LeBron, Shaq lead Cavaliers over Bulls

CLEVELAND - During the early part of Saturday's Game 1 between the Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, it appeared this first-round series would be just as lopsided as everyone expected.

The Cavs used a 17-2 run in the first quarter to knock the eighth-seeded Bulls on their heels, then stretched the advantage to 22 points early in the second half.

For the rest of the contest, the Bulls weren't playing for pride so much as hope. They seemed to find it while trimming the deficit to 7 points before finally losing 96-83 at a raucous Quicken Loans Arena.

"We can't wait to play. I know I can't," Bulls guard Derrick Rose said, looking forward to Monday's Game 2. "It's going to be a fun series. It's something I live for, think about every day, every minute of the day."

The enthusiasm is nice to hear. But it remains to be seen if the Bulls actually figured out how to compete successfully against LeBron James and the Cavaliers, or if the team with the NBA's best record simply lost interest as the game wore on.

"It just shows that we don't quit," said Bulls center Brad Miller. "We've got our butts beat throughout the year. But for the most part, we don't quit. They hit us early. Then the last three quarters, we played them petty much even."

Rookie Taj Gibson agreed wholeheartedly.

"Guys are optimistic," he said. "I'm just so amped about the next game, because it was a real exciting experience, my first playoff game. I can't wait to get out there Monday."

In support of the idea that the Bulls did figure some things out, there were a couple of glaring problems early in Saturday's game. The visitors coughed up 7 turnovers in the first quarter alone and were beaten badly on the boards.

They managed to clean up those areas, adding just 7 more turnovers in the final three quarters combined. And Cleveland's ultimate 50-38 edge in rebounds was all from the first half. The Bulls actually grabbed more caroms following halftime (20-19).

"I thought we defended well at times," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. "We're going to have to do a better job rebounding the ball to get out in the open court and get some easy ones, so we can shoot a higher percentage instead of setting up against their front line with their size and LeBron's athletic ability."

Offensively, Rose carried the load for the Bulls. He finished with 28 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds and 7 turnovers, hitting 13 of 28 shots from the field. The only other Bulls to reach double figures were Luol Deng (12 points) and Joakim Noah (10). Deng hit 5 of 15 shots, while Kirk Hinrich and Gibson both went 4-for-10.

James led the Cavaliers with 24 points and guard Mo Williams added 19. But the inside game probably gave the Bulls more trouble than expected.

Aging center Shaquille O'Neal played for the first time since Feb. 25 because of a thumb injury and scored 7 points in the first quarter to help fuel the early surge. O'Neal finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks. Anderson Varejao was also a pest, grabbing 15 rebounds.

"I didn't really know what to expect coming in," said Gibson. "It was tough because you've really got to monitor your fouls and just be on the right page. In the third and fourth, we kind of showed that a little bit."

The Bulls kept Cleveland off the scoreboard for more than six minutes in the third quarter. They got within 78-71 with 7:25 remaining after a Gibson jumper. The Bulls had the lead down to 7 two more times, but the Cavs always had an answer. The obvious goal for Game 2 is a better start.

"As the game went along, we got more comfortable as a team," Noah said. "We've just got to keep our composure. We'll be looking forward to Monday."

<div class="infoBox">

<h1>More Coverage</h1>

<div class="infoBoxContent">

<div class="infoArea">

<h2>Photo Galleries</h2>

<ul class="gallery">

<li><a href="/story/?id=374066">Bulls vs. Cavaliers</a></li>

</ul>

</div>

</div>

</div>

<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Mike McGraw's game tracker</b></p>

<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Cavaliers 96, Bulls 83</b></p>

<p class="factboxtext12col">Three difference-makers:</p>

<p class="factboxtext12col">1. Shaquille O'Neal struck a blow for the older generation by setting a positive tone early in Game 1. At age 38 and playing for the first time since Feb. 25 because of a thumb injury, O'Neal scored 7 points in the first quarter when the Cavs opened a big lead.</p>

<p class="factboxtext12col">2. Cavs guard Mo Williams played the role of sidekick to perfection on Saturday. He finished with 19 points, 10 assists and did a decent job of sticking with Derrick Rose defensively. LeBron James could take it relatively easy, scoring 24 points.</p>

<p class="factboxtext12col">3. The Bulls weren't quite a one-man show in Game 1, but they weren't far from it. Rose produced 28 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds. Luol Deng (12 points) and Joakim Noah (10 points) were the only other Bulls in double figures.</p>

<p class="factboxtext12col">Boo-yah nation: Cleveland fans may not have matched Boston's zest to boo Joakim Noah, but they weren't far behind. The Bulls center didn't play well early, but was much better in the second half.</p>

<p class="factboxtext12col">First-quarter follies: An early 17-2 run by the Cavaliers had the Bulls reeling and they trailed by as many as 22 points in the third quarter. The visitors got as close as 7 late in the contest, which may or may not create some momentum for Monday's Game 2.</p>