| 25 April 2010
(Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
Cleveland Cavaliers 121, Chicago Bulls 98
Nothing like a good ole fashioned butt-kicking to bring everybody back down to Earth.
After the Bulls hung with the Cavs for the first two games in Cleveland and managed to take Game Three on their home floor, Bulls fans got a little too excited about their squad and Magic/Lakers/Celtics fans started doubting just how good LeBron and his merry men were this post-season. All of a sudden, the Cavs weren’t good enough defensively and LeBron’s stats were being wasted.
Luckily when the better team is up 2-1 in a first round series, they’re able to remove any doubts with a solid Game Four performance or send their fans into full panic mode with a loss. In the first quarter of this game, it looked like we were headed to full panic mode. The Cavs weren’t playing horribly by any means. They were surviving while LeBron waited to get his offense going. But at the same time, they weren’t putting the Bulls away like you’d want them to. The Bulls were hanging around and building more and more confidence.
Then in the last five minutes of this game, the Cavs seemed to finally find that higher gear. They outscored the Bulls with a 22-9 run to close out the corner by taking advantage of whistles from the refs and the exuberant talents of LeBron James. LBJ had nine points and two assists to account for 13 of those 22 points. Antawn Jamison helped provide the bulk of the offense to help LeBron during this run with seven points of his own. The Cavs also cranked up the defense during the final five minutes of the first half by forcing three turnovers and blocking a couple of layup attempts inside.
In the third quarter, LeBron James and Antawn Jamison decided to end any drama left in this series. They both scored 11 points in the quarter as things got completely out of hand. The Cavs offense exploded for 37 point in the quarter capped off by LeBron’s halfcourt pull-up jumper at the end of the quarter. There was nothing the Bulls could do about it either. They don’t have the personnel to hang with the Cavs when the Cavs are running hot. And that’s not a knock on them. Not many teams do.
Overall, what can you say? The Bulls tried. Derrick Rose had a decent game with 21 points (although it took 20 shots) and five assists. Joakim Noah battled all game with 21 points and 20 rebounds. But other than that, there wasn’t much there. This is a problem that will be addressed with oodles of cap space in the off-season but nothing they can do about it now. The Cavs made 12 threes in this game and LeBron messed around and had a triple-double. Case closed.
Why The Cavs Won This Game
LeBron James had 37 points, 11 assists and 12 rebounds. LBJ accounted for 64 points all by himself with the points and assists. This means that a very talented supporting cast had to score just 35 points to get the better of the Bulls. When you put your team in that kind of situation, I would imagine that you’re going to win games whether it’s the regular season, post-season, home game or road game. You can’t do much with an inferior team when someone like LeBron is dominating the game in all facets.
Why The Bulls Lost This Game
They don’t have Dwyane Wade/Chris Bosh/Amare Stoudemire/Joe Johnson yet. That’s why.
Heading Into Game Five
It’s pretty simple: the Cavs have to close out Game Five with another strong performance in order to feel REALLY good about themselves heading into the second round against the Celtics. They were extremely focused after the first quarter in today’s game and got everything to click for their offense and defense. I expect them to come out hot early and to put this game out of reach by halftime.
Prediction: Cavs Close Out The Series
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