Cavs, Bulls All Tied Up: Five Takeaways From Game 2
May 6, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) drives through Chicago Bulls guard Aaron Brooks (0) and guard Kirk Hinrich (12) during the fourth quarter in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The Cavs, Bulls series is locked up at 1-1 heading back to Chicago with each team claiming one game a piece in Cleveland.
Despite giving up homecourt advantage, a split is seen as victory for the Cavs, as LeBron James and company weathered the storm without the services of J.R. Smith, who will be eligible to play Friday in the Windy City.
• James said he needed to be better than his near triple-double performance from Game 1. Hard to do, right? Not for James. He shot 13-of-29 for 33 points, eight boards and five assists. He also limited his turnovers, which has been a problem, giving the ball away only twice.
• Never known for his 3-point shooting, Iman Shumpert was brilliant for the second game in a row from downtown, going 4-for-7 for 15 points. It’s almost hard to put him on the bench with Smith coming off suspension.
And while the effort was outstanding, there is a little rain on the parade: Shumpert strained his groin. He left the game in the second half, rode the stationary bike to stay lose and re-entered, but the injury may be a problem.
“Time for one of those miracle-48-hour recoveries,” David Blatt said after the game. “That’s what we’re hoping for.”
• Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov on the floor together? The offense will go flat! Come on, admit. You worried about it. I worried about. Well, we’re getting gray hair over nothing.
Thompson had just five points, but added a team high 12 rebounds. Mozgov had six points and seven boards. Starting the Moz and TT in the front court, paired with James, Kyrie Irving and Shumpert resulted in a 20-point first quarter lead.
Defensively, Thompson was Pau Gasol’s shadow. The long-range jumpers the Spaniard nailed in Game 1 weren’t there in Game 2.
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The rest of Mozgov’s night didn’t go smoothly. The big man loses confidence so easily, and that was evident in the third quarter when James was seen yelling at the 7-foot Russian. Moz wasn’t happy about the incident, via Cavs The Blog:
"“(Mozgov) was perturbed when he sat down. He was gesticulating wildly. LeBron and Blatt have to figure out a way to coach Mozzy without destroying his confidence. Either that, or they need to hire him a sports shrink. Getting him back in the game when the Cavs had a safe lead might have been a good move for his confidence.”"
Writer Nate Smith has a point. Moz should’ve went back into the game. He’s still new to playoff ball , and the experience would’ve been useful. There’s always injury risks, but you’d like the big man feeling good going into Game 3.
Maybe Moz is over it. He took to Twitter after the game and was wishing Shawn Marion birthday wishes, in addition to touting the win.
• Irving has attempted 21 free throws this series, while Derrick Rose has attempted zero. Rose had a down game, scoring just 14 points off 6-of-20 shooting. Bulls’ coach Tom Thibodeau was very careful not to criticize officials after the game, but you better believe Chicago is angry.
But the way I see it, Rose doesn’t want to make contact. He’s still very quick and can weave in and out of traffic with the best of them. He doesn’t look like a guy who wants to take a hard foul.
• James Jones gets the award for the most redeemed player. After missing two 3-pointers in Game 1, JJ was stellar Wednesday night, knocking down 5-of-9 shots from downtown. This is why James wanted his friend to be a part of this team. He’s fearless taking those long 3’s. And when he can connect, it gives the limited Cavs’ roster options.