3 Keys for Chicago Bulls to Beat Cleveland Cavaliers in Second Round
After a first-round victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, the Chicago Bulls are set for an Eastern Conference semifinals matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers. What must the Bulls do in order to win the series?
This will be Chicago's fourth playoff series against a LeBron James-led team. King James is a perfect 3-0, winning in 2010 during his first stint with the Cavaliers and then in both 2011 and 2013 as a member of the Miami Heat.
Cleveland forward Kevin Love, who dislocated his shoulder during the first-round series against the Boston Celtics, will miss the remainder of the postseason. The Bulls catch a huge break with the injury, as they won't have to deal with the talented big man's scoring and rebounding (Love averaged 18.3 points and nine rebounds through the first three games against the Celtics).
The Cavs won the regular-season series with the Bulls 3-1 this year. In Chicago's lone victory (Feb. 12, 113-98), Love was out with an eye injury.
Love isn't the only impact Cavs player who will miss time. Guard J.R. Smith is suspended for the first two games after striking Boston's Jae Crowder in the face.
Unfortunately for the Bulls, they'll still have to face James and fellow All-Star Kyrie Irving, both of whom ranked among the league's top 10 in scoring this season and are basically unstoppable.
The Bulls are healthy right now, which is great to hear. Several players were bitten by the injury bug throughout the regular season, including former MVP Derrick Rose, who missed 31 games.
Staying healthy is one way Chicago can get past the Cavs. What are three other keys for D-Rose and the bunch?
Take Advantage of a Weaker Frontcourt
The Cavs frontcourt took a major hit when Anderson Varejao suffered a season-ending Achilles injury back in December. And now Love is out, making things much worse.
Tristan Thompson will likely replace Love as the starting power forward alongside center Timofey Mozgov. Thompson is a solid player, capable of averaging nearly a double-double. But he's nowhere near the scorer Love is, and he can't go out and hit a bunch of threes like the three-time All-Star can, either.
Outside of Thompson and Mozgov, a quality 7-footer, there isn't much to the Cavaliers' big-man corps.
Chicago, on the other hand, may have the league's deepest frontcourt. 2014 MVP candidate Joakim Noah and two-time champion Pau Gasol are the starting combo, with super-sub Taj Gibson and rookie sensation Nikola Mirotic coming off the bench.
Both Gibson, known as a great two-way player, and Mirotic, a fantastic scorer, could probably start for several other teams around the league.
If this Big Four can bring its A game to the table, the inferior Cavs frontcourt could have trouble with this group.
Consistent Scoring from Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose
When you think about the league's best backcourts, the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson come to mind. And you also think about the Washington Wizards' one-two punch of John Wall and Bradley Beal.
But don't sleep on Chicago's Rose and Jimmy Butler. They're the team's leading scorers so far this postseason, with Butler putting up 24.8 points per game and Rose averaging 19.
Against the Bucks, Butler scored over 30 points twice: 31 in Game 2 and 33 during Game 4. Already known for his terrific defense, the 2015 All-Star has blossomed into an offensive machine in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, people have often said Rose will never be the MVP-caliber player he once was. That may be true, seeing that he has undergone three knee surgeries, but he's still capable of producing big numbers.
His memorable 34-point night in Game 3 of the Milwaukee series is proof of that. Here are the highlights, in case you missed it:
Rose was hitting threes (5-of-9 from downtown) and attacking the basket as well. He also added eight assists and three steals in the thrilling double-overtime victory.
The Bulls will need as much scoring as they can get out of Butler and Rose. Both players could have big series, as Cleveland's defensive rating of 107.1 ranked just 18th during the regular season.
Typical Thibodeau-Style Defense
Speaking of defensive ratings, the Bulls ranked 11th in that category this year. That was the worst the team has finished since head coach Tom Thibodeau took over five years ago. Zach Harper of CBSSports.com explained why Chicago's usually stifling D dropped off a little bit: "Dealing with injuries and trying to fit several new players into the rotation helped drop the Bulls to 11th in defensive efficiency this season and it was a pretty shaky effort for them throughout the year."
The defense looked pretty good, though, during the Game 6 120-66 crushing of the Bucks. Zaza Pachulia, who averages just seven points per game for his career, was the leading scorer for Milwaukee with a measly eight. Yeah, it was that bad.
Thibodeau needs to get his club playing the type of defense that we've been accustomed to seeing over the years. The Bulls possess the personnel to get the job done. Butler can lock down players on the perimeter, while the likes of Noah and Gibson serve as excellent interior defenders.
Let's face it: Shutting down the James-Irving combo isn't going to happen. Against the Bulls this season, James has averaged 28.3 points and Irving has put up 21.3 per contest. The Bulls cannot stop either player one-on-one, as they're just too quick. However, if the team can force them to take a lot of difficult shots, they'll have a realistic shot at winning the series.
All stats are from Basketball-Reference.com and accurate as of May 2.
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