While the Cleveland Cavaliers’ strategy of “let LeBron and Kyrie run roughshod” didn’t work out on Monday night against Chicago, the Bulls’ “death by 1,000 cuts” strategy worked like a charm in a 99-92 victory that gave the team a 1-0 series lead.
The Bulls’ rotation wasn’t exactly deep on Monday, as nine players hit the floor and only seven played more than nine minutes, but they did have three players score 20 or more points as their balanced offensive attack did the trick against the Cavaliers.
A big part of the reason for their success early in the game came thanks to Mike Dunleavy, who scored on his first five shots and forced Cleveland’s defense to adjust in a big way due to his hot streak.
LeBron James was forced to change up his normal defensive strategy as a result, kicking out to the wing at times to keep an eye on Dunleavy and vacating the middle of the floor. The Bulls used that strategy change to their advantage, moving the ball quickly inside and back out as LeBron wasn’t there to swat away passes like he normally does in games.
Even when Dunleavy wasn’t shooting, the Bulls still had several answers throughout their lineup.
Pau Gasol went off in the third quarter of the game, scoring 13 points in the frame and putting the brakes on a furious Cleveland rally that capped off the second quarter. Thanks to the Cavaliers’ inability to rotate a guy over to cover Gasol, the talented forward knocked down shot after shot from midrange, and the Bulls grabbed an 81-70 lead after that quarter.
Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler naturally were a huge part of the Bulls’ offensive push as well.
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Rose did a really nice job of controlling the basketball, dishing out five assists and only committing two turnovers while scoring 25 points. He did take an ill-advised shot or two in the process, but for the most part he seemed content to drive to the basket and create opportunities both for himself and his teammates in the game.
As for Butler, he showed that even with the responsibility of covering James on his plate, he still could be an effective player at the offensive end of the floor. He led the Bulls in assists with six in the game, grabbed three steals, and scored 20 points in 44 minutes of action. In spite of the fact he played 44 minutes, he looked fresh throughout the contest, and he really did a nice job in all areas of the game for Chicago.
Sure, there are areas that the Bulls will need to clean up, and yes this series will get tougher as the Cavaliers get adjusted to playing without Kevin Love and get J.R. Smith back in their lineup, but the Bulls did exactly what they needed to do.
They got scoring from all over their lineup, took advantage of some porous Cleveland defense, and they played enough defense to ultimately get the victory.
Now, they find themselves playing with house money as they try to take Game 2 in Cleveland on Wednesday night, and if they can somehow win that game, they would be in the driver’s seat.
