Joakim Noah can barely walk due to the case of plantar fasciitis in his right foot. But it was the Nets who limped out of Barclays Center last night.
The Bulls All-Star center outworked the Nets at both ends of the floor in the fourth quarter, leading the Bulls to a 90-82 Game 2 victory over the Nets in front of a sellout crowd of 17,732 and evening the best-of-seven series at one game apiece.
"I was just trying to find a way," Noah said. "Just trying to find a way."
That's exactly what the Nets were unable to do, and after a dominant effort in virtually all phases of play in the opening game of the series Saturday night, the Nets gave away a golden opportunity to take control of the series on their home floor.
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NOT TWO BE: Brook Lopez (rear) and Deron Williams show their frustration during the Nets' Game 2.
"We said we needed to come out and play the same way, and play with the same desperation, but we didn't," said Deron Williams, who went 1-for-9 from the field and finished with eight points. "I think they did, and we didn't.
"We just have to try to go win one in Chicago. This series isn't over."
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It's far from over, after the Nets ruined any chance they had of taking a 2-0 lead to Thursday night's Game 3 in the Windy City by shooting like they were playing outdoors in a hurricane. The Nets shot a dreadful 35.4 percent from the field, including 19 percent (4-for-21) from 3-point range, and committed 12 turnovers that led to 16 Bulls points.
Those shooting numbers included a dismal 2-for-19 performance in the third quarter, as the Nets saw themselves go from down one at halftime to down 12 heading into the fourth quarter, digging themselves a hole they were never able to recover from.
"We just didn't execute," interim coach P.J. Carlesimo said. "Their defense was very good, but our execution was not as good as it needs to be."
It certainly wasn't good enough from his backcourt, one the Nets have touted among the league's best since they put it together last summer. Williams finished with 10 assists, but never got his shot going after having his way with Chicago's defense in Game 1.
Joe Johnson, on the other hand, went 3-for-5 for seven points in the first quarter, then didn't score again until the fourth quarter, and finished with 17 points on 6-for-18 shooting. He missed a key 3-pointer with 3:45 remaining that would have cut Chicago's lead to one.
"We couldn't get over the hump," Johnson said, "and we weren't able to come up with the stops we needed."
But even once the Nets finally got themselves in gear after falling behind by 14 early in the fourth quarter, going on an 11-2 run to cut Chicago's lead to 73-68 on an Andray Blatche jumper with 7:45 remaining, they simply couldn't handle Noah, as he proceeded to make a series of plays that decided the game.
After forcing Blatche to miss a runner in the lane, Noah slipped through the Nets' defense at the other end to throw down a ferocious dunk to push the lead to seven.
On Chicago's next offensive possession, Noah somehow got his hands on an errant Carlos Boozer jump shot, and then found Nate Robinson for a 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 78-68 and gave the Bulls enough of a cushion to hold off the Nets.
"I wasn't really thinking too much," Noah said. "I was just hooping, trying to make plays."
He made more than enough to beat the Nets last night, who gave up home court and now find themselves with a series on their hands.
tbontemps@nypost.com
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