Noah: Bulls' performance 'disappointing'
Joakim Noah has been MVP of the interviews during this series against Cleveland, and following Sunday's lopsided loss, he offered a candid assessment of the Bulls.
"We weren't very tough mentally today," Noah said. "We were playing good basketball and all of the sudden, it just collapsed.
"When things weren't going our way, everybody had their head down. Even myself, I've got to do a better job of bringing the energy, making sure everybody is on the same page, things like that. To have a performance like this in this kind of game is disappointing."
The Bulls were within 47-46 with 3:05 remaining in the first half but then were outscored 32-12 during the next eight minutes.
Some questioned the wisdom of sending in rookie forward James Johnson at the three-minute mark - he committed 3 fouls in the next 80 seconds - but the Bulls failed on so many different levels.
"The way you get better is to realize they were tougher than us mentally," Noah continued. "We definitely can't feel sorry for ourselves, that's for sure, and I don't think we will.
"I think we've been pretty tough and resilient all year, and that's something I'm proud to be a part of, because I felt like we fought through a lot of adversity this year. We'll be ready to go in Cleveland."
Defending D-Rose: Derrick Rose saw more of 6-foot-6 guard Anthony Parker defensively in Game 4 but didn't think that in itself was much of a factor.
"If anything, it gave me a little bit of confidence," said Rose, who hit 9 of 20 shots for 21 points. "Usually, when guys are bigger than me, it's easier to go past them. They kept switching up, which made it kind of hard. Different people were on me throughout the whole game.
"It's kind of hard trying to go past somebody where one defender is better than the next and one person contests your shot different than the next person. But it's what the NBA is all about. You just have to find a way, and I have to do it quick."
Kirk goes cold: The Bulls are 14-0 this season when Kirk Hinrich scores at least 16 points and 10-1 when he knocked down 3 or more baskets from 3-point range. On Sunday, Hinrich made 3 of 13 shots for 10 points and a pair of 3-pointers.
"Maybe they're staying home a little bit more in certain situations," he said. "I still feel like I got really good looks, just didn't knock them down."
Loss becomes gain: Cleveland swept its first two playoff series last year, then lost in the Eastern finals to Orlando. So they're trying to turn the Game 3 loss to the Bulls into a positive.
"Last year we had no obstacles early," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "That loss tested us, and we had to see if we could stay together and come out and play hard and win. Staying together like we did is how we won."
Bull horns: Ex-Bulls center Aaron Gray made the rounds in the locker room following the game. He was traded to New Orleans in February. - After turning his ankle in practice Friday, guard Acie Law was inactive for Game 4, while Devin Brown saw some action in garbage time.