Bulls Stay Alive With Tight Defense
By Chuck Sudo in News on May 9, 2012 1:30PM
The Bulls only lost three games in a row three times in the past two years. Coach Tom Thibodeau reminded his team they've won three games in a row 57 times. If the top seed in the East hopes to advance to the next round in the playoffs, they'll need to do it a 58th. Last night's game in the United Center was a good start. Playing without Joakim Noah and, of course, Derrick Rose, the Bulls rediscovered the swarming team defense that allowed them to post an 18-9 record in the regular season without Rose.
The Bulls held the Sixers to 10 points in the second quarter and 32 percent shooting for the game as they cut Philadelphia's series lead to 3-2. Another promising sign was a breakout performance by Luol Deng. Deng finally had the breakout performance expected of him during the playoffs with a game-high 24 points. Carlos Boozer added 19 points and 13 rebounds as the Bulls outscored the Sixers in the paint 36-22.