Northern Westchester Hospital in New York.

“It’s very important to be able to push off to perform properly,” Dr. Khabie continued. “And that’s why this MRI is important—to point out what the real injury is. [If it did involve the foot] it could range from a hairline fracture, crack in the bone, a little bit of pain. And if that’s going on, it won’t heal properly if he’s playing on it.”

But even if Bryant’s foot is without of fractures and the bones have maintained their integrity, he could still be dealing with a foot sprain, which is much more complicated than an ankle sprain.

“They’re a little more unusual,” Dr. Khabie said. “So the severity can be worse than an ankle sprain, maybe more unpredictable. The healing could be different. Ankle sprains, we see those a lot and we can treat them and wrap them and all that. It’s hard to wrap a foot sprain or to brace it. Foot sprains are more unforgiving. Let’s put it that way.

“If it’s a minor sprain, he might not miss anything at all,” he continued. “Usually as playoffs go, athletes suck it up more and go back out sooner. If this were during the regular season, they’d be more willing to take a few weeks.”

Bryant and the Lakers may not have a few weeks, thanks to the Hornets’ series-tying effort in Game 4. Chances are he’ll be back for Game 5, but don’t be surprised if the Lakers doctors take more precautions after seeing the results of the MRI.

Does the Regular Season Mean Anything?

The Celtics’ four-game first-round sweep of the Knicks isn’t exactly a supporting argument for the importance of the regular season. For the second year in a row, Boston entered the postseason as an aging, lethargic Goliath only to pull a rope-a-dope and drop the upstart David within moments of the opening bell.

So HOOPSWORLD had to ask: What changed between the last few weeks of the regular season and now?

“The playoffs started,” said Celtics forward Jeff Green.

It’s apparently as simple as that. Never mind that Boston was limping to the finish line with injuries to Shaquille O’Neal, Delonte West, Jermaine O’Neal and a few others. And forget the lingering chemistry issues the Celtics had following the trade of Kendrick Perkins to the Thunder for Green. Once again, Doc Rivers’ team was able to flip the switch, turn into the Incredible Hulk and go on an absolute rampage.

“We had to find a way to get us going,” Green said. “I think everybody really came together and we told each other we were going to hold each other accountable for what we got to do. I think you’ve seen that in these past four games where guys are picking up their play.

“It was just us trying to bring up the effort and make everything tough for them and try to capitalize off the stops that we needed to get,” Green continued.

It didn’t matter that the Celtics were 10-10 in their final 20 regular season games, or that the Knicks had won seven of their last nine. The only thing that the final weeks of the regular season proved was that Amar’e Stoudemire had played a lot of basketball this year.

And therein lies the same lesson in a completely different idiom.

The regular season is so long that someone like Stoudemire—whose herculean effort prior to the postseason included 78 contests at 36.8 minutes per game—spends the playoffs dealing with a nagging back injury.

This isn’t the first place and it definitely won’t be the last place you’ll see this argument. And while it’s completely void of any of the financial implications of shortening the regular season, its essential question still needs an answer: Doesn’t the league want it’s best players at their best in the playoffs?

Obviously injuries happen, but it’s hard to ask a team to give its all for 82 games while saving enough for May and June. The deeper teams in the league can afford to be more cautious with stars’ injuries during the year, but if you don’t have a deep rotation, someone like Stoudemire could wind up playing through a lot of aches and pains.

Over the course of a season those things accumulate and wind up contributing to strained muscles and general soreness. You can’t extract the physical aspect of the game, but would the postseason product be better if there were 10 fewer regular season contests per year? After all, what is the regular season proving if the Celtics can flick the switch as the Knicks crumble from exhaustion?

How Could Someone Named Green Not Fit in With the Celtics?

Kevin Garnett’s stare could burn a hole through the Kremlin, Glen Davis is known for random outbursts of tears, Jermaine O’Neal was once slapped with a 15-game suspension and Shaquille O’Neal is a veteran of the recording, television and movie industries. To put it mildly, the Celtics don’t have a quiet, even-keeled roster.

And that’s why Jeff Green sticks out so much in Boston’s locker room.

Green is quiet, polite and very unassuming both on and off the court. He doesn’t get in anyone’s face—like some of his teammates—and he rarely if ever speaks to the refs.

“I used to get that when I was with Oklahoma and I guess I’m getting it now,” he said after Sunday’s Game 4 win. “It’s something I developed since being in college, being the same way, don’t try to force anything, don’t try to put too much pressure on myself. I mean, it helps me out in late-game situations, you know, if I’m in a situation where I’m ready to take the shot.”

When asked about his high-intensity teammate Garnett, Green laughed and said, “I’m the opposite of him.”

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