In Nets-Bulls, It's Not, Who's Hurt? It's, Who Isn't? EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - On the eve of Thursday's Game 6 of a back-and-forth, battering series between the Nets and the Chicago Bulls, both teams appeared to be surviving on ice, athletic tape and willpower, and not in that particular order. The battle of attrition was thought to be favoring the Nets, and still probably does. But on Wednesday, guard Joe Johnson detailed just how debilitating his left heel injury has been since Game 1, and he said that if this was the regular season, he would not be playing. "It's kind of like I'm out there on one leg, honestly," Johnson said. I'm just giving them everything I can at this point. Johnson, who has plantar fasciitis, or inflammation of the tendon at the base of the foot, is averaging 16.2 points in 39 minutes during the five postseason games, just around his regular-season numbers. He hit a game-tying jumper at the overtime buzzer in Game 4 to keep the Nets alive. But he acknowledged that he could not run breaks or work off pick-and-rolls as well as he should, limiting him to being mainly a spot-up shooter. "I'm basically a decoy," Johnson said. Injuries are certainly taking their toll on both teams in this series. Bulls center Joakim Noah has played through a similar injury - Noah's in his right foot - while forward Luol Deng (hip injury) and Taj Gibson (bad knees) missed practice Wednesday because of illness. Point guard Kirk Hinrich, who missed Game 5, did not practice Wednesday after bruising his calf during the Bulls" Game 4 triple-overtime win. He shed the walking boot he wore after sustaining the injury, but was walking with a noticeable limp Wednesday. He said he had not been able to run, jump or cut, and his status will most likely be a game-time decision for Thursday night's game at the United Center. "I've got to be able to get up on my toes and support my weight and really it's just been a tiring nonstop treatment of it," Hinrich said, adding, "I'm going to try and play if I can. That's my goal. Whether I'm going to be able to reach it or not, I'm not sure right now. With Derrick Rose still recovering from knee surgery, Hinrich has been even more valuable to the Bulls. Since Jan. 1, Chicago is 27-12 with him in the lineup and 5-14 without him. After winning three straight games to take a commanding 3-1 series lead, the Bulls were an altogether different team when Hinrich sat out Game 5 at Barclays Center. Their offense was less fluid, and their aggressive defense appeared a step slower. Nate Robinson, who started in Hinrich's place in Game 5, hit for 34 points in Game 4, but he is not as effective a defender. His style of play is better suited to the role of a scorer off the bench, rather than a player who can run Chicago's offense for four quarters. "You want to play to your strengths, cover up your weaknesses and function well as a team," Bulls Coach Tom Thibodeau said of Hinrich's absence. We're capable of doing that. On the Nets" side, center Andray Blatche said he was "90 percent" after straining his right calf in the fourth quarter of Game 5, and center Brook Lopez hurt his ankle in Game 4. Not to mention Reggie Evans, who missed Wednesday's practice with an illness. And then there is Johnson, who essentially indicated he has been running on fumes, allowing adrenaline to push him through four quarters. Nets Coach P. J. Carlesimo said Johnson's gutsiness has been inspiring. "They know what he's going through," Carlesimo said. They appreciate it. That's what warriors do. That's what competitors do. The Nets might need Johnson's clutch shooting to give them a chance in Game 6 in Chicago, where they have yet to win in four games this season. During the regular season, Johnson was 9 of 10 from the field in the final minute of games in which the Nets were ahead or behind by 3 points. If the game is on the line, as it was with five seconds left in overtime of Game 4, Carlesimo described Johnson as "lethally effective." But it has been clear that, during the rest of the game, Johnson is not as effective as he wants to be. "It's been frustrating," Johnson said, "for the simple fact that I can't do a lot of the things that I wish I could out there to help this team." Zach Schonbrun reported from East Rutherford, N.J., and Ben Strauss from Deerfield, Ill.