Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Game 5 Grades and Analysis
The Cleveland Cavaliers endured a sweaty finish to Game 5, but they largely controlled the contest and emerged with a 106-101 home win Tuesday night, pushing the series to 3-2 and the Chicago Bulls to the brink of elimination. As noted on TNT during the game, the team that wins Game 5 takes a 2-2 series 82 percent of the time in the NBA playoffs.
The Bulls started strong, despite Pau Gasol (hamstring) sitting out, and built a 10-point lead in the first six minutes, but they faded fast and were lucky to trail by only 10 at the half. An 18-5 Cavs run stretched over from the third quarter to the fourth, putting Cleveland up by 17 with under 10 minutes to play.
Just when all seemed lost, the visitors put together an 18-5 run of their own to crawl back within reach, though they could not deal the death blow in the final minute to complete the comeback.
Also, Cavaliers head coach David Blatt made zero noticeable blunders that nearly lost the game for his team, so he's improving as well.
| LeBron James | A+ |
| Kyrie Irving | A- |
| Iman Shumpert | B+ |
| Tristan Thompson | B+ |
| Timofey Mozgov | C- |
| Rest of Team | B- |
| Derrick Rose | B- |
| Jimmy Butler | B |
| Mike Dunleavy Jr. | B+ |
| Joakim Noah | C+ |
| Taj Gibson | Incomplete |
| Rest of Team | C- |
Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron James, Small Forward
LeBron provided his team with an early spark to get the crowd going, but he turned up the juice in the second quarter when he notched 16 of his 24 first-half points. He shifted gears in the second half, crashing the boards and cranking up the defense. And he didn't commit a single turnover.
LeBron didn't just wear many hats for his team; he wore all the hats. He was a force of nature. He was everywhere, especially down the stretch, chasing down fast breaks for blocked shots and even disrupting the passing lane on Jimmy Butler's backdoor cut on the final-minute possession that the Bulls had to have.
He finished with 38 points and 12 boards as well as six assists, three steals and three blocks, all of which were team highs. And he has now played as many postseason games with at least 30, five and five as the great Michael Jordan. Side note: LeBron is 30 years old.
Grade: A+
Kyrie Irving, Point Guard
Despite being bothered by a sore knee and a sore ankle, Kyrie Irving played through the pain and did so efficiently.
He compiled his 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting, also connecting on three of his six tries from downtown. He added five dimes for good measure, and though visibly hobbled, he didn't shy away from driving to the hoop or drawing contact.
Irving had a knack for making momentous baskets as well, hitting a go-ahead three-pointer for the final score of the first quarter, then hitting consecutive jumpers from long range to extend the lead from one point to six points late in the fourth.
Grade: A-
Iman Shumpert, Shooting Guard
Iman Shumpert retained his starting spot even with J.R. Smith back from suspension, and he did not seem to be bothered by his recent groin strain, dropping 11 points in the first half. Though he added just two more points in the second half, Shumpert put in yeoman's work during his 42 minutes. He grabbed seven rebounds (four offensive), blocked three shots and chipped in three steals.
Shumpert also snagged a critical offensive board on a LeBron miss with under 20 seconds remaining, which forced the Bulls to foul, and Irving's free throws essentially sealed the victory.
Grade: B+
Tristan Thompson, Power Forward
Tristan Thompson might have been sad to hear that Pau Gasol (hamstring) would not play, because he has sauteed the Spaniard in the rebounding department during this series. But Gasol's replacement, Taj Gibson, doesn't pose anything approaching the same offensive threat.
Thompson quietly notched a tidy double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, also swatting two shots. He made five of his seven shots, and while he doesn't possess the versatility or offensive upside of Kevin Love, the 24-year-old has stepped into the role and played admirably under the bright lights.
Grade: B+
Timofey Mozgov, Center
With Joakim Noah leaping around like a jungle cat and Gibson bodying up in the paint, Timofey Mozgov missed all seven of his field-goal attempts in the game. To go along with his six rebounds, Mozgov added just a point and a block along with three fouls and three turnovers.
The Russian didn't have his game working and logged only 23 minutes. Thompson, by comparison, logged 38 minutes, a significant workload for the season-long backup.
