Bulls disappointed with defensive effort

The Chicago Bulls were disappointed in the defensive effort they put forth in their 101-95 loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday.

Strong defense has been the trademark of the Bulls under Tom Thibodeau, but they failed to live up to that standard against the Celtics. Luol Deng said, "it was bad. It was really bad." Deng added that Chicago focused on their offense prior to the game, but said defense is what wins games for the Bulls.

Chicago knows the Celtics have a good offense, Thidodeau said, "when you give them confidence, they are hard to stop." Thibodeau indicated that things were too easy for Boston early and that gave the Celtics the confidence they needed.

With Derrick Rose still out as he recovers from knee surgery the Bulls will rely on their defense even more than normal. Chicago is 4-3 on the season and is allowing 90.4 points per game, tied for fourth in the league.