O'Neal, Noah: Centers of attention in Game 1

CLEVELAND - Both Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James like to fancy themselves as superheroes. Shaq used to drive an SUV with the Superman 'S' logo on the grill. Maybe he still does.

Bulls center Joakim Noah had a different kind of act going in Saturday's Game 1. He was a guy who seemed to grow stronger from the boos and jeers of 20,000 Cav-crazy fans at Quicken Loans Arena.

What sort of name fits that description? Mr. Negative Energy? The Boo Bird? Ire Man?

Well, maybe a moniker isn't such a great idea. Noah didn't even agree with the premise following the Bulls' 96-83 loss in Cleveland.

"I've been dealing with that for a long time," he said in the locker room. "It doesn't bother me. I'm kind of used to it by now. I like it when we win. I don't like it when we lose."

Asked if Saturday's crowd was the worst he'd heard in a while, Noah's response was basically, "Don't be ridiculous."

"Have you ever been to Boston? They talk about my mom a lot over there," Noah said. "It's not a good feeling."

Here are the specifics: In the first half, Noah had 2 points, 4 rebounds and 3 fouls, while the Bulls fell way behind early. The fans jeered Noah's every move and grew louder if he complained to the referees.

In the second half, the stats weren't outrageously different - 8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals - but Noah also picked it up on the defensive end and was a catalyst when the Bulls trim a 22-point deficit down to 7.

"We can definitely play better," Noah said. "I think it's important that I just keep my composure and try to make the right play. Even on my drives to the basket, I was getting it ripped out of my hands. I have to be stronger with the ball. I think there are things that I can do better."

Noah and all the Bulls big men got a good look at a rejuvenated O'Neal. Playing his first game since Feb. 25 because of a thumb injury, O'Neal, 38, got the Cavs off to a fast start in the first quarter with 7 points.

In the third quarter, O'Neal posted up and pulled off a quick spin move and basket that caught Noah leaning the wrong way and losing his balance.

"That's the 'Diesel Truck with No Brakes,'" O'Neal joked in the interview room. "You see when I get into that move, people get out of the way because they know I don't have any brakes."

Noah offered this description: "It was a 350-pound dude. I kind of knew he was going to do it, so I tried to take it away. Then he waited and waited and waited for a good time. He knows how to use that 350 pounds."

A couple of postgame questioners asked Noah about his relationship with James, but the third-year center brushed it off. Noah did yell at James from the bench late in a Dec. 4 game in Cleveland because Noah was upset about James dancing on the sideline.

Whether it was the Bulls' second-half comeback or just a playoff change of policy, James didn't dance on the sideline while Game 1 was going on.

"At the end of the day, I have no friends in that locker room, except for Danny Green," Noah said. "Besides that, I don't really know anybody on that team and I don't really care. I just want to win."