Grade: C-
Rest of Team
J.R. Smith scored 12 points and added a block and a steal, but he missed five of his seven attempts from three-point range. If asked about that, he can always fall back on his robust game-high floor rating of plus-18.
Matthew Dellavedova recorded five points and three assists, but his primary contribution was some chippy play that precipitated Gibson's ejection.
James Jones played seven minutes, committed four fouls and scored zero points.
Grade: B-
Chicago Bulls
Derrick Rose, Point Guard
Rose was shot out of a cannon in the first quarter, scoring a dozen points on 5-of-9 shooting, but his scoring was largely bottled up after that. The former MVP wrapped up his night with 16 points on a disappointing 7-of-24 effort from the field. That bricklaying put a damper on his nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals on the periphery.
Rose banged his right wrist on the court while going for a loose ball during the third quarter, and he appeared to be in obvious discomfort for the remainder of the game.
Rose also appeared to travel on a crucial Jimmy Butler three-pointer late in the fourth quarter, prompting a massive reaction from the fans in Cleveland, but TNT never showed a replay of the non-call.
Grade: B-
Jimmy Butler, Shooting Guard
Butler proved to be Chicago's most effective player despite exerting a ton of energy on defense. He netted a team-high 29 points on 18 shots, also tying for the team high of nine boards. However, Butler had chances to vault his team back into the thick of things, and those shots did not fall.
It was also a continuing education on defense, with all the Cavs starters not named Mozgov shooting well and LeBron finding anything he wanted on offense.
Grade: B
Mike Dunleavy Jr., Small Forward
Mike Dunleavy Jr.'s shot was falling, and he was also one of several Bulls who succeeded in getting to the line repeatedly.
In a performance of sterling efficiency, Dunleavy scored 19 points on just eight shot attempts, helped by his perfection on seven foul shots. He added four assists, good for second on the team, and the heady swingman quietly turned in an effort that nearly sparked an improbable victory for the lukewarm Bulls.
Grade: B+
Joakim Noah, Center
Noah dealt with foul trouble, picking up four personals through three quarters, and he could not afford to foul out after Gibson's ejection.
He still came through with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting and nine rebounds. However, in a game where the Bulls committed just 11 turnovers, Noah was responsible for four of them. He still looks lost on the offensive end, and Gasol's absence didn't change that.
Grade: C+
Taj Gibson, Power Forward
Thompson had dominated Gasol on the boards, and Gibson represents a sturdier option at the 4, albeit with less scoring ability. Gibson also finished a close second in last season's Sixth Man of the Year voting, so he's a more-than-capable fill-in.
But Gibson dealt with foul trouble even before his ejection, and he got his 10 points off 12 shots before the early exit. A fracas broke out early in the fourth quarter, with assistant coaches rushing onto the court as the rest of the staff corralled the bench.
Gibson and Dellavedova, of all people, started tussling back and forth. The refs handed Gibson a flagrant-2 foul for kicking Delly's leg after they got tangled on the floor, but replays appeared to show the Cavs guard locking up Gibson's leg as he tried to stand.
Still, after an official review, he was tossed from the game, and the absences of both Gasol and Gibson down the stretch definitely impacted the Bulls.
Grade: Incomplete
Rest of Team
Nikola Mirotic ended the third quarter in style, drilling a heave from beyond half court—from the far tip of the "C," to be precise—at the buzzer, slightly dampening the Cavs' wave of momentum. He had missed all five of his shots prior to that. He ended up with 10 points, half of them coming at the free-throw line.
Aaron Brooks played seven minutes and missed four of his six shots. Kirk Hinrich played 22 minutes and missed three of his four shots.
The Bulls got zero spark off the bench, and they could have used some vintage Nate Robinson on this night.
Grade: C-
Coming Up Next
Game 6 tips off in Chicago on Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET, and ESPN will have the telecast. The Bulls now face a must-win situation in the next two games if they want to advance to the conference finals, and a champion like LeBron can smell the blood in the water.
The Bulls have a history of playing tough on the road in Game 7s, so the Cavs will hope to close out the series on the road before that can happen.
