Once upon a time, there was a gritty group that led the NBA in field-goal-percentage defense for two years running. And then the Bulls started their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series against the Miami Heat. They have looked like a bunch lulled into a stupor. They are down 2-0 in this best-of-seven series, in which they uncharacteristically have taken a battering from the Miami offense and now wonder aloud how they can put all the pieces back together. "Defensively we just haven't been the team we were all season," Bulls captain Kirk Hinrich said Tuesday. Sometime before Thursday night's Game 3 tipoff, they must relocate the defensive efficiency that has defined them. That does not necessarily mean shutting out Dwyane Wade or Shaquille O'Neal, but it does require proper technique and focus. "Our defense hasn't been good enough to win," Bulls coach Scott Skiles said. "It's pretty much that simple. We've let other players get into the game that we don't have any intention of letting into the game. We've rallied, been able to stay in the games and have a chance, but overall our defense hasn't been good enough." To wit, here are four areas the Bulls must address defensively going into Game 3_and one area that shows promise: Always be closing The Bulls spent Tuesday working on close-out technique while running at shooters_precisely the problem O'Neal presents when the defense collapses and he kicks the ball outside. The Bulls have been out of control, allowing perimeter players to slip by and create easy opportunities. "Our close-outs are bad, just running by people," Hinrich said. "We're not making the second and third efforts we usually make." Early bird-dog special The Heat has scored 60-plus points in the first half of each game, shooting 58.8 percent in the first quarter of Game 1 and 52.4 percent in the first period of Game 2. Tighter defense from the jump might disrupt Miami's teamwide rhythm and, in turn, killer contributions like Jason Williams' 17-point first half Monday. "We'd like to come out and win the first quarter of Game 3," Skiles said. "Both games they've given us a body blow right off the jump where we just haven't been quite ready enough." Feeling the buzz This was Skiles' Game 2 complaint. Too many atypical breakdowns as the Heat's possessions wore on. "We had a good 12, 14 seconds of defense, and then they would break us down," he said. "One of our guys would not be in the right spot, be a little bit asleep, and they hurt us." `D' is for Dwyane It's impossible to keep Wade at bay when he has the ball every possession, especially late in the game. And the Bulls are not overreacting because he shot 8 of 21 in Game 1 and needed 20 shots to score 21 points in Game 2. "You play him as tough as you can and hope he misses some shots," Hinrich said. If anything, the Bulls must remain patient with Wade so as not to exacerbate their problems. "We've struggled to get help there, and then when we've helped, we've overhelped," Skiles said. "He has gotten in a crowd and been able to dish the ball to other people." To be sure, locating a silver lining in the Bulls' cloudy defense is tough. But there appears to be at least one building block ... `A' for effort If the Bulls' calling-card desire was waning, the club might as well not even open the United Center this week. But players say that's not the case. "We can't really question how hard we're playing," forward Luol Deng said. "We just have to keep doing that and be smarter." Added Skiles: "Guys are trying to be active. It's just technique. It's just the focus of exactly what needs to be done on this possession and getting it done. It's not like we're out there walking around in mud and can't keep up with them." If that sounds a bit defensive, well, at least it's a start.