Series Thread: 2nd Round: Chicago Bulls vs Cleveland Cavaliers

[gordontrue]

I'm sorry but there has been way too much level-headed analysis the last few pages for a thread involving LeBron's team.

 

[gordontrue]

I also don't think JR is going to add anything that Shumpert didn't provide in game one. In fact, if Shumpert plays that way in game two, I think JR would be better suited to come off the bench.

Fair enough... but 2 of them will be nice

 

[Shanemansj13]

This lineup could work for Game 3 and they might have to go to this one:

Irving
JR
Shump
James
Mozgov

 

[WiggyRuss]

The Cleveland defensive scheme was the reason for the bulls shooting lights out. If you leave players like Dunleavy, Butler, Brooks, and even rose and Hinrich open three pointers, then they will hit them. Cleveland wasn't just leaving them open, they were wide open. On some occasions, they could've caught the ball, taken a quick nap, and then still shot an open three. Gasol was also burning them from the mid range. The next game, I am guessing they will try to take those shots away by playing man and everyone sticking with their man with little help, or rotate so everyone is covered. If they play man with little help, then Mozgov is going to have to have a huge game as a rim protector because Rose and Butler will abuse them off the dribble. If they rotate a lot, then the Bulls will find mismatches and execute.

I expect a close game two. Cleveland will come out on all cylinders, and might build an early lead, but both teams are going to come out hard. One thing I think that is being overlooked is the Bulls didn't even show their whole hand. Thibs didn't play Niko much at all because he didn't need to. The team was providing plenty of spacing without needing a stretch four. I think we'll be seeing him much more as the series goes on. He adds another dimension to the Bulls offense and provides thibs with a curve ball to throw at the Cavs defense.

Personally, I think this Cavs team is a tad overrated. After Kyrie and Lebron they are thin as hell. People keep citing the past Bulls vs Lebron series as a reason that the Cavs could win in 5, but that holds no weight. No post jordan Bulls team has been this talented on offense before. None of Roses Bulls team has even come close. Not to mention those heat teams had Wade, who I would rather have than Kyrie in the playoffs, and Bosh who is better than anything else the Cavs have without love. Those teams also had several shooters, a Tristan Thompson like Udonis Haslem, and were rated amongst the top in the league in defense every year.

yah....your right on a lot of fronts- especially that this is the most talented Bulls team offensively- Gasol makes a huge difference- Its a big time advantage when you can have a big that can get you 20 points on a relatively normal - i mean a good night- but not like a night where he plays out of his mind like if TT went for 20--

On the previous Bulls teams i think Rose was the only guy that would be a threat to go for 20 night in and night out- now they have 3 of them in Butler/Rose/Gasol----i dont think there defense is quite as good as it used to be- especially with Noah off the floor more and really not being the guy who came in 4th in the MVP voting last year...but there offense is defintiely much improved.

Like i said- unfortunately i missed practicaly the entire game- and if it was a win id go back and watch- but it kinda sucks going back and watching an L. lol.....

From what i have heard Kyrie looked really good- and Thompson really really underwhelmed...Shumpert played very good ball and rose to the ocasion but not much else...i see 9 bench points....they arent gonna win with 9 bench points with Love hurt and Smith out. They COULD win with 9 bench points against anyone with Smith and Love--- but things done changed!...

honestly- i just wish the Cavs had Varejao..he always played well against the Bulls and issuch a heart and soul type player that gets the team going...the Cavs miss him for far more than what he does solely on the court....

 

[WiggyRuss]

My biggest worries after Game 1:
- Gasol is a big problem for the Cavs. He will have no problem continuing to knock down that 12-15 footer.
- Rose looks as "back" as he ever has. Hitting jumpshots and 3's, too.

My looking-on-the-brightside after Game 1:
- The Bulls shot lights out. I just don't see them shooting that well collectively, consistently. Yes, they were getting good looks... but they were shooting lights out even for that. What was it 9-12 from 3 at one point?
- Kyrie was aggressive and successful getting to the rim. He had some very un-Kyrie-like missed layups in the first half... but then settled into his normal mode as one of the best finishers.

