The Cavaliers were a completely different team on Wednesday, routing the Bulls in Game 2 to tie the series at 1. LeBron James was aggressive from the beginning, setting the tone for an easy win in which the Cavaliers never trailed and were up by as much as 25 points.
Tristan Thompson is a matchup problem for the Bulls
While LeBron James set the tone, the Cavaliers blew out the Bulls in large part because of their young big man’s energy and offensive rebounding.
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Other than the best player in the league playing like it, the biggest difference was starting Tristan Thompson at power forward instead of going with Mike Miller in a small lineup. The move paid off handsomely, as Thompson provided rebounding and rim protection that allowed Cleveland to match Chicago's physicality, something the Cavaliers lacked in the opening matchup.
While his five points and 12 rebounds don’t jump off the sheet, Thompson showed why his one elite skill is valuable. Thompson finished fourth in the league in offensive rebound percentage during the regular season and dominated the Bulls in that area in Game 2. He grabbed a fifth of Cleveland’s available misses and put constant pressure on Chicago’s big men to box out. That kept countless possessions alive and slowly wore Chicago down.
To put Thompson's performance into a proper context, the Cavaliers have rebounded over a third of their own misses when he's been on the court in the playoffs. In Game 2, he had seven offensive rebounding opportunities and pulled down the board on six of them. This matters because the Bulls are actually a poor defensive rebounding team. Pau Gasol in particular consistently struggles to box out more athletic players.
If Thompson was just a rebounder, his impact would be limited. But he’s also a mobile defender that can cover a lot of ground. Cleveland ditched its pick and roll coverage plan after Gasol rained jumpers in Game 1, moving the big man closer to the screener to switch if necessary. Thompson is perfect for the job. He never fell for Gasol slipping the screen and can stay with perimeter players on switches.
Gasol is so versatile that he can take advantage of smaller, quicker player on the post. Thompson knows this, so he outworked him and beat him to his spots, resulting in tough shots or the Bulls going for their second option on the play.
Because there was no need to send help from the perimeter to prevent buckets inside, the Cavaliers could stay with their men, neutralizing the Bulls’ outside shooting that caused so much damage in Game 1.
There's also an element of versatility Thompson brings to the table. He is a good enough rim protector to act as the sole big man on some units, which unlocks the possibility of going small with another shooter on the court against the right lineups. In Game 2, that was James Jones, who went for 17 points of the bench while going 5-of-9 from outside. Yet he can also guard either big man position, which allows coach David Blatt to play him next to Kendrick Perkins and Mozgov.
All of Thompson's little contributions added up to help Cleveland bounce back. Unless Blatt decides to give his small lineup another go now that J.R. Smith is available, Thompson will probably be the starter going forward.
The success Cleveland has with that big lineup will ultimately be dependent on a lot of different factors Thompson can't control. They will need someone from the bench to provide some scoring, as Jones did, and for Perkins to give them 10 solid minutes as a third big now that Thompson is starting. Neither proposition looks like a sure thing, but with Kevin Love out, the Cavaliers know they will need unlikely contributors to step up.
Even if there are questions going forward, it should be encouraging for Cleveland fans to see a necessary adjustment being made and one of their young core players looking comfortable in this new challenge. The Love injury appeared to be a death blow to the Cavaliers’ chances of contending, but if Thompson can continue to play at this level, it would be unwise to count Cleveland out just yet.
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