James can't lift Cavs past Bulls
When the Bulls last saw LeBron James, he went 0-for-5 from the field while scoring 1 point in the fourth quarter of a Bulls victory at Cleveland.
In Friday's rematch at the United Center, James appeared to be on a mission to prove he can't be stopped by Thabo Sefolosha, Luol Deng or anyone else on the Bulls.
James knocked down 10 of 10 shots for 24 points during an incredible first quarter. After one dunk, he slapped his palm on the court upon returning to Earth while the fans cheered in appreciation.
As it turned out, though, the LeBron Show ended after 12 minutes and the Cavaliers received little production from those players who stood and watched James carry the load early.
The Bulls rallied in the second quarter and beat the Cavaliers for the second time in eight days, 100-95. James finished with 34 points, hitting 3 of 11 field-goal attempts after the opening quarter.
Asked if the Bulls did anything different defensively, James admitted something that's not always obvious.
"No, I'm just human," he said. "I made shots, but they did a good job of turning up the pressure. I didn't take many shots after the first quarter."
James spent the early part of the fourth quarter lying on the floor in front of the visitors bench getting his sore back stretched out. At the six-minute mark, Cavs coach Mike Brown walked over and personally pulled his franchise player off the ground and back into the game.
Cleveland (43-36) was able to trim an 18-point deficit to 6 but missed a chance to get closer when James missed a 3-point attempt with 24 seconds left.
"LeBron came out and scared the heck out of us in the first quarter," Bulls coach Jim Boylan said. "He either got worn down or our defense got a little better."
The Bulls (31-48) will finish the season a combined 6-2 against Detroit and Cleveland, the two best teams in the Central Division. That fact could be used as proof that the Bulls were capable of greater accomplishments this season, but most everyone knew that already.
For the final three quarters, this game belonged to the Bulls' young big men. Tyrus Thomas finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks, while Joakim Noah added 17 points, 11 boards and 4 blocks.
"I love playing with that guy," Thomas said of Noah. "It's easy. He makes the game easy for me and I think I make the game easier for him. The more we play together and the more we play in this league and learn, it will be great for us and the organization."
One sequence late in the third quarter stood out as highly unusual for the Bulls. They finished 4 impressive dunks in a span of five possessions.
First Noah went over Cleveland's Anderson Varejao in a joust featuring the most hair among dunk combatants since the demise of the ABA. Then Noah drove the lane for a dunk and 3-point play, Thomas blew past former teammate Joe Smith for a one-hander, and Luol Deng (21 points) threw down a fastbreak slam while James tried to make a block from behind.
Cavs center Ben Wallace had a quiet return to his former home, finishing with 5 rebounds, 3 blocks and no points in 18 minutes. Smith scored 20 points off the bench for the visitors.