Bulls vs. Cavaliers: Game 5 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NBA Playoffs

Headband, no headband, six headbands, it doesn't really matter. As long as the Cleveland Cavaliers have the man who's making the headwear decisions, they're going to be just fine.

LeBron James scored 38 points and Kyrie Irving added 25 as the Cavaliers held home-court advantage and earned a 106-101 win over the Chicago Bulls in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals series Wednesday night at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland has a 3-2 lead as the series returns to the United Center on Thursday for a make-or-break Game 6 for Chicago.

The Cavaliers led by as many as 17 points in the fourth quarter before holding on amid another late Bulls charge. Chicago got back within a possession at multiple points but could never quite complete the comeback. 

Jimmy Butler scored a team-high 29 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, but he missed a potential go-ahead three with under a minute remaining. All five Bulls starters scored in double figures, with Mike Dunleavy coming through with a surprising 19.

Unfortunately for Chicago, its starting five was no match for the Cleveland two.

James scored 24 of his points as part of an explosive first half, aggressively posting up Butler and barreling his way to the rim. He scored 16 points in the second quarter alone and knocked down 10 of his 12 shots, acting as the offensive fulcrum of an injury-depleted roster. He finished the game with 12 rebounds, six assists, three steals, three blocks and no turnovers. 

It was a stark contrast to the first four games of the series, in which James performed as poorly from the field as he has his entire career. He shot 37.7 percent from the field, knocked down just two out of 19 three-point attempts and turned the ball over 23 times.

James did almost a complete 180 in Game 5. He returned to the post time and again, using his strength and length advantage to get good shots over Butler. He all but eliminated the dribble-heavy isolations at the top of the key, which has bogged down the Cavs offense at different points all season. 

The same went for Irving, who was back in form after combining for 23 points in Games 3 and 4. He shot 9-of-16 from the field despite injuries to both legs—tendinitis in the left knee and a strain to his right foot. The injuries were still on display Tuesday, with Irving draining jumper after jumper with a grimace on his face. 

"There's not much more you can tell him," James told reporters of Irving before Game 5, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. "You can give him all the guidance he wants and all the guidance he needs, but he's a big part of our puzzle. When he's on the floor we know he makes plays."

Of course, James is far from a bastion of health himself. The four-time MVP came into Tuesday night battling an injured left ankle, which he turned midway through the third quarter of Game 4. Neither James nor Irving was able to participate in much more than the walkthroughs of the Cavaliers shootaround. 

"It's been better, but it's been worse," James told reporters after the shootaround, per McMenamin.

The series for both sides has increasingly become a war of attrition. Chicago, already playing with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah at far less than 100 percent, was without Pau Gasol for a second straight game. Gasol is currently on the sidelines with a hamstring strain, and his status for Game 6 is uncertain.

"It’s very hard for me not to play at this time when we need everyone on the floor as we could possibly have," Gasol said, per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. "And it’s hard to have missed the other day’s game. I feel like I could make a difference on the floor and help the team have a better chance."

Without Gasol, the Bulls started Taj Gibson, who may draw the ire of the league office after being ejected in the fourth quarter following an altercation with Cavs guard Matthew Dellavedova. Knocked to the ground while fighting for a rebound, Dellavedova locked Gibson's leg between his feet, which led to the Bulls forward responding with a kick.

The combination of Gasol's absence and Gibson's ejection led to extended minutes for Nikola Mirotic, who struggled en route to scoring 10 points. Mirotic's biggest play of the game was a buzzer-beating shot from beyond half court at the end of the third quarter. 

In fact, the Bulls as a whole remained largely inefficient on the offensive end. They shot 39.5 percent overall and 7-of-25 from beyond the arc. Rose's struggles with one night's rest reappeared at the worst time, as his 16 points came on 7-of-24 shooting. Three Chicago starters (Rose, Butler, Noah) hit the 40-minute mark, and Dunleavy played 37, which could leave open the fatigue factor heading into Game 6.

Likewise, David Blatt combated his shallow bench by playing it as minimally as possible. J.R. Smith and Dellavedova were the only non-starters who received double-digit minutes. James, Irving, Tristan Thompson and Iman Shumpert each played at least 39 minutes. Thompson (12 points, 10 rebounds), settling into his new starting role just fine, turned in his second double-double in three games.

With both sides hobbling their way into what amounted to a best-of-three, it was never going to be the role players who decided this series.

Instead, the series was always going to be decided by which overworked stars could gut through the pain and make plays when they counted. Given that the Cavs have the best player in the world on their side, it's awfully hard to bet against them as they look to close it out. 

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.