''Defensively, we weren't as good as we needed to be,'' captain Kirk Hinrich said of a second quarter in which the Bulls shot 21.4 percent (3-for-14) and were outscored 29-11.

And the Bulls never managed to regain the lead after halftime.

''It was almost like we were speeding up on offense,'' Hinrich said. ''When, in reality, we needed to speed up on defense and slow down a bit on offense. But it was tough. They did a good job defensively. It was pretty much the game.''

The Bulls had the Celtics on their heels in the first quarter, sprinting to a 9-2 lead and finishing the first 12 minutes with a 28-23 lead.

But, oh, that second quarter.

''We didn't move the ball well,'' said John Salmons, who struggled offensively (12 points on 3-for-12 shooting) after scoring 35 points in Game 6. ''When I isolated on the wing, they brought everybody to the one side, so it was hard to get to the rim. So I had to try to move the ball and try to attack on the weak side.''

The Bulls seemed to get every close call in the first half and made 13 of 17 free throws before the break to the Celtics' 6-for-7. Boston, which led 52-39 at halftime, missed eight of their 32 free throws in the second half to help the Bulls stay within striking distance.

But it wasn't enough.

''We were struggling to get it going, struggling to get any kind of momentum,'' Hinrich said. ''Seemed like we would get some, looked like we were going to get right back in it, but we couldn't consistently get stops on the other end. They were scoring on us too easy.''

That especially was the case in the paint, where the Celtics pounded away at the Bulls and outscored them 44-18. The Bulls had only seven offensive rebounds.

''They were hungry, attacking the glass,'' Salmons said. ''They went for it.''

Derrick Rose (18 points) had only three assists to match his three turnovers.

''They got steals and just ran them out,'' he said of the Celtics, who had 14 fast-break points to the Bulls' five. ''But we were going to fight to the end to let them know we were here. NBA games are never over.''

Until they are.

''It's hard right now to put it in perspective,'' Hinrich said. ''We're disappointed. But you have to take your hat off to them.

''We gave it a pretty good shot. It wasn't our best game. You never feel good about a loss. I just hope the young guys in this locker room can build on it for next year. It's hard to think about that now, but hopefully we have something going.''

Hinrich called the team's future ''bright,'' and coach Vinny Del Negro liked what he saw through the late regular-season stretch and this hard-fought playoff series.

''We became a team after the trade,'' Del Negro said of the Feb. 19 deal with the Sacramento Kings for Salmons and Brad Miller. ''Guys started believing in each other and what their role was.

''Our young guys have grown tremendously. We know that there still is a lot of growth there and developing. That's all a good sign.

''Our veteran guys have shown good leadership and good guidance and played well for us. So, all-in-all, things are going in the right direction.

''That was my mind-set going in -- get these young guys moving in the right direction and build a team. I think guys believe and trust in what we're doing.''