The Chicago Bulls (15-8) are currently on a six game winning streak, having beat teams like the L.A. Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder in the last few days.

Their winning streak is owned in part to Coach Tom Thibodeau and the execution of a great defense.

Going into Monday’s game against the Indiana Pacers, the Bulls held their last five opponents to under 90 points. That includes holding the NBA’s top two scorers Kevin Durant to 29 points and 7-18 from the field and Kobe Bryant to 23 points and 9-23 from the field.

The Bulls also kept four out of their last five opponents to shooting under 40 percent from the field.

One thing is becoming clearer: As their opponents go on a run during the second half, Chicago seems to tighten their play on the defensive side of the ball. The rotations on help defense have also steadily improved, allowing for fast breaks and spreading the floor on offense.

Derrick Rose is proving once again he’s a team leader. If the Bulls are either down or leading by a narrow margin late in games, Rose seems to completely take over or do everything he can to get them involved for a victory. It’s reminiscent of the days when Phil Jackson used to give Michael Jordan the nod to drive full force and lead the Bulls to victories.

Now, 12 years later, Chicago has another catalyst that can close out games.

Whether it’s a quick lay-up with seconds left, a buzzer beater three-pointer to send the game into overtime against Houston, the will to jump higher than seven footer Anderson Varejao for a rebound and a clutch lay-up plus the foul in the final seconds of the Cleveland game to ...