5 Matchups to Watch in Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers 2nd-Round Series
Thanks to a 120-66 Game 6 victory that ranks as the fourth-largest in playoff history, the Chicago Bulls have emerged as quite capable foes for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
And it hasn't taken long for one team to start sizing the other up.
"We'll think about them tomorrow," Bulls forward Taj Gibson told reporters on Thursday. "I know Cleveland's right around the corner. I know that's a scary team. Even without Kevin Love, that's a talented, scary team."
In what could well be a seven-game series between two Eastern Conference contenders, several individual battles will deservedly take the spotlight. It's still a team game, sure, but several personalities define their teams.
And while this is still a star-driven league, some of the most instrumental individuals are role players, even coaches. Here's a closer look at which matchups will decide what's likely to be the East's most competitive series yet.
Jimmy Butler vs. LeBron James
Mike Dunleavy may technically serve as Chicago's small forward, but expect to see Butler covering James at just about every opportunity. He's the stronger and more mobile defender, easily the Bulls' best hope to at least slow James down and—at times, perhaps—make him more of a passer than a scorer.
By now we've learned that no one shuts the four-time MVP down completely, but Butler's pestering defense and lateral quickness give him a better shot than most of actually staying in front. And yes, that's a small victory.
The Bulls will also have to rely heavily on team defense.
"I'm not gonna sit here and say we have the game plan to stop [James]," point guard Derrick Rose recently told reporters. "But he's gonna bring it. He's gonna play hard. He's won championships, so you gotta give it to him. He's a helluva player. So when we play against him, we just gotta make it tough. Nothing easy for him, make sure he sees bodies."
For his part, James will have to play some defense, too. Both players are coming off opening-round series that highlighted their well-roundedness and playmaking ability.
| Min | Pts | FG% | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | |
| Butler | 42.2 | 24.8 | .476 | 5.5 | 3.8 | 2.5 | 0.8 |
| James | 43.0 | 27.0 | .467 | 9.0 | 6.5 | 2.3 | 1.5 |
Beyond the numbers, there will be plenty of intriguing intangibles on display. Both players have settled in as their teams' emotional leaders, often letting demonstrative and impassioned play do most of the talking. They also set their teams' tones at the defensive end, leading by elite example in the process.
Thanks in large part to his wide body of championship experience and time-tested superstar pedigree, James has the clear edge here—as he would over almost anyone.
But don't underestimate Butler's ability to keep things interesting. While he only made two regular-season appearances against the Cavaliers, in which he averaged a fairly modest 18 points, Butler has shown a knack for rising to the occasion.
And facing off against a planetary hero like James is quite the occasion.
Derrick Rose vs. Kyrie Irving
It's really saying something when Rose and Irving get second billing. As storylines go, this should still be a pretty good one.
Rose averaged 22.7 points in three contests against Cleveland this season and is coming off a series in which he posted 19 points and 6.5 assists per game against Milwaukee. He may not be his former-MVP self every night, but he's still a difference-maker who attacks the rim with the best of them.
Irving won't have a problem scoring but also must prove he can stay in front of Rose. That's a big test for the sometimes defensively challenged 23-year-old, who must take that next step and become a legitimate two-way player on the postseason stage. If Irving can channel some of LBJ's intensity, he can probably make Rose at least work for some of his points.
This matchup has renewed importance in light of Kevin Love's absence. Irving will shoulder a greater scoring load, particularly in Games 1 and 2 while J.R. Smith serves his suspension. This is when having an extra superstar around really comes in handy.
The fourth-year pro made 48 percent of his three-point attempts against the Boston Celtics in the first round, averaging 23.3 points per contest after a 30-point Game 1. That kind of consistency would ensure the Cavaliers much-needed firepower against a generally stout Chicago defense.
The Bulls can only hope that Irving doesn't do anything too crazy. He dropped a career-high 57 points against the San Antonio Spurs in March, which just can't happen on Rose's watch—not if the Bulls want to stay in this series for long.
Mike Dunleavy vs. J.R. Smith
It's unclear how much time these two will actually spend guarding each other on the wing, especially with Smith suspended for the first two games of the series (for taking a swipe at Boston Celtics swingman Jae Crowder in the opening round).
But between switches on the perimeter and the need for Butler to check James at times, we should see some interaction between the two. More importantly, each player serves a similar function for his club: spotting up from beyond the three-point line.
Aside from shooting ability, however, Dunleavy and Smith couldn't be more different. The former is known for his sound decision-making, while the latter has been something of a loose cannon throughout his 11 seasons in the league.
That said, Smith has been pretty good for the Cavaliers. He averaged 12.7 points per contest through 46 regular-season appearances with the club and made 39 percent of his three-point attempts in the process. Without Love, that three-point shooting will be all the more valuable.
This is likely to be a long series, so expect to see plenty of Smith despite the suspension. He'll be needed down the stretch.
Chicago's Deep Front Court vs. Tristan Thompson
The Bulls' biggest advantage will be their inside presence, especially against a rotation missing Love. Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson may be the best interior rotation in the game, and the Cavaliers are at a severe deficit—all the more so after losing center Anderson Varejao in December.
Timofey Mozgov will play important minutes in the middle, but the real test and opportunity belongs to Tristan Thompson.
Whether he starts in Love's place or maintains his role off the bench, Thompson could be Cleveland's best hope of mitigating the Bulls' size advantage. He's a relentless offensive rebounder and has a big enough body to defend in the post.
Make no mistake: Chicago may well stay in this series on account of post play. But Thompson's the kind of underrated player who could make a name for himself in this series.
Tom Thibodeau vs. David Blatt
The final matchup pits one of the NBA's best veteran coaches against a newcomer with an outstanding international reputation. In a close series like this, adjustments could make a pretty significant impact—and so could philosophy.
That's part of what's distinguished Thibodeau over the years. He a process guy, one who believes in doing things the right way and worrying about the outcome later. His teams are consistently good on the defensive end (though slightly less so this season), and few clubs can grind out wins like these Bulls.
Coming off a historically lopsided win on Thursday, it appears Thibodeau's philosophy is working.
Yahoo Sports' Dan Devine described the contest aptly.
"This performance represented something close to the platonic ideal of the 2014-15 Bulls," he writes, "the sort of two-way thrashing that, purely in a theoretical sense, we suspected Tom Thibodeau's full squad might be capable of laying down on an unsuspecting opponent."
And while the Cavaliers will be far less unsuspecting, Thibodeau is unlikely to change his approach anytime soon. His bottom line remains simple.
"It looks a lot better when the ball goes in," Thibodeau told reporters after Game 6. "The thing that you want to make sure of is, sometimes you don't have control over when the ball goes in or doesn't go in. If they are the right shots, you want to shoot them. You do have control over your intensity, your concentration."
If Chicago remains locked-in against Cleveland's uneven defense, Blatt and Co. may be in trouble.
Fortunately, Blatt has already overcome a little adversity this season. A slow start to the second LBJ era led to inevitable finger-pointing and nay-saying, but Blatt never lost his cool. He's afforded James the liberty to run much of the show on the floor and put his players in positions to be successful.
You can't ask for much more from a guy who inherited an epic Big Three and the expectations that come therewith.
Thibodeau's challenge will be swarming James with a variety of defenders without leaving shooters like Irving open for too long. Meanwhile, Blatt must survive life without Love—perhaps going small (with James at the 4) in the process. The challenge will be containing Chicago's interior stars with that rotation, a chess match that may well define the series.
Thanks to the dynamic individuals headlining that series, it should be an immensely entertaining one.
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