Is win over Mavs a sign Bulls are starting to pull together?

Bulls games have been following a familiar script this season. More often than not, they've fallen behind by at least 12 points, then mounted a late rally.

Thursday's victory over Dallas at the United Center was the first time they recovered from a double-digit deficit to actually win a game. They pulled out a 98-91 victory after trailing 24-5 in the first quarter.

All this is in stark contrast to the start of last season, when the Bulls were 2-7 after nine games and showing few signs of life. When things got tough, the players usually hung their heads and stopped playing as a team. That pattern continued throughout a brutal 33-49 season.

This year, they've gone 4-5 against a tough schedule, with one more home game against Indiana tonight before beginning the annual circus road trip.

"I think it's better, yeah," forward Andres Nocioni said of the team spirit. "I think last year was really frustrating because there were too many expectations for the season. This season is different. I feel we are more confident, we're playing a little bit better. I think we work harder in the games.

"We are going to have a better year than last year. I think we are going to be in the playoffs again, and I think we are going to be something good."

Ben Gordon talked about taking things personally when the Bulls fell so far behind Dallas and the fans began booing loudly. That sort of attitude can backfire if players take it upon themselves to turn a game around instead of sticking together.

Gordon had a hot hand Thursday, scoring a season-high 35 points. At the same time, the Bulls committed a season-low 7 turnovers and gathered themselves defensively. After hitting 9 of their first 11 attempts, the Mavericks shot just 30.3 percent (23 for 76) the rest of the night.

"Hopefully that's a good sign that when we get down big, we won't give up," Gordon said. "I think we do (stick together). We still have to work on it. At times, our ball movement isn't nearly as good as it needs to be or as good as it will get as the season goes on."

Of course, another huge difference from last year is the presence of rookie Derrick Rose, who continues to be remarkably consistent. The No. 1 draft pick is now averaging 18.4 points, 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds while shooting 46 percent.

The coaching staff is new as well. When asked about the players sticking together during rough stretches, head coach Vinny Del Negro used his favorite phrase - "There are no easy answers" - about three times.

"I'm not (surprised)," he said. "I know the character of the guys, I know my personality. As long as you continually battle and have the right mindset and stay together as a team, you give yourself a chance."

Besides Boston and Cleveland at the top, along with possibly Atlanta and Detroit, the Eastern Conference appears to be tightly bunched among eight or 10 teams. So home wins against opponents such as Indiana will be important if the Bulls plan to contend for the playoffs.

"I think anytime you're in the East, you can overachieve," Gordon said. "There's always room to kind of make up ground. We can definitely be one of those teams if we just take advantage of our opportunities."

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