Can Bulls repeat Game 5’s defensive attack?

The past three games in this Bulls-Philadelphia playoff series have all been low-scoring, physical battles. Yet, oddly enough, each game carried its own distinct character.

A good comparison might be a steak with onions, steak with provolone and steak with Cheez Whiz.

The Bulls survived a do-or-die home game Tuesday, defeating the Sixers 77-69. Now the question as they try to do the same on the road Thursday is whether the Bulls struck gold with their all-out defensive blitz in Game 5.

Scoring has been a struggle for the Bulls in each of those three games. They posted 74, 82 and 77 points. Philadelphia’s total, meanwhile, dropped from 89 in Game 4 to 69 on Tuesday.

“The main thing we’ve really got to focus on is finishing the game, playing the whole 48 minutes,” said Luol Deng, who scored 24 points in Game 5. “The last two games in Philly, we played well enough to win. We just haven’t done a good job playing the whole 48 minutes.”

The 48-minute rule explains why Ronnie Brewer, the team’s best perimeter defender, played more in Game 5 than Richard Hamilton and Kyle Korver combined.

In Game 4, the Bulls forced the Sixers’ guards to shoot a low percentage — at least, until Jrue Holiday dropped in a pair of late 3-pointers — but center Spencer Hawes broke loose for 22 points.

On Tuesday, the Bulls shut down everyone and everything.

“They played their power game. They played Ronnie Brewer a lot,” Sixers coach Doug Collins said Wednesday. “They basically said, ‘We’re going to go to with this defensive lineup, we’re going to have five guys in the paint and we’re going make you make some jump shots,’ and they did a great job of that.”

Here are a couple of more oddities from Game 5: The Sixers did get out in transition, winning the fastbreak points 23-9. They also continued to dominate at the foul line (24-11 in free-throw attempts). But they still scored 69 points.

When Philadelphia settled into its half-court offense, it hit 19 of 68 shots (27.9 percent). That’s where the Bulls dominated Tuesday’s game.

“I told our guys, we played so much random offense (in Game 5),” Collins added. “And it was because they took away the things we want to do.

“So I said, ‘Tomorrow, if we’re going to win the game, we have to be able to catch the ball where we’re supposed to catch it and then everybody will fed off that.’ They ended up making us play a lot of 1-on-1.”

Now that the Sixers have a chance to clinch this series at home, Tom Thibodeau and the coaching staff need to decide if the same strategy will work in Game 6 or if it’s time for a new twist.

Look at it this way, the Bulls endured the shock of losing Derrick Rose to a season-ending knee injury and followed up with their worst defensive performance in Game 2.

They figured some things out and built a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter of Game 3 at the Wells Fargo Center. But then Joakim Noah’s grotesque sprained ankle threw the Bulls for another loop. With Noah out, they collapsed down the stretch in Game 3 and lost again two days later.

The chances of Noah playing Thursday appear slim, and another of the team’s defensive leaders, Taj Gibson, turned his right ankle in Game 5 but has vowed to play on.

If nothing else, this series has demonstrated how quickly things can change, and not only with injuries.

In Game 3, playoff veteran Richard Hamilton tried to play aggressively, got to the foul line 12 times and scored 17 points. In the next two contests, Hamilton shot 1 free throw and scored a total of 13 points.

Maybe the Sixers, with their quick guards, aren’t the best matchup for Hamilton. Maybe the Bulls will need another scorer to step up in Game 6.

There’s little doubt the defenses will continue to dominate this series. The team that can find a sliver of offense when it matters most figures to be the winner.

“Thibs is a meat-and-potato guy,” Collins said. “They’re not going to change anything other than the fact they’re going to do it harder, tougher, stronger, with more will.

“That’s why he’s a great coach. His calling card has always been his ability to put defenses out on the floor.”