It was a must-win situation for the Cavs in Game 2. Losing to the Bulls would mean that they would be facing an 0-2 deficit that will be too deep a hole to climb out of heading into Game 3 in Chicago. But win they did as the Cleveland Cavaliers took down the Chicago Bulls handily with a masterful 106-91 win in Game 2 of the 2015 Eastern Conference Semifinals series.
Coach David Blatt inserted Tristan Thompson into the starting lineup and James was aggressive from the start, fueling the Cavaliers to a lopsided win over the Bulls. The difference between Games 1 and 2 for the Cavs was like night and day as several players had some of their best games of the season including James Jones (17 pts.), Matthew Dellavedova (9 pts., 9 ast.), Iman Shumpert (15 pts.), and Tristan Thompson (12 reb.).
Now, let’s look deeper into the stats sheet and see how the Cavs were able to take down the Bulls in Cavs Vs. Bulls Game 2.
1. LeBron James: 33 Points, 8 Rebounds, 5 Assists 2 Steals 1 Block
The King was back to his usual self, leading his Cavs to a sizzling start that demoralized the Bulls with a double-digit deficit in the opening minutes of the game.
…LeBron had his 50th game with 30+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 5+ assists in the playoffs.
His all-around brilliance was on display once again as LeBron had his 50th game with 30+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 5+ assists in the playoffs. He is now one shy of Michael Jordan’s NBA playoffs record of 51 but miles ahead of third-place Kobe Bryant’s 37. James is also a +31 for the game, showing us how valuable he was when he was on the floor. Without James on the floor, the Cavs were a -14! James was his otherworldly self again.
2. Cavs 3-pt. Shooting: 12-26 3 pt. FG (46.2%)
Unlike the last game when their three-point shooting abandoned them, the Cavs’ marksmen were cooking from downtown.
Led by Jones (5-9 3 pt. FGs), and supported by Dellavedova (2-5 3 pt. FG), and Shumpert (4-7 3 pt. FG), the Cavaliers showed the kind of shooting exhibition that this team is capable of when the team is firing on all cylinders. Imagine if J.R Smith was around. If the team’s shooters are this efficient, the Bulls will find it hard to contain LeBron and Kyrie Irving’s drives to the basket.
3. Cavs: 45 Rebounds (14 Offensive), Bulls: 37 Rebounds (11 Offensive)
Guess who accounted for most of the Cavaliers’ offensive rebounds in this game? Did we really have to ask?
Thompson was a beast on the boards once again with six of the team’s 14 offensive rebounds to his credit. The Bulls had no answer for the NBA’s leading offensive rebounder as he took one rebound after another, giving the Cavs new life after missed shots. As valuable as LeBron, Kyrie, and the three-point shooters were in this game, the team would not have won if not for Thompson’s contributions. The eight-rebound differential showed how much more active the Cavs were in this game compared to the previous game and Thompson is the main reason for that.
Thompson was a beast on the boards once again with six of the team’s 14 offensive rebounds to his credit.
4. Cavs: 8 Turnovers, Bulls: 12 Turnovers
The hometown Cavs took care of the ball extremely well once again with a 4 turnover-difference between them and the visiting Bulls.
Cleveland is nearly unstoppable when they limit their turnovers to below 10 while shooting above 40% and this game is a perfect example of that. LeBron only had two turnovers compared to the ghastly six he committed in the last game. Interestingly, it was the Bulls who capitalized on the few turnovers that the Cavs committed with 20 points off turnovers compared to only 10 for the wine and gold. Go figure.
5. Derrick Rose: 14 Points, 7 Rebounds, 10 Assists (6-20 FG)
Rose’s stats may look gaudy if not for his awful 30% FG shooting.
His rebounds and assists were incredible but his poor shooting kept the Bulls from getting anywhere close to keeping up with the Cavs. Rose continued his disturbing trend of performing poorly with only a day’s rest. Clearly, the former MVP is still recovering from his injuries. Heading into the game, former NBA All-Star Chris Webber pointed out during the game that Rose was averaging 14 points with one day rest in between games compared to 24 points with at least two days’ rest. His shooting is 18% higher and his three-point field goal shooting is 24% higher, too. The point guard won’t be getting that much rest again unless the series goes to a seventh game.
Honorable mention:
Kyrie Irving: 21 Points, 10-12 FT shooting, +23
Though I hardly mentioned his name above, Irving was as active as ever with his drives to the basket resulting in a superstar count of 12 free throw attempts for the night. Kyrie never let go of the gas pedal from the last series as the Bulls had no answer for the tough-as-nails point guard.
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