Because Naz gave us quality play off the bench on D...He only gave us 11 minutes per game. But he was VERY physical....And we had MUCH better spacing given that Marco Belinelli was a threat from outside which allowed our BIGS to operate more freely in the paint.

Our perimeter defense was also much better....We had Butler, Deng and a more productive Captain Kirk (who also shot 40 percent from the 3...)on defense on the perimeter....

So yeah...We were able to weather the storm because our perimeter defense was just as solid as out interior defense....And we had better 3 point shooting to keep teams honest (Hell, Nate Robinson was shooting 40 percent from 3 with the Bulls) and better all around rebounding (Deng, Taj, Boozer, and Jimmy B. but in work rebounding the ball)....

This year's Bulls team? Not the case...We just need to get healthy and pick up another bench guy that can bang...We will be OK...