Game 6 is coming up on the Bulls home court in this intriguing NBA Playoff series versus the Boston Celtics.

The main question still lingers:  When is Rondo coming back to the lineup?  He was such a factor in the first two games in Boston, which Chicago won and set this Series on its head. Then he broke his thumb and has out and the Bulls lost the next three games.

Now, Chicago trails 3-2 in the Series and the calls for Rondo have probably gotten louder. But can he play?

The Bulls announced Thursday afternoon that Rondo is indeed ruled out for Game 6.  Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg stated the following on a conference call with the media:

“Nothing’s changed as of now,” Hoiberg said. “We had a film session in the hotel this morning. Obviously we didn’t do anything on the court before we left. Rajon, most likely, will come in and work out tonight, but like we talked about [Wednesday] at the game, it’s still a long shot that he’s back on the court, at least in this series.”

With that said Rondo may be ready for a game 7 if one is needed.

All the Bulls need to do is figure out how to defeat this Celtics team and control Isaiah Thomas who has run circles around the defense.  Thomas is only 5’ 8” but he looms large. Because he is quick, and when he is on, has a deadly shot, and can shoot from three-point land. He darts around and, causes havoc.

Now, the Bulls pretty much neutralized him for 3 quarters in Boston, then he made some shots, and set up some Celtics and Avery Bradley made some nice plays.

This Celtics team can be beaten by a smart, disciplined team, who is not afraid of being purposeful on defense, defending the man, making it difficult for Thomas to get in his rhythm.

Nikola Mirotic has practically disappeared in the Series. It would be great to hear from him. The Bulls have players who can compete with Boston. They just have to show up on the court, ready to play.

Dwyane Wade is playing. He came back from an injured elbow that was expected to sideline him for the remainder of the season but he is playing.  Wade can seem a step slow at times; however he did have a good game in game 5.

The team needs to have a good game in game 6 — then it may be Rondo time in Boston.