LeBron, Cavs take 'a huge step' with first win vs. Bulls
CHICAGO — Breaking down the Cavaliers' 114-108 overtime victory against the Bulls.
What happened: Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James took over late in the fourth quarter and in overtime to lead the Cavs over the Bulls on Friday. James, who scored 36 points, either scored or assisted on 17 of Cleveland's final 23 points, including scoring eight of Cleveland's 16 points in overtime. Tristan Thompson's offensive rebound and put-back dunk with 24 seconds left in OT gave Cleveland a 108-104 lead. If this was a prelude to a playoff matchup, possibly in the Eastern Conference finals, we're in for a treat.
How LeBron James fared: Bulls fans at United Center saw the LeBron James that Cavaliers fans wanted to see in Cleveland's home loss to the New York Knicks on Thursday. James — more the aggressor than patient playmaker with 10 shots in the first half — made 14-of-30 shots. He also had eight rebounds, four steals and four assists. After committing eight turnovers against the Knicks, James promised to cut down on the mistakes and he did. James had three turnovers, and not one in the first half. He shot just four free throws in regulation, and he was not happy he didn't get to the line more.
"Today was a huge step," James said. "It was something that I didn't know we had right now. We started the fourth quarter up nine. For us to be able to hold our composure when they made a run and took the lead all the way to the end ... to be able to come through and win was huge for our team."
Rose injury: Bulls guard Derrick Rose twisted his left ankle with about four minutes left in the second quarter. Rose had just scored his 14th and 15th points when the injury occurred. He played just nine minutes, 22 seconds in the second half. "My ankle is throbbing a bit right now. I am happy it is not serious," said Rose, who called the injury a sprain.
Cleveland offense: It will remain a work-in-progress as new teammates learn how to play together. Friday's improvement — better ball movement, better player motion — was almost offset by a lack of offensive execution down the stretch against one of the league's top defenses. The Cavs went nearly four minutes without a field goal late in the fourth quarter, but they also executed on three plays in the final 66 seconds to force overtime.
James clearly has rhythm with Anderson Varejao, and Kevin Love and James already have a connection on Love's long outlet passes. Love had 16 points and 16 rebounds, Kryie Irving had 21 points and Thompson responded from a six-point game against New York with 16 points and 13 rebounds, 12 of them on the offensive end.
"I asked Tristan why he only got one defensive rebound then mentioned he got 12 offensive rebounds, which is something you don't see everyday," Cavaliers coach David Blatt said.
What about the Bulls: Rose had a fine game, and game-by-game, he's erasing any doubts about his game. Rose had 18 of his team-high 20 points in the first half, obviously limited by the twisted ankle. Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson form an intense, emotional and tough-to-stop frontcourt — they combined for 33 points, 25 rebounds and 10 blocks.
Win No. 1: Blatt recorded his first win as an NBA coach, and the team presented him with the game ball in the locker room. "Not all of you know me that well, but I've probably won over 700 games in my career — just none of them have been here," Blatt said. "That's a bit of history for my friends and family. I'm glad I did with the Cleveland Cavaliers."
Unsung lines of the game: Cavaliers — Blatt again gave considerable playing time to guard Matthew Dellavedova, who didn't score but was a plus-15 in 30 minutes and was on the court during crunch time late in the fourth and in overtime instead of guard Dion Waiters. Bulls — Gasol had 15 points, nine rebounds and six blocks.
Cavs bench: Shawn Marion and Mike Miller played just 10 and three minutes on Thursday, and Blatt blamed himself. Marion and Miller received more minutes but weren't factors.
Bulls bench: Tony Snell and Aaron Brooks each reached double figures in points with 10 and 11, helping overcome the absence of injured Jimmy Butler (left thumb).
Unhappy Thibs: Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau doesn't like to lose. He especially didn't like this loss, crediting James and the Cavs' rebounding (52-42 edge for Cleveland), bemoaning reckless Bulls fouls and rolling the referees under the bus for good measure.
"We had some reckless fouls. ... I thought we had some big calls go against us. We had the moving screen, the free throw violation and a couple touch fouls. That was the difference," he said.
What's next: The Cavaliers get a break and travel West for a three-game stretch, starting Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Bulls travel to Minnesota for a game against the Timberwolves on Saturday.
Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt.
GALLERY: LEBRON'S CAREER HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS
