LOS ANGELES -- Tom Thibodeau doesn't believe in excuses, just effort. He doesn't believe in moral victories, just hard-fought wins.

The beauty of Thibodeau's mindset, the one he has drilled into his Chicago Bulls over the past five seasons, is that they never step on the floor believing they can't win. No matter who he has, Thibodeau believes he can coach his players to victory.

That was the case again on Monday night in the Bulls' impressive 105-89 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Playing without Derrick Rose (strained hamstring) and Pau Gasol (strained left calf), the Bulls pulled out their most impressive victory of the season with the type of balanced attack that had become the norm for them over the past two seasons without Rose.

Jimmy Butler continued his strong start to the season on Monday with 22 points, eight assists and six rebounds. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

"Any time you're short-handed, you know your margin of error is smaller," Thibodeau said. "But I have great belief in the team. I think the team has great belief in itself. We have the belief that if we do the right things the results will take care of themselves. So when somebody's out, the next guy steps in and does the job. Get the job done."

Thibodeau doesn't take any more personal satisfaction out of a win without Rose and Gasol -- he expects it. While the rest of the basketball world wonders how the Bulls can beat a talented Clippers team, Thibodeau plots out his plan and has a group of like-minded, hard-nosed players execute it for him on the floor.

Monday's win was the quintessential Thibodeau victory, the type of triumph that litters his résumé.

"I think it's overachieving, to tell you the truth," Bulls swingman Jimmy Butler said. "I mean, what do we have to lose? We're not supposed to win anyways when our backs are against the wall like that, so whenever we do win it's like, 'Damn, they can play a little bit without two of their best players.'"

The only reality check for the Bulls and their passionate group of fans -- many of whom took over Staples Center on Monday and made it sound like a Bulls home game at times -- is that they have seen regular-season wins like this before. This isn't anything new. The Bulls have a habit of winning games they aren't supposed to from Novemeber through March and then not being able to find a way in the playoffs. They won 48 games last season with Rose missing all but 10 but didn't make it out of the first round of the playoffs. They managed 45 victories in 2012-13 with Rose sidelined for the entire season but were bounced in the second round by the Miami Heat.

As happy as Thibodeau's players were, a feel-good win over a talented team early in the season doesn't mean much when they reach April and May.

"It's November, man," Bulls center Joakim Noah said. "It's November. And the truth is we have a lot of work to do. We have a lot of work to do as long as we stay humble and we keep working, keep getting better as a team, hopefully, we'll have a chance. But we're nowhere near where we have to be."

That's the right attitude to have in a season chock-full of championship expectations. The truth for the Bulls is they aren't going anywhere without Rose and Gasol. They also need Noah, who had 11 points, 16 rebounds and six assists against the Clippers, to continue improving from offseason knee surgery. They also need Butler, who scored a team-high 22 points Monday and is averaging 21 on the season, to continue putting up All-Star numbers. They'll need a lot of luck for their core four to stay healthy all season -- especially Rose.

But the one thing they don't need is the characteristic that came through clearest on Monday night and the one that has defined Thibodeau's tenure in Chicago. The Bulls have a defiant belief in themselves that they can win every time they step on the floor. Championships aren't won in November, but character is built in games like this one.

"Think about it," Bulls power forward Taj Gibson said. "We got solid veteran leadership. We've got guys that have been around and in the system. We've got guys on the bench that can start other places. We've got humble guys, like guys that understand [to] put the team first. We've got a great coaching staff, and everybody just wants to win. Our philosophy is one guy goes down, the next guy is going to step up and do the job to the best of his ability."

The Bulls have done that repeatedly over the past five seasons. Monday just served as another great example.