My one sentence summation of the game:
The Bulls used great offense and hot shooting to jump out to a big lead... and then answered every single Cavs run with a great run of their own throughout the entire game.

Nice summary Gordon.

Kyrie was only 1-5 from 3....I expect that to change in a big way going forward. LeBron will play better going forward. Thompson will play better. Shumpert is the one guy that likely played over his head and you can expect some regression from.


The were coming off a game where they played flat out amazing against the Bucks, really got some momentum going and carried that over and kind of blitzed the Cavs in the first quarter it looked like.

I think the Cavs needed that Game 1 to see how it was going to play without Love and now they can start making some adjustments going forard


they NEED GAME 2. NEED IT NEED IT NEED IT.


is it impossible they come back from 0-2? No- i mean they have LeBron- I thought it was flat out impossible for the Cavs to come back from 0-2 against the Pistons in '07. Shit- the 2nd best player on that Cavs team was a rookie named Boobie Gibson (in the playoffs at least).- the Cavs came out and won 4 in a row though against Billups, Rasheed, Prince, Hamilton. So its not impossible- but it is highly highly highly unlikely.

I think Kyrie is gonna average 35 a game this series and last night was a warmup for him...lets watch and see..

 

[anotheridiot]

Bulls got game 1. They looked to come out on all cylinders. Now the Bulls need to win game two as well. Right now, I think the Bulls should be slightly favored. If the Bulls can pull out game two, they should be heavily favored. If they lose, I say it's going to be about 50-50 they win. I can see the next game being a close one down to the wire. Without Love and Jr Smith, the Bulls are just simply better and they need to take game two as well. JR Smith coming back evens the field a little, but I think the Bulls are still a better team when healthy.

They let them back in too many times though. How Dunleavy can be on fire in the first and only score two points the rest of the game? Did they really lock him down or did the bulls just go away from him?

This lineup could work for Game 3 and they might have to go to this one:

Irving
JR
Shump
James
Mozgov

As long as kirk and dunleavy can cover jr and shumpert and leave Jimmy on LeBron, I am fine with it, but TT is just incredible on the offensive glass and you really need to keep him in there to keep possessions alive. its all in the FG%.

I just hope LeBrons flopping doesnt cost Rose another injury. When will they be able to review goaltends off the glass or moving feet on flops?

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

I really wish the Cavs wouldn't have gone 3-crazy in the last few minutes. There was a point when they had cut the lead to 4 where LeBron, Kyrie, and Shump all took and missed contested 3-point shots in consecutive possessions. That was very frustrating.

Live by the 3, die by the 3.
I've mentioned it several times that it could be their downfall.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

Yeah, before they were thin but had enough, now they have no depth.

Kyrie
Shump
Lebron
Miller
Mozgov

bench:
Delladova
Miller
Marion
Thompson
Perkins

Jones

That's a horrible bench.

With Love and JR.

the bench looks a lot stronger:

Delladova
JR
Shump
Thompson
Perkins

Marion
Miller
Jones

Everyone says the Clippers have no depth, but they went into Houston coming off a very emotional win without their best player and kicked their ass.

Heat lost Bosh in '11 and had little depth,but still won.

You still had James, Kyrie, and your great 7 footer.

No excuses.

Your problem is no D. Love doesn't help you there at all.

 

[purguy12]

But you cant really expect Lebron to play that bad. He just wasnt connecting with the guys and reading plays wrong. The stats might of looked good but anyone that watched that game, Lebron had a bad one. He missed easy layups and his jumpshot just looked off. I expect there to be defensive changes as a team and Lebron to make some changes as well. It was a BIG Game 1 for Chicago but it's only one game. Once they get JR back, I think it helps them out more than people think. You got another guy that can go off and defend a hell of a lot better than Jones, Miller, or other bench scrubs.

