Derrick Rose banked in a three-point shot at the buzzer to give the Chicago Bulls a 99-96 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Rose led the way with 30 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to give the Bulls a 2-1 series lead.
Cavaliers vs. Bulls 2015 results: 3 things we learned from Derrick Rose’s buzzer-beater win
Derrick Rose hit an amazing shot and led the Chicago Bulls to a big win over the Cleveland Cavaliers to take a 2-1 series lead.
David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
After J.R. Smith hit a three to tie the game with 10 seconds left, Rose had the answer.
The offenses struggled to get going early. The Bulls were just 7-of-26 from the field in the first quarter and trailed, 24-18. Things didn’t get much better in the second quarter until the final five minutes of the half when shots started to fall and the intensity picked up. The Bulls were able to stay in the game thanks to 12 offensive rebounds in the first half despite the cold shooting -- they shot 34.6 percent from the field in the half -- and trailed by just two points at the half.
The Cavaliers weren't hitting shots either. LeBron James had 13 points, eight assists and five rebounds in the first half but was just 4-of-14 from the field as Cleveland hit just 42.9 percent of their shots. Kyrie Irving tweaked his ankle in the first quarter and struggled to get involved in the Cavaliers' offense. Irving took just two shots in the first half, but he did hit both from deep. Despite the bad half, the Cavaliers still led, 49-47.
Both teams played better in the third quarter as tensions started to flare. James threw down a nasty dunk on Joakim Noah and stared him down. Noah yelled back and both players got technicals. Neither team backed down from there in a tension-filled third quarter. Thanks to a Mike Dunleavy three with less than 10 seconds to play in the quarter, the Bulls led, 74-73, heading into the fourth.
Rose scored the first six points of the fourth quarter and Chicago pulled out to a five-point lead. But James and the Cavaliers wouldn't go away thanks in big part to the play of Tristan Thompson, who was attacking the offensive glass. He grabbed rebounds and forced the Bulls into foul trouble thanks to his unrelenting play. The Cavaliers tied the game with less than six minutes to play.
A Jimmy Butler three gave the Bulls an 87-84 lead and a Rose drive bumped the lead to five with less than five to go. James wouldn't let the Bulls pull away, though. Two buckets from James made it a one-point game with 3:30 to play. And after two free throws from Rose, Smith -- who was suspended for the first two games of the series -- tied the game at 91 with 2:24 left.
Both teams went cold after Rose went 1-of-2 from the line to give the Bulls a 92-91 lead with 2:09 to play. They traded misses until James got to the line with 42 seconds to go. James hit both free throws to give the Cavaliers a 93-92 lead.
Butler came up big on the Bulls’ next position, hitting a twisting layup under the hoop -- the first Bulls field goal since 5:05 to play -- to give the Bulls a one-point lead with 34 seconds left.
James missed a running layup with 24 to go and fouled Taj Gibson, who hit both free throws for a 96-93 lead. Then Smith hit a three to tie the game with 10 remaining.
But in the end, it was Rose. He hit the final dagger and the Bulls took a 2-1 series lead.
3 things we learned1. Derrick Rose is a legend
He’s no Michael Jordan, but after that shot, he’ll go down in Bulls history. Plus, Rose had a heck of night. After just six points in the first half, he scored 24 in the second. Aside from two Gibson free throws, Rose and Butler were the only Bulls to score in the fourth. Rose attacked the rim all night, and to the delight of many fans who thought he needed to get to the free-throw line more, he hit 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. A healthy Rose is a scary sight for the Cavaliers, who are struggling with injuries of their own. Rose wasn’t great from the field (10-of-26), but he looked like the MVP player he once was down the stretch, especially on the final shot of the night.
2. The Bulls need to continue rebounding the ball
The Bulls hit just 34.6 percent of their shots in the first half, but they grabbed 12 offensive rebounds to stay in the game. They hounded the boards all night, outrebounding Cleveland, 54-39. But there were moments when Cleveland fought right back, thanks mostly to Thompson. He had 13 rebounds, nine of them offensive. The only thing Noah was bringing for the Bulls was his offensive rebounding. He struggled to shoot the ball (1-of-8) and failed to box out Thompson, but he grabbed six offensive rebounds (11 total). Pau Gasol struggled with just six points and four rebounds and left the game with a hamstring injury after 22 minutes, but the Bulls' ability to attack the boards against Cleveland was the only thing that kept them in it when they couldn't buy a bucket.
3. When LeBron James and Kyrie Irving struggle, so do the Cavaliers
James and Irving were a combined 11-of-38 from the field. James filled his stat line for the second game in a row, but he once again couldn’t buy a bucket. He had 27 points, 14 assists and eight rebounds, but he couldn’t hit shots. Irving, meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen. He appeared to tweak his ankle early in the first quarter and took just two shots in the first half. Irving tried to force it a few times in the second half, but something was off for the Cavaliers’ star. He missed a wide open look from the top of the key with three minutes to play that would have given Cleveland a one-point lead. Then he missed a tough runner with less than two to play to once again take the lead. It was his worst offensive performance of the playoffs.
The Cavaliers bounced back after a Game 1 loss, but James and Irving will have to play much better for them to even the series in Game 4.
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