The Chicago Bulls took advantage of the shorthanded and rusty Cleveland Cavaliers to emerge victorious in Game 1 and steal homecourt advantage from Cleveland. Derrick Rose had a throwback performance and finished with 25 points while Pau Gasol contributed 21 points and 10 rebounds. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving combined for 49 points and 15 assists in the losing effort.
Bulls vs. Cavaliers 2015 results: Derrick Rose leads Chicago to 99-92 Game 1 win
The Bulls led from start to finish and escaped with a valuable win in the first game of the series.
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With Kevin Love out for the season and J.R. Smith suspended, David Blatt decided to start Mike Miller as his second forward and Iman Shumpert at shooting guard. The Cavaliers went small and that meant James had to spend serious time guarding a big man. They were hoping the trade-off on the other end -= where Joakim Noah was checking a perimeter player -- would be worth it. Alas, with James deferring, Cleveland couldn't make Chicago pay and the start of the game belonged to the Bulls.
The Cavaliers adjusted and Irving heated up. The double-digit lead that the Bulls built with scorching hot shooting started to disappear. Irving and James combined for 22 of Cleveland's 29 second-quarter points while Tristan Thompson kept possessions alive on the offensive glass. The Bulls were only ahead by five at the break thanks largely to an aggressive Rose, who poured in eight of his own to hold off the rally.
Cleveland started the second half better and tied it up before a 15-0 run put Chicago back in control. Gasol was hitting open mid-range jumpers assisted by Rose while nothing was easy for the Cavaliers. James was once again passive while on the court with the starters, which is not something Cleveland can afford with Love out. When he decided to attack his team made a run, but untimely turnovers and a lack of depth killed the Cavaliers' momentum. Chicago held an 11-point lead going into the final quarter.
Anyone expecting a blowout between these evenly matched teams was dreaming. The Cavaliers once again came back thanks to James and Irving as the Bulls’ offense stagnated. However, as was the case the entire game, Cleveland got close but never took the lead. Chicago remained calm during the times of adversity and got a valuable Game 1 win.
3 things we learned
1. Derrick Rose vs. Kyrie Irving is as fun as it sounds
Rose was aggressive from the start. He looked for his shot inside but had no problem taking what the defense gave him, knocking down mid-range jumpers when the big man dropped to the paint after a ball screen. Even the three ball was falling for him, which makes him almost impossible to guard. Rose has been great when he’s rested all season long and the trend continued on Monday.
Irving slithered his way to the paint for acrobatic finishes and found the open man when the defense collapsed. He disappeared at times but when he was on, he looked like the best player on the floor. There was just nothing the Bulls’ bigs could do once he turned the corner and attacked. Irving doesn’t look scared or out of place at all in his first postseason. He led all scorers with 30 points and that’s exactly the type of performance the Cavaliers need from him.
This point guard battle could be one of the most fun aspects of the series going forward.
2. The Cavaliers missed J.R. Smith
With Love out, Cleveland needs all hands on deck, especially since they are not a deep team. J.R. Smith’s suspension came at the worst possible time and really hurt them in Game 1.
Shumpert played well as a started and finished with 22 points, but without him the bench lacked scoring and athleticism at the wing. James Jones and Shawn Marion shouldn't be on the court at this point in their career but someone had to sop up some minutes. When they were exposed, James and Irving were forced to be on the court more than might have been ideal. The Cavaliers simply need Smith to help them balance out lineups.
3. The Cavaliers’ small lineup didn’t work
The Bulls outscored the Cavaliers by 20 points in the 16 minutes Miller was on the court. The decision to go small simply didn’t work -- Miller was neither a factor on offense nor a contributer on defense. The Bulls looked comfortable guarding him while they struggled keeping Thompson off the offensive board.
It's hard to judge if that lineup can work because Smith was out and Shumpert lacks his shot creation. Things worked better when Matthew Dellavedova was on the court to move the ball and stretch the defense. Still, it wouldn't be surprising to see Thompson starting in Game 2.
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