N.B.A. Playoffs - Bulls" Defense, a Bruising Ballet, Throws Off Nets With his perpetually stressed look, Bulls Coach Tom Thibodeau hardly cuts the figure of an artist. And when his team snarled and clawed its way to a 90-82 victory over the Nets in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series Monday night, it did not call to mind the grace and nuance of the N.B.A."s most revered performers. But there was something poetic about Chicago's inspired defense that went behind tactical adjustments and center Joakim Noah's improved health. "It's one of those things that's hard to explain," the veteran center Nazr Mohammed said of the Bulls" renewed tenacity and focus. How do I describe it? Just more in tune as a group. Basketball spiritualists like Phil Jackson have described the sensation of total immersion in the flow of the game as being akin to deep meditation. The Bulls were in that kind of zone in Game 2. All of Chicago's defenders were vibrating at the same high frequency as they swarmed the same Nets offense that so easily created and converted open shots in Game 1. After the first game, Luol Deng said the Bulls needed to "shrink the floor" on defense, meaning they needed to apply more pressure and send more defenders toward the ball. In Game 2, the Bulls defense did just that, crowding the court and at times giving the impression they had a sixth defender. No matter how well the Nets executed their plays, the Bulls were able to make extra effort to contest the shots. "Our team played passionate basketball," Noah said with a smile. Still dealing with a tear in the sole of his right foot, Noah felt healthy enough to gut out 25 minutes of court time and even managed a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Noah is not only the Bulls" best player; he is also their psychological leader. His stirring effort was emblematic of how the Bulls seemed more emotionally committed than the Nets in Game 2, more willing to "push the limit," as forward Taj Gibson put it. The Nets were no longer diving through Bulls players to secure loose balls. It was not that the Nets backed down in the face of the Bulls" intensity; they just could not match it. Although they allowed the Nets to shoot 55.9 percent from the field in Game 1, the Bulls did not alter their defensive game plan; they simply changed how they executed it. The Nets were still able to work the ball inside a fair amount, but on Monday night, the Bulls made even the easiest shots difficult. After converting 22 of 27 shots near the rim in Game 1, the Nets scored on 12 of 26 such attempts in Game 2. Brook Lopez was more accurate 20 feet from the hoop than he was from 2 feet away. "Booz and Joakim and Naz are contesting shots, but we have to get more in the paint, be it a foul or finish," Nets Coach P. J. Carlesimo said, referring to Carlos Boozer, Noah and Mohammed. To shoot what we shot, with so much of it coming in the paint, was a big problem. Carlesimo was correct: if there was a silver lining in the Nets" performance, it was that despite the Bulls" best effort, the Nets managed to frequently work the ball into good positions. The Nets also missed a number of wide-open shots, especially 3-point attempts. But that could have been a result of how well the Bulls challenged everything else. So used to being harassed on every shot, the Nets" shooters seemed to sense defenders who were not there. Deron Williams scored 8 points, shooting 1 of 9 from the field, and seeming unsure of where his scoring opportunities would come. That confusion was by design. The Bulls" defense attempts to give the impression of being in several places at once. "He's such a smart player, I don't think you can give him a steady diet of anything," Thibodeau said of Williams. So you try to give him some different looks. He's going to make the right play. He's going to hit the open man, so you got to recover. If you don't have a multiple effort against him, he's going to get open shots for his team. Williams dominated his individual matchups with the Bulls" point guards in Game 1. In Game 2, there was hardly such a thing as an individual matchup, so connected were all five defenders. "That's how we play defense," Bulls guard Jimmy Butler said. Make him see you, then when Deron looks off again, recover back. As simple as it sounds, one of the biggest keys for the Nets will be making tough shots. Players as talented as Lopez, Williams and Joe Johnson should be expected to do that. Williams promised he would not repeat his lackluster shooting night. The Nets still have a talent advantage, but the Bulls will be tough to beat, especially at home, if their defense stays in harmony. There is no pretense in the Bulls" brutal ballet of defense. But the instinctual connection between the performers and their synchronized leaps to prevent layups conveys its own kind of stern beauty.