He didn’t call glass but it didn’t matter as Derrick Rose made the game-winning three-pointer as time expired as the Cavs Vs Bulls Game 3 resulted in a win for the home team, 99-96. The Cleveland Cavaliers are now in a 2-1 hole that LeBron James is unfamiliar with in his previous meetings with these Chicago Bulls.
After losing Game 1 in two other match-ups in the playoffs with the Bulls in 2011 and in 2013, James’ teams have won the next four games to finish off both series in five games. This time it’s the Bulls in the driver’s seat with the Cavs in another must-win situation after losing Game 1. In NBA playoffs history, out of 214 teams facing 3-1 deficits, only eight teams have come back to win the series. History will be against the Cavs if they fail to regain homecourt advantage in Game 4.
“I already know how we’re going to respond,” James says after losing to the Bulls on Friday night. “The same way we did in Game 2.”
With both the Cavs and the Bulls shooting poorly throughout the game, somebody still had to win and it was the Bulls who came away with the victory. How did they do it? The stats will show how Cavs Vs. Bulls Game 3 went to Chicago in the end.
1. Derrick Rose: 30 Points, 7 Rebounds, 7 Assists, 1 Steal, 1 Block, 10-26 FG
Nope it wasn’t pretty but it still went in. That pretty much summed up Rose’s night as the former MVP took the game into his hands and, despite the poor shooting, played his best playoff game since 2011.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, his game-winner was the first one for the Bulls since Michael Jordan’s game-winner in the 1998 NBA Finals. Elias Sports Bureau adds that it’s Chicago’s first playoff buzzer-beater since Jordan’s jumper over the Utah Jazz’s Bryon Russell in Game 1 of the 1997 NBA Finals. Struggles from the field aside, Rose had a terrific all-around game, grabbing more than his fair share of rebounds and giving the ball to teammates for open shots. He also made 9-10 free throws to keep the Bulls within striking distance of the Cavs who led most of the way before they took the lead in the third quarter. Elias also says that Rose’s 30 points is his 10th postseason game with 30 or more points, the third Bulls player with 10 or more. Jordan with 109 games (an NBA record) is first, Bob Love with 13 is second.
2. Jimmy Butler: 20 Points, 8 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 5 Steals, 1 Block
Butler continues to frustrate the King as he showcased his improved offense and incredible defense throughout the series, most especially in this game.
The NBA’s Most Improved Player is defending James as well as anyone has ever played him, resulting in sub-par shooting nights for the game’s best player.
The NBA’s Most Improved Player is defending James as well as anyone has ever played him, resulting in sub-par shooting nights for the game’s best player. LeBron has not shot 50% or better in this series and that is due largely to Butler’s defense. He’s making LeBron work on both offense and defense. ESPN Stats & Information also revealed that LeBron shot 6-for-19 with Butler in his face and all seven of his turnovers came against him. James needs to bring his A++ game in Game 4.
3. LeBron James: 27 Points, 8 Rebounds, 14 Assists, 8-25 FG, 1-7 3 pt. FG, 7 TOs
In spite of the King’s near-triple-double, this was a poor game for him shooting-wise but he still had a complete game, keeping the Cavs close down the stretch.
James had an awful shooting night, making only 32% of his shots from the field and 1-for-7 from 3, with 7 turnovers. Had he not missed that layup late in the game, we could be talking about LeBron’s gutty performance in a win instead of riding him for his missed shots in a loss. Still, he was the team’s second-best rebounder, and had a playoff career high 14 assists.
James also continued to climb the record books as he passed three past or future Hall-of-Famers to claim fourth place in all-time in assists for the playoffs. He came into the game tied with Tony Parker (1,059) for sixth place, and then went ahead of Steve Nash (1,061) and Larry Bird (1,062) all in the first quarter where he had 7 assists. James finished the night with 1,073 for his career, with Jason Kidd still miles ahead with 1,263.
4. Cavs: 39 Rebounds, Bulls: 54 Rebounds
The Bulls owned the boards in the crucial Game 2 win with a whopping 15-rebound difference between them and the Cavaliers.
Joakim Noah (11), Taj Gibson (9), Nikola Mirotic (8), Butler (8), and Rose (7) took turns grabbing rebounds with reckless abandon including 18 big offensive rebounds compared to the Cavs’ nine. Noah and Gibson were most responsible for the Bulls’ extra possessions, accounting for 10 of the 18 by the entire team. If not for Tristan Thompson (13), the Cavs would have lost this game by a wider margin.
5. Cavs: 14-34 3-Point FG (41.2%), Bulls: 6-21 3-Point FG (28.6)
The Cavs had one of their best nights shooting the three in the playoffs even with LeBron missing 6 of his 7 attempts from deep.
In the previous 17 times that they made 14 or more from long distance, the Cavs had never lost a game, making this their first loss of the season with such spectacular shooting.
In the previous 17 times that they made 14 or more from long distance, the Cavs had never lost a game, making this their first loss of the season with such spectacular shooting. The biggest came from J.R. Smith who tied the game with 10.8 seconds left only to be erased by Rose’s 26-foot three-point bomb with no time left. The Bulls shot poorly from three for the second straight game but they made the one which counted most. If the Cavs make 14 or more in the next game, chances are huge that the result of the game will be different.
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Honorable mention:
Tristan Thompson: 10 Points, 13 Rebounds, 3 Blocks
Thompson was a monster on the boards in Game 3 as he gave the Cavs his best game of the playoffs so far, battling with the Bulls’ bigs sometimes by his lonesome.
He also added 10 points to give the Cavs extra offense with the team struggling to score (39% FG). Thompson needs to do this on a nightly basis if the Cavs have any hope of winning the series.