Cavs Vs Bulls Game 3 Preview: Three Burning Questions

After a spectacular first quarter on Wednesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers have come back to tie their Eastern Conference Semifinal series against the Chicago Bulls at one game apiece. With the series moving to the United Center in Chicago for games three and four, King James Gospel has three burning questions for what will happen next.

Is Iman Shumpert healthy enough to play?

With the return of J.R Smith, the Cavs figured to be at their strongest since the series started. Unfortunately, as one shooting guard returns, they may lose another. Iman Shumpert left the game last night with a strained groin, and while he did return, coach David Blatt isn’t sure whether Shumpert will be ready to play on Friday night. Shumpert has been excellent in the playoffs, averaging 10.8 points and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 40% from three. Losing him, even with Smith returning, would be another big blow to a Cavaliers squad that has already suffered so many over the last week and a half. If Shumpert can play that leads us to our next question.

Who will start at shooting guard?

There’s no doubt that the return of Smith will provide a boost to a Cavaliers team in desperate need of more depth, but should be get his starting job back? The starting lineup with Smith has been terrific this season, and playing alongside LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love seemed to somewhat curb Smith’s chucking tendencies. That being said, Shumpert’s play warrants him continuing to play heavy minutes if healthy. Other things that favor Shumpert starting are Smith’s poor overall playoff resume’ and the thought that Shumpert’s body may react better to starting after warming up rather than sitting on the bench and letting his groin injury tighten up. Finally, let’s not forget that the Cavaliers’ original plan after trading for Shumpert and Smith was to start Shumpert and have Smith come off the bench. Because of all these reasons, it’s no sure thing that Smith returns to the starting lineup.

Will the Bulls’ pattern of poor play after one day’s rest continue?

Throughout the season the Bulls, and specifically Derrick Rose, have struggled when playing with only one day’s rest compared to games in which they have received more rest. The bad news for the Bulls (and good news for the Cavs) is that they will only have one day’s rest until after Game Six (if needed) of this series, when they will have two days off before playing Game Seven in Cleveland. While this looks bad for Chicago, they do play the next two games at home and have taken the home court advantage from the Cavaliers due to splitting the first two games in Cleveland. Will playing at home be enough to offset their usual poor play with less rest? The Bulls must hope so because if it doesn’t, then this series will likely end the way all of their others against LeBron James have, with James moving on and Chicago planning for next year.

More from King James Gospel

Before the injury to Love and Smith’s suspension, I thought that the Cavaliers would handle the Bulls rather easily in five games. It also was no surprise to see the Bulls win game one considering they had three days rest and the Cavaliers were trying new rotations for the first time. Now, two games in, it would be no surprise to see this series wind up going six or seven hard-fought games. No matter what happens, basketball fans should be in for a great series between two teams who both believe they can bring home an NBA championship.

What questions burn for you in advance of Cavs Vs Bulls Game 3?

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