Bulls vs. Cavs: Complete Preview and Last-Minute Predictions for Game 5

The Cleveland Cavaliers-Chicago Bulls playoff series, currently tied at 2-2, has essentially turned into a hardwood sequel to AMC's The Walking Dead.

Kevin Love is out for months. Iman Shumpert has been dealing with a groin strain all series. Kyrie Irving is gimping through a sprained right foot and tendinitis in his left knee. 

Irving will continue to play through the pain, though his effectiveness remains a huge question mark.

“Mentally, I can’t do it," Irving told reporters at the Cavaliers' facility Monday, per NBA.com's Steve Aschburner. "I can’t look myself in the mirror and sit on the bench or sit in the locker room while I watch my teammates go out there. I’d rather give 30 percent, 40 percent, rather than give none at all."

Most worrisome of all for Cleveland, though, is LeBron James' sore left ankle, which he has yet to properly test, according to reports from Northeast Ohio Media Group's Joe Vardon.

"I'll give it a test tonight," James told reporters following this morning's walkthrough. "It's been better, but it's been worse."

Injury has ravaged Cleveland, but Chicago hasn't escaped its clutches either.

Bulls All-Star center Pau Gasol missed Game 4 with a strained left hamstring. His status for Tuesday night's game is still uncertain, though his odds of playing look grim right now, per ESPN's Nick Friedell.

So, with that unfortunately long list of the wounded out of the way, here are some keys stats and trends to watch for in Tuesday's Game 5 battle. You can catch the action on TNT at 7 p.m. ET.

Can Kyrie Be More Than a Decoy?

Over the first two games of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Irving averaged 25.5 points, 16 drives and 57 touches per game. Since suffering the injury, Irving's numbers have plummeted to 11.5 points, 6.5 drives and 42 touches per game, per ESPN's Stats & Info.

Irving didn't score until midway through the second quarter in Game 4, which ended a scoreless stretch of nearly four quarters, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal noted:

Chicago will look to attack the hobbled Irving as much as possible, but the Bulls still know what a threat Uncle Drew can be, even on one leg.

"You're always looking to take advantage of situations when they arise, whether it's injuries or guys struggling," Mike Dunleavy told Aschburner at morning shootaround. "But at the same time, they always say there's nothing more dangerous than a wounded animal. We're still very aware of Kyrie. He can still beat us on one leg. We know that."

Whether Irving can or not, we'll find out tonight. How ready he is to go will be a deciding factor in this series.

Will Pau Play?

It doesn't look good for Gasol right now. 

Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters that Gasol could do no more than rehab work at practice on Monday, per ESPN Chicago's Nick Friedell.

Chicago was able to win Game 3 with Gasol playing only 22 minutes and contributing six points, but its offense was borderline unwatchable in Game 4 with Gasol sidelined for the entire game.

Though missing Gasol for the remainder of this series could spell doom for a Chicago team that is having difficulty scoring, Basketball Insiders' Nate Duncan believes the absence of Gasol may actually benefit Chicago:

That's an optimistic outlook on the situation, but until we see any differently, we have to assume the Bulls offense will struggle without Gasol.

The Bulls have a net rating of plus-10.8 with Gasol on the court but carry a minus-1.4 net rating when he sits, the second-largest discrepancy on the team behind Derrick Rose.

As Turner Sports' Rachel Nichols noted in a tweet earlier this morning, Gasol is still questionable for Tuesday night:

Without him, someone not named Rose or Butler will need to step up. 

Who Else Can Step Up for Chicago?

Everyone knows what Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler mean to Chicago. They are the pillars that hold up this crumbling Bulls team.

But with Gasol likely out or at best on the floor as a shell of his All-Star self, Butler and Rose need others to step up around them.

