Bulls getting stingy as focus turns to defense

A year ago, the Bulls gave up 102.5 points per game. It wasn't the worst in the league, by any means, but it was the team's highest total in points allowed since the 1989-90 season - just before defense began to dominate the NBA.

In remarkably short time, the Bulls seem to have transformed into a solid defensive squad. They had one miserable performance in a 118-90 loss at Boston on Oct. 30. Otherwise, they've surrendered an average of 86.5 points in the other four games. That's after leading the league during the preseason in defensive field-goal percentage.

In 2 victories this week, they finished off Cleveland with three straight defensive stops and kept Milwaukee scoreless on its final two possessions.

So what's going on? Removing Ben Gordon from the lineup does not explain such a significant improvement.

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Derrick Rose struggled defensively as a rookie, but he deserves some credit for Cavs point guard Mo Williams hitting just 4 of 13 shots Thursday.

Following the game in Cleveland, Rose sounded as though he's bought into the new program.

"We play hard, that's all I can tell you," Rose said. "Everybody trusting each other now. That's the biggest thing on defense is trusting one another. Without trust on defense, there's no point in being out there.

"We're believing in one another and holding each other accountable for everything on the court. Our chemistry on offense is really not there yet, but you have time for that. The biggest thing is defending."