From the moment Derrick Rose hoisted his MVP trophy into the air Wednesday night and told the United Center crowd, "This is for the city of Chicago,'' you sensed it.
You sensed Rose felt compelled to justify NBA Commissioner David Stern's presence and all the recent fuss that has made the Bulls star more uncomfortable than any defender could.
You sensed that a gimpy left ankle wouldn't stop Rose from aggressively driving down the lane like somebody late for work on the Dan Ryan.
You sensed, injury or not, there was no way the league's youngest MVP ever would allow his team to lose two straight home playoff games to the 44-win Hawks.
And Rose didn't in a 25-point performance that was more gritty than graceful and good enough in an 86-73 victory to even the Eastern Conference semifinals 1-1.
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"I'm happy now it's over,'' Rose said of the pageantry, "so we can ball out.''
Yes, Rose still shot the ball like a guy not getting familiar lift from his legs but his burst was back. Of even more importance, so were the Bulls we are used to seeing.
The pomp and circumstance made it a significant night for the MVP. But it might have held more meaning for Rose's teammates considering how badly they needed to find what was missing.
As these playoffs have revealed, even when Rose plays up to his new standard, it only matters if his teammates fill in the rest of the equation. Rose plus defense and rebounding equals winning. Rose minus those things equals early exit.
Nothing added up in Game 1. But thanks mostly to Joakim Noah, they rediscovered the formula and regained control of the series in Game 2.
While Rose demonstrated his trademark poise, Noah supplied the passion that reflected the urgency. During the postgame press conference, Rose arrived at the podium first and didn't want to start until Noah joined him.
"Where's Jo?'' Rose asked.
It wasn't a question Al Horford had to ask.
"He was playing like a monster,'' Carlos Boozer said of Noah.
Fear can be efficient fuel. If the Bulls had fallen behind 0-2 after consecutive home losses, sure, they still could have overcome that deficit. But saying something is possible over and over again doesn't make it any more probable.
Without a victory in Game 2, psychologically the Bulls would have been done. They mustered the mental toughness to avoid that reality.
"I thought we had the right mindset,'' Tom Thibodeau said.
Theoretically, the Hawks still enjoy home-court advantage because of their Game 1 upset. But the Bulls' missing edge has returned and now they have no reason to lose another game in the series if they play with that sense of purpose — especially on defense.
Joe Johnson struggled for open looks as Keith Bogans and Luol Deng took turns ruining Johnson's night. Johnson hit only 7 of 15 for 16 points and didn't react well to having an extra defender run at him. Jamal Crawford, as streaky as they come, looked more like the Tim Floyd-era version as the Bulls closed quicker on his shots. Two nights after scoring 22, Crawford hit just 2 of 10 for 11 points — half his total in Game 1. The Hawks shot 34 percent overall.
"I think our defense is based on all five of us,'' Noah said.
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