Bulls' frantic Game 5 rally falls short

CLEVELAND - The Bulls got off the canvas and made an impressive late-game push in Tuesday night's Game 5 at Quicken Loans Arena.

Playing without Pau Gasol due to a hamstring injury, then losing Taj Gibson to an ejection, the Bulls cut into a 17-point deficit and had a chance to take the lead in the final minute.

Ultimately, they couldn't overcome a 38-point performance by LeBron James and lost Game 5 to the Cavs 106-101. The Bulls trail this second-round series 3-2 and face a must-win Game 6 on Thursday at the United Center.

"I love the way that we fought back," Derrick Rose said quietly in the locker room. "I thought we had a couple chances to tie it but just couldn't knock down a shot."

Any optimism from the late comeback was tempered by the sight of Rose struggling to pull on his hoodie while seated at his locker.

Rose got off to a great start Tuesday, scoring 12 points in the opening quarter. Midway though the third quarter, though, Rose went to the floor to battle Cleveland's Kyrie Irving for a loose ball. A few seconds later, he cradled a rebound and favored his right arm. The Bulls had to call timeout to get him to the bench, but Rose stayed in the game.

Over the final three quarters, Rose hit just 2 of 15 shots, and it looked like he might have been struggling with his right shoulder. Rose suffered a stinger in the same shoulder during Game 1 but said it went away quickly.

"It was nothing. Just missed a lot of shots," Rose said. "No excuses. I just missed shots tonight."

When someone mentioned the trainer working on his shoulder during late-game timeouts. Rose was adamant.

"No excuses," he said. "Just trying to loosen up my arm a little bit."

Overall, the Bulls took turns being a punching bag and fighting their way out of a corner in Game 5. They were either red-hot or ice cold all night. After starting fast, they fell way behind and twice were unable to reel in the Cavs.

Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 29 points, while Mike Dunleavy added 19 and Rose finished with 16.

"More than anything, we've just got to guard," Butler said. "We've got to rebound. We just can't let them out-hustle us. I think that's what it came down to."

The Bulls started fast, building a 10-point lead three times in the first quarter. They hit the brakes right away, though, and were fortunate to be within 54-44 at halftime after shooting a dismal 4-for-22 (18.2 percent) in the second quarter.

Things seemed to go wrong when Butler left with his second foul at the 4:44 mark of the first quarter.

In the third quarter, the Bulls cut the margin to 1 and missed a chance to take the lead. After Gibson's ejection for kicking Cavs guard Matthew Dellavedova, the Bulls trailed 92-75 with 8:44 remaining.

Why so many extremes in Game 5?

"It's part of basketball," Rose said. "It's not going to be perfect. It's not going to be what everyone wants every night. The end of the year, you've just got to find ways to win. That's the only thing that matters in the end."

Trailing by 17, the Bulls went on an 18-5 run, pulling within 4 points on Joakim Noah's bank shot with 4:11 left, which followed back-to-back 3-pointers by Kirk Hinrich and Dunleavy.

Butler then knocked down a couple of 3-pointers to bring the Bulls within 101-98 with 1:18 remaining. The Bulls got the ball back trailing by 2, but Rose had a fastbreak attempt blocked by James and then Butler missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer with 44 seconds on the clock.

The Bulls forced James to miss a fallaway jumper but couldn't secure the rebound after it was tipped three times. Kyrie Irving then hit 2 free throws to make it a 4-point game with 16.4 seconds left.

Now the Bulls have their backs pressed firmly against the wall. Their only chance to get beyond this series is to win Game 6 on Thursday, then come back to Cleveland and win Game 7 on Sunday.

"I wouldn't say we're desperate, but we know what we have to do," Butler said. "We can't lose, that's for darn sure. I think we're fine. Take care of business at home, then get Game 7 on the road."

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3 keys to Game 5

1. Futile comeback: As badly as the Bulls played at times Tuesday, they rallied from 17 points down in the fourth quarter and had a chance to take the lead in the final minute but couldn't execute.

2. Health concerns: While Pau Gasol is hoping to play in Thursday's Game 6 after missing two games with a left-hamstring strain, Derrick Rose struggled late in Game 5 after suffering another injury to his right shoulder.

3. Feeling better: LeBron James scored 38 points, but a couple of injured Cavs felt much better Tuesday. Kyrie Irving had 25 points and Iman Shumpert added 13 to give Cleveland just enough to hold off the Bulls.

- Mike McGraw