I agree its only 1 game. Here is a fun fact. This is 3 series in a row that Bulls took game 1 against LBJ. All 3 times Bulls lost 4-1 in the series. So trust me Im not over excited about 1 win. Im happy but there is a lot of work to be done here.

I just think Cavs have a lot problems against the bulls they don't match up well. Cavs will need Irving and LBJ to go off every time they win. I don't think that will happen. their Bigs will hurt them in this series. As for the Bulls I like what Thibs did in the 2nd half. He played more Gasol and Gibson Combo. These guys are major mismatches for the Cavs. Also Thibs found out Gasol and Mirotic was not a good combo.

I wouldn't mind seeing a Rose, Brooks and Butler combo when Cavs play small instead of Hinrich. Irving killed Hinrich and he doesn't add much offense.

 

[purguy12]

I agree. You cant win with no depth, but with Lebron you have a chance.

I expect them to get more depth next year, especially if KLove stays. They will have more flex with the cap and can actually go out and get an average bench. They just need an average one to contend for it all.

I would be shocked if he stays. He wants to go to LA so bad. Bulls were an option before Bulls signed Gasol. If Cavs lose Love they are in trouble.

 

[purguy12]

JR will help but lets be honest he takes shots away from LBJ and Irving and as a Bulls fan I rather have JR take the shots then them 2.

 

[cwalke3408]

I agree its only 1 game. Here is a fun fact. This is 3 series in a row that Bulls took game 1 against LBJ. All 3 times Bulls lost 4-1 in the series. So trust me Im not over excited about 1 win. Im happy but there is a lot of work to be done here.

I just think Cavs have a lot problems against the bulls they don't match up well. Cavs will need Irving and LBJ to go off every time they win. I don't think that will happen. their Bigs will hurt them in this series. As for the Bulls I like what Thibs did in the 2nd half. He played more Gasol and Gibson Combo. These guys are major mismatches for the Cavs. Also Thibs found out Gasol and Mirotic was not a good combo.

I wouldn't mind seeing a Rose, Brooks and Butler combo when Cavs play small instead of Hinrich. Irving killed Hinrich and he doesn't add much offense.

Yeah, I think this combo can do some damage against the Cavs. Aaron Brooks adds is another player who can drive it and can shoot the three and the Bulls can hide him on defense guarding one of Cavs 3 point shooters.

 

[Shanemansj13]

Everyone says the Clippers have no depth, but they went into Houston coming off a very emotional win without their best player and kicked their ass.

Heat lost Bosh in '11 and had little depth,but still won.

You still had James, Kyrie, and your great 7 footer.

No excuses.

Your problem is no D. Love doesn't help you there at all.

In a weird way he does help, guarding Gasol.

It isnt excuses. I didnt expect a title before the season and wont now. The facts are they are missing 3 important parts now, well 2, I wont count Varajeo.

 

[Shanemansj13]

I would be shocked if he stays. He wants to go to LA so bad. Bulls were an option before Bulls signed Gasol. If Cavs lose Love they are in trouble.

They can get Aldridge then!!!

 

[Shanemansj13]

Lebron needs to guard Gasol.

 

[purguy12]

They can get Aldridge then!!!

It would have to be a sign and trade. They don't have room for a Max player. I will say this that would be scary if you landed him.

 

[purguy12]

Lebron needs to guard Gasol.

Then Rose and Butler would go off.

 

[gordontrue]

They can get Aldridge then!!!

Yeah, if Love wants to go to LA... they'll just bring LA to Cleveland.

 

[Shanemansj13]

Then Rose and Butler would go off.

Not all the time, just some of the time. Then Shump on Butler. Rose will go off no matter what.

 

[Shanemansj13]

It would have to be a sign and trade. They don't have room for a Max player. I will say this that would be scary if you landed him.

Love is a max player, well he will be. Why wouldnt they be able to get LA if they will sign Love to a max contract anyway?