Bulls seem confident they can win in Cleveland
There wasn't any anguish or despair among the Bulls after Sunday's last-second loss to the Cleveland, even after they squandered a golden opportunity to take a 3-1 series lead.
It's easy to see why. There's clearly a belief among the players that if they bring their “A” game, they can beat any team. In fact, Joakim Noah confirmed that notion on Monday at the Advocate Center.
“No question,” Noah said. “That's the thing about the playoffs, it's all about how you deal with the highs and lows. We have to be strong mentally. I think we've gone through a lot this year as a team and we're excited.”
The Bulls have never trailed in this second-round series. They won Game 1 at Quicken Loans Arena and will try to match that feat in Tuesday's Game 5.
On Sunday, the Bulls led 68-57 with a minute left in the third quarter, then opened the fourth on the wrong side of a 19-5 run. They rallied to tie the score, but lost on LeBron James' 22-foot jumper at the buzzer.
“When you lose at the buzzer, it's always tough. It's disappointing.,” Noah added. “And you know what, they felt that a couple days before (when Derrick Rose won Game 3 at the buzzer). So they definitely came with urgency. They hit one at the buzzer. It's 2-2, big Game 5 in Cleveland.”
Quite simply, this is put up or shut up time for the Bulls. If they really are a team capable of reaching the NBA Finals, now is the time to show it.
The Bulls are still at an advantage in this series. Cavs guard Kyrie Irving is struggling with a sore right foot and tendinitis in his left knee. Irving is 3-for-21 from the field since halftime of Game 3.
Despite Sunday's heroics, James seems worn down by Jimmy Butler's defense. James is shooting 38 percent from the field in this series. He's averaging 26 points, 11.3 rebounds and 9 assists in this series, but also 5.8 turnovers per game. He's 2-for-19 from 3-point range and rolled his left ankle in the third quarter of Game 4.
Chances are, Irving and James will feel healthier next Sunday in a potential Game 7 than they will for Tuesday's Game 5. Regardless of the location, the Bulls seem confident this is a game they can win.
“We know that if we do the right things we can beat them again, so we are ready,” Nikola Mirotic said Monday.
OK, so how do the Bulls avoid Sunday's offensive dry spells? Besides that 19-5 run to open the fourth, they were outscored 16-0 during a seven-minute stretch of the second quarter.
There was no useful news on the status of Pau Gasol, who missed Game 4 with a left hamstring strain. He was feeling a little better Monday and is still day-to-day, according to coach Tom Thibodeau.
Gasol will probably try to play, unless he just can't move. There's no such thing as a career-ending hamstring injury, but he could get knocked out for the rest of the playoffs if this takes a bad turn.
The Bulls could easily have won Sunday's game by knocking down a couple of open jumpers. Mirotic and Mike Dunleavy, a combined 2-for-16 from the field, stood out as guys who could have made a difference, but there were plenty of other chances. Remember Butler's fast-break layup attempt with 2:51 remaining and Noah's point-blank tip? Neither one went in, obviously.
Gasol's absence was felt throughout the game. Cleveland coach David Blatt went with a heavy dose (39 minutes) of 7-foot-1 center Timofey Mozgov in Game 4. The Bulls struggled to finish shots at the rim and haven't gotten many foul calls all series when driving to the basket. The box score had the Bulls shooting 16-for-42 (38 percent) from inside the paint on Sunday
Gasol could have pulled Mozgov away from the basket or knocked down some of those midrange jumpers if he didn't slide out. During the first three games of the series, Mozgov averaged just 22 minutes per game.
Even if Gasol sits out, the Bulls should have enough to outscore the Cavs. One reason to be concerned is Cleveland had a miserable 3-point shooting game on Sunday, going 5-for-25 — and that was even with J.R. Smith knocking down three in a row in the fourth quarter.
In four games against the Bulls in Cleveland this season, the Cavs shot 40.1 percent from long range. Their worst performance was a 7-for-26 in Game 1.
And that was back in the days when Irving could run without a limp. The Bulls seem to think they have another Game 6 at Milwaukee type of performance in their tank. If so, there's no sense saving it for Thursday.
“Nothing has to be said right now. Everybody knows what time it is,” Noah said. “Everybody's excited. We're going to make our adjustments and go from there.”