Tyrus Thomas won't need to look far for added inspiration. That 6-foot-9-inch, 289-pound frame boxing him out of the paint, former Louisiana State teammate Glen Davis, will be evidence of the postseason success Thomas has yet to achieve. "That's one of my best friends," Thomas said as the Bulls practiced yesterday afternoon at Northeastern's Solomon Court. "We grew up together. We've got stories between us. There were times when we'd be doing interviews in college and he'll finish my sentence or I'll finish his. That's my guy." Last season, Thomas attended each Celtics postseason game up to the Finals, which he couldn't attend. This season, when the Bulls visited the Celtics in Boston's second regular-season game, Thomas got to see his buddy's championship ring when the two went out to dinner. With Davis likely to see a lion's share of Kevin Garnett's minutes, the two will have to go through each other to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals. "We're both perfectionists. He's extremely hard on himself, like I am," Thomas said. "[At LSU], we were both on the starting line, but sometimes the coach would shake us up and try to pit us against each other . We'd get practice going because neither one of us likes to lose to the other." Davis missed the teams' most recent game with a sprained right ankle, and Thomas responded to the absences of Davis and Garnett by scoring 18 points, including 10 of 13 free throws, in host Chicago's 127-121 win March 17. No friendly wager need apply to the already sky-high ante between the comrades. "We're playing for our season. That's the wager right there," said Thomas. Tough matchup Bulls guard Derrick Rose, who will be playing in his first postseason series, was concerned with two things leading up to today's Game 1: being prepared and getting some rest. Assigned the task of keeping up with Rajon Rondo, Rose believes he's up to the challenge. "He's always looking to attack, looks for his teammates. He's a lot to handle," said Rose. "We're going to know everything about almost every player on that team, so I think I am [prepared]." Getting some rest is less of a challenge for the rookie. When asked if jitters might disturb his sleep, Rose responded, "No, not at all." Salmons hobbled Forward John Salmons is still nursing a strained groin - an injury coach Vinny Del Negro doesn't expect to improve until after the postseason. "He's going to be sore for the rest of the playoffs," said Del Negro. "He's going to have to fight through it the best he can. If it loosens up, that would be great, but sometimes it doesn't and you've got to work through it." . . . Del Negro passed along best wishes to Celtics general manager Danny Ainge via text message Thursday. "He's a tough guy and I expect him to get to the series as soon as he can feel healthy enough," said Del Negro. "Knowing him, he's like a caged bear probably trying to get there. I'm glad he's doing OK and it sounds like he'll be fine, which is great news." --

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