NBA

Carlesimo’s Nets must quickly learn how to be a Bull-y

CHICAGO — There’s a certain toughness that’s needed to succeed in the NBA playoffs. Part of it is mental. Much of it is physical. What became clear at the United Center last night in Game 3 of the first-round series between the Bulls and Nets is the Bulls are the tougher team: mentally and especially physically.

That’s why Chicago owns a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series after a 79-76 win over the Nets, who started fast, then crumbled and ran out of time to complete an improbable comeback. C.J. Watson missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that could have sent the game into overtime, but that would have put a Band-Aid over why the Nets are in trouble with Game 4 approaching here tomorrow.

The Bulls scored less than 80 points, but still managed to win a playoff game. That tells you how out of synch the Nets are offensively after shooting 34.6 percent from the field, including 5-of-21 from 3-point range.

“We did not execute,” Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo said. “We have to understand to space the floor and execute better.”

The Nets used plenty of basketball-speak to explain their struggles. They’re not moving the ball around enough; the Bulls are loading their defense to one side; they’re trapping the ball and smothering Brook Lopez whenever he gets the ball deep. That’s all true. But sometimes it simply comes down to which team is tougher. Right now it’s the Bulls.

“We can’t win if you’re not making shots in the paint,” Carlesimo said.

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Inside is where a team’s toughness is measured; inside is where a team either is resilient or overpowered. The Nets were overpowered for much of last night.

“We’re doing a good job of taking it strong inside,” Bulls forward Carlos Boozer said. “We have to keep taking it strong inside.”

The Nets need to regroup today in preparation for Game 4. They have to be scratching their heads how a game where they played so well early, turned into a defeat.

Give the Bulls credit. They displayed their mental toughness when the Nets took a quick 17-5 lead. There was no panic. No bickering. No sign of frustration. Instead, they got tough physically. They began to bully the Nets, contesting shots, causing turnovers, and making life miserable for any Brooklyn player with the basketball.

It wasn’t long before the Bulls had stonewalled the Nets offense and turned a 17-5 deficit into a 41-34 halftime lead for the home team, leaving the Nets, who were 1-of-26 during one stretch, clearly frustrated.

The Nets would like to think they have three franchise players in Joe Johnson, Deron Williams and Lopez, three players capable to taking over a game when trouble arrives. But none of them played well enough long enough last night.

For much of the game, Lopez (22 points) couldn’t finish inside, smothered by the Bulls’ aggressive front line of Boozer, Joakim Noah and Nazir Mohammed. Williams (18 points) struggled to make a consistent offensive impact, and Johnson (15 points), playing on an injured foot, was spotty. Gerald Wallace (2-for-8 shooting, 5 points) couldn’t make a clutch shot and neither could Watson (1 for 8).

“For whatever reason, we’re just not hitting shots right now,” Williams said.

Down 15 with 5:47 to play, the Nets gave themselves a chance at overtime. But it was too little too late. “We were fighting an uphill battle all night,” Williams said. “It was tough getting it going.”

The Bulls made it tough because they are tough. Chicago isn’t the most skilled team in the league, but since Game 1, the Bulls have given up nothing easy. Keep this up this series won’t last much longer. The Nets need to learn how to bully the bully.