LeBron turns it on; Cavs shut down Bulls
CLEVELAND — The Bulls knew the storm was coming. They've been in this exact situation a few times before, getting the better of LeBron James in the first game of a playoff series.
When Game 2 tipped off Wednesday, the Bulls stood on the court with their umbrella blown inside out while James and the Cavaliers unleashed a driving rain from the opening tip. Cleveland built a 22-point lead before the first quarter ended.
“I just knew we were in trouble,” Taj Gibson said after the contest. “As soon as they jumped out, I just had a bad feeling. We came out a little lax.”
Gibson's instincts were correct. The Bulls never recovered from their early deficit and lost Game 2 to the Cavs 106-91 at Quicken Loans Arena. The second-round series is tied at 1-1 heading to Chicago for Games 3 and 4 this weekend.
Through two games of this series, the lead has yet to change hands. The Bulls never trailed in Game 1 after opening a 21-7 advantage. Then the Cavs turned the tables, rolling to an early 36-14 edge.
“The story of the game was the first quarter. They smashed us,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “They were the aggressor. We knew the aggression would be better and we didn't respond well to it.”
James promised to be more aggressive in this game. He wore a headband for the first time since March and piled up 33 points. The Cavs had a great night from 3-point land, going 12-for-26, with James Jones (5-for-9) and Iman Shumpert (4-for-7) doing most of the damage.
Inside the Bulls' locker room, Jimmy Butler took the blame for not standing up to James.
“He was aggressive, but I wasn't aggressive on defense. So it was easy for him,” Butler said. “He got to the rim too easily, lots of layups, reckless fouling. He did what he said he was going to do.
“We came out sluggish. We weren't guarding. We were trying to outscore them. It's easily correctable, but we have to guard. It starts with me. I'm the one who has to set the tone on defense, and I didn't do that tonight.”
After the Cavaliers' lead peaked at 72-47 with 8:56 left in the third quarter, the Bulls finally showed some life, using a 14-0 run to close the margin to 11 points. The Bulls even had a chance to get within single digits, but Pau Gasol missed a hook in the lane and that was as close as it got.
Butler led the Bulls with 18 points. Derrick Rose had 14 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds. Gasol had a quiet night with 11 points and 4 rebounds, while the Bulls were just 7 of 22 from 3-point range.
“We've got to do better,” Thibodeau said. “You feel too good about yourself, you're going to get knocked on your butt and that's what happened.”
People will try to analyze the effect of Cleveland's altered lineup. The Cavs started power forward Tristan Thompson instead of Mike Miller, and Thompson (12 rebounds) helped his team earn an advantage on the glass.
But this seemed like yet another case of the Bulls getting comfortable and taking their foot off the gas when things were going well.
“The way that we came out was kind of like a nonchalant attitude,” Rose said. “The intensity wasn't there from the beginning. When you're down 20 right away, the game totally changes.”
Of course, getting a split on the road isn't a terrible outcome for the Bulls. Now the pressure is on them to regain the series lead in Friday's Game 3 at the United Center. The Cavs will regain the services of suspended shooting guard J.R. Smith.
“The only thing we can do now is go back to Chicago, where I know our fans are waiting, and it should be another exciting game,” Rose said. “Hopefully, we play some defense this time.”
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3 keys to the game
1. Really bad start: This was the story of the entire game. After jumping to a quick start in Game 1, the Bulls were bombarded early in this one, falling behind by 22 points in the opening quarter.
2. Long-range connections: The Cavaliers were hot from the start, knocking down 9 of 15 shots from 3-point range in the first half. James Jones and Iman Shumpert did most of the damage.
3. Akron's finest: LeBron James promised to be more aggressive in this game and he delivered, scoring 33 points.
— Mike McGraw