The Cleveland Cavaliers are shaking up their starting lineup by inserting Tristan Thompson in place of veteran Mike Miller for Game 2 against the Chicago Bulls, reports Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com. The Cavs lost the first game of the series on Monday night and are looking to avoid a 0-2 hole as the series heads to Chicago for Games 3 and 4.
Tristan Thompson to start Game 2 for Cavaliers vs. Bulls
Thompson takes the place of veteran Mike Miller in the Cavaliers’ starting five.
Injuries have taken a major toll on the Cavaliers, who will miss Kevin Love for the rest of the playoffs and J.R. Smith until at least Game 3. Those absences were noticeable in Game 1 as the Bulls jumped out to a 27-15 lead after the first quarter before hanging on for a 99-92 victory.
That was enough to convince coach David Blatt to make changes, and the most obvious one is bumping Thompson to the starting lineup. Bulls big man Pau Gasol dominated the first game in the series with his mid-range game, and by the end it was clear Cleveland needed someone more active defensively than Miller to help neutralize the Spanish big man.
Thompson may be that guy, and at the very least, the Cavaliers expect him to add some toughness against a hard-working Bulls team. He’s never started in the playoffs before, but played 37 minutes in Game 1 and has averaged seven points and seven rebounds in nearly 28 minutes coming off the bench this postseason.
The move also likely relegates Miller to an even smaller role after appearing for 16 minutes in Game 1. Miller, who has championship experience with the Miami Heat, often looked overwhelmed trying to keep up with a frontcourt that leaned heavily on Gasol, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson. Considering Thompson played nearly twice as many minutes in the first game, his bump to the starting lineup is about getting off to a better start as much as anything.
The Cavaliers will now be rolling out Kyrie Irving, Iman Shumpert, Thompson, LeBron James and Timofey Mozgov in Game 2. It's possible more changes come once Smith returns, although Shumpert scored 22 points starting in his place in the series opener. For now, Cleveland just needs to get out of Wednesday without being in a hole.
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