LeBron James promised to be more aggressive in Game 2 against the Chicago Bulls after a sub-par performance in a Game 1 loss, and he delivered on that promise in a 106-91 victory on Wednesday to tie the series up at 1-1. The Cavaliers led wire-to-wire, just like the Bulls did in Game 1.
Bulls vs. Cavaliers 2015 final score: 3 things we learned in Cleveland’s decisive Game 2 win
James scored 33 points to help even up the second-round series.
James scored a game-high 33 points on 13-of-29 shooting, this time with his normally trademark headband back on after he ditched it at the end of the regular season and start of the playoffs. After taking just two free throws in the first game, the Cavaliers star got to the line nine times in Game 2 and made a statement at the end of a big first half:
Kyrie Irving added 21 points, while James Jones and Iman Shumpert combined for nine three-pointers as the Cavaliers shot 12-of-26 from long range. Shumpert had an injury scare with a strained groin that forced him to go to the locker room, but he returned to the game.
Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 18 points and Derrick Rose nearly notched a triple-double with 14 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, but there weren't enough other contributions and the defense was consistently poor all night. The Bulls shot just 40.5 percent overall and 7-of-22 from three.
After getting off to an awful start in Game 1, the Cavaliers came out with a vengeance in this one, opening on a 13-2 run. Tristan Thompson was inserted into the starting lineup after Mike Miller was a disaster, and Thompson's presence helped make things tougher for the Bulls' offense, especially Pau Gasol. Chicago didn't help itself by missing some of the open shots that went down in Game 1 while also committing some bad turnovers.
On the other end, Cleveland’s offense was firing on all cylinders. As promised, James was aggressive, scoring 14 points in the first quarter and also setting up teammates. Shumpert’s hot outside shooting carried over from Game 1, as he knocked down three three-pointers in the opening frame. Thanks to that duo, the Cavaliers ran out to a 38-18 advantage after one.
The Bulls' offense finally woke up in the second quarter, but they didn't do much to stop Cleveland's onslaught. The margin never got smaller than 15 in the quarter, and the Cavaliers' hot three-point shooting continued. Matthew Dellavedova contributed some big minutes off the bench, pouring in two three-pointers in the quarter and adding some solid playmaking to boot. Cleveland went up by as many as 23 points before Chicago cut its deficit to 19 at the half.
The Bulls made it a game again in the third quarter with a 14-0 run spurred by Butler and Rose to trim a 25-point deficit down to only 11, but the Cavaliers stemmed the tide thanks to a pair of Jones threes. The second was off an offensive rebound by Thompson, which was a theme of the night. Thompson had six of Cleveland’s 14 offensive boards on the night by consistently out-hustling Gasol to loose balls.
The third quarter ended with the Cavaliers up 16 points, and the Bulls never really threatened the rest of the way. Game 3 will take place at the United Center on Friday night.
3 things we learned
1. The Cavaliers’ shooting returned to the mean
While the Bulls' defense was strong in Game 1, the Cavaliers also missed a lot of open shots and a ton of threes. Cleveland shot just 7-of-26 from three and 33.3 percent on uncontested shots in Game 1, per SportVU. Game 2 saw improvement in both areas. Shumpert, Jones and Dellavedova were especially key from the outside, combining to go 11-of-21 on three-pointers. With so much defensive focus needed on James and Irving, those ancillary players need to hit the open looks afforded them. Cleveland should also get a boost in this area when J.R. Smith returns in Game 3.
2. 1-day rest Rose strikes again
The now infamous trend of Rose shooting worse on shorter rest continued in rather ugly fashion. After an excellent performance on longer rest in Game 1, the Bulls star shot just 6-of-20 from the field on Wednesday night. He shot a respectable 2-of-5 from deep, but he really struggled finishing in the paint and didn’t get the benefit of any whistles. In fact, he hasn’t shot a free throw in the last three games, the first time that has ever happened in his career. After this poor performance, Rose is shooting 29.9 percent overall and 27.3 percent from three on one day of rest in the postseason. Game 7 is the only other game in this series that’s scheduled to have more than one day of rest in between games.
3. Bulls’ frontcourt may have some issues
Gasol was excellent in Game 1, but the Cavaliers made some adjustments on the pick-and-pop game and made it a point to be more physical with him. The big man shot just 3-of-8, had three turnovers and struggled all night on defense and the boards. Meanwhile, Joakim Noah continues to be a non-factor offensively and is a shell of himself defensively. Despite the struggles of Gasol and Noah, Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau refused to turn to rookie Nikola Mirotic, who often provided a spark in the regular season. If the Bulls get in trouble again in Game 3, it'll be interesting to see if Mirotic gets a bigger opportunity.
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