Cleveland has stymied Chicago offensively for most of this series, as NBA.com notes:

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Over the last three games of this series, Cleveland has held Chicago to an average of 91.3 points on .380 (98-258) shooting from the field. In Game 4, Cleveland limited the Bulls to 84 points on an opponent postseason-low 32-89 (.360) shooting, including 56 points on 20-66 (.303) shooting over the final three quarters. In the 2015 Playoffs, Cleveland is allowing the 2nd-lowest opponent field goal percentage (.414), while ranking 1st among all 16 playoff teams in blocks per game (7.0) and 3rd in opponent points per game (94.0).

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Mike Dunleavy started the series on a torrid shooting pace, going 14-of-24 from the field and 6-of-12 from three over the first three games, but he was rendered completely irrelevant in Game 4. It left Dunleavy, along with the rest of the Bulls, honing in on things to eliminate.

"Possessions where we didn't get anything done," Dunleavy told Aschburner during morning shootaround following his 1-of-7 Game 4 performance. "The more of those we can eliminate, the more chances we'll have to make shots."

USA Today's Michael Singer explained how valuable Dunleavy is to the Bulls:

Rose and Butler have combined for 44.3 points per game, but neither is shooting better than 40 percent from the field. When Dunleavy can't keep a defense honest with his outside shooting, things get cramped quickly for Chicago's two slashers.

The Bulls needs players like Joakim Noah (4.0 ppg, 25% FG) and Nikola Mirotic (5.8 ppg, 28.6% FG) to factor more prominently into the game. If Chicago's role players can keep Cleveland's defense on its toes, easier looks will open up for Rose and Butler.

If not, well, Chicago can bid farewell to its season. 

Will We See Another Buzzer-Beater?

We've been gifted with these shots in consecutive games:

This series hasn't always been the prettiest, but it's been competitive. And, at times, it's been exhilarating. 

Rose's shot brought us back to a time before the injuries, when he was an MVP with a Hall of Fame trajectory. James' shot reminded us all that he's still the baddest man on this planet with a basketball in hand, regardless of whom voters hand out the MVP hardware to.

But more than crazy shots, the past three games have featured lead changes and momentum swings aplenty. Every run is answered with another. Every shot, every block, every dive is answered and then some. 

With the way the Bulls and Cavs have played these games, another buzzer-beater may very well decide the winner of Game 5. The only question is, whom will it come from?

J.R. Smith: Closer?

In Game 4, J.R. Smith was en fuego from the field in the fourth quarter. He dropped 11 points (4-of-4 FG, 3-of-3 3PT) and hit some key shots while the Cavs offense was otherwise sputtering. In two games since returning from his suspension, Smith has scored 20 points in the fourth quarter.

With Irving at far less than 100 percent and James hobbled to an unknown extent, the onus to produce ancillary offense may fall upon the shoulders of the mercurial Smith.

It's not ideal, but if there's one thing J.R. has no problem doing, it's shooting threes. He is, after all, the NBA's all-time leader in three-point shot attempts in a single game:

Home-Team Advantage

The Cleveland Cavaliers have entered a best-of-seven series tied 2-2 nine times. According to some terrific research by Northeast Ohio Media Group's Rich Exner, the winner of Game 5 has gone on to win that series every time but once.

Exner noted the inherent advantage the home team—in this case the Cavaliers—tends to carry:

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It might be because of the edge playing before the home fans. Or maybe it's simply because the team with the better record is the home team for Game 5. But in franchise history, when the series is tied a two games each, the home team is 6-3 in Game 5.

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It's likely the winner of Tuesday night's game will go on to win the series. If history is any indication, the Cavaliers will pull this one out.

Expect another grinding, methodical slugfest between two exhausted, battered, bruised teams.

Cleveland will emerge victorious with a score in the 95-92 range. Expect a dozen or more lead changes and some late-game heroics between the King and Rose.

But in the end, LeBron, even hobbled, will be too much for Chicago.

The game will be his, and soon so will the series.

All statistics courtesy of NBA.com unless otherwise noted.