1. IT'S GOOD TO BE THE KING: The Bulls started Game 5 perfectly. With Derrick Rose doing everything, Chicago raced out to an early eight-point lead. Rose scored or assisted on 10 of the Bulls first 12 points as a hobbled Kyrie Irving couldn't keep up. But the Cavs weren't fazed. Cleveland went on a 17-6 run to close out the first quarter and led 25-24.
The Cavs were able to extend their lead in the second quarter thanks to the efficient play of LeBron James. With Jimmy Butler saddled with two fouls, James went right at him to start the second. Activating beast mode, James simply took over.
LeBron James muscles through the contact for the AND-1! #NBARapidReplay http://t.co/WLqxSzjH1B
— NBA (@NBA) May 12, 2015James ended the half with 24 points on 10-for-12 shooting from the field.
When he wasn't dominating offensively, James was making sure his presence was also felt on defense. He stopped in midair to block a shot.
LeBron with an acrobatic left-handed block! #NBARapidReplay http://t.co/rpBPf4DhBn
— NBA (@NBA) May 13, 2015And he skied to block a driving layup from Rose that could have tied the game near the end of the fourth.
James finished the game with 38 points (14-24 FG, 1-5 3PT, 9-12 FT), 12 rebounds, six assists, three steals, three blocks and zero turnovers. He simply did everything to make sure the Cavs would win the game.
LeBron came into Game 5 shooting 40-for-106 from the field in the series but finally had a more effective night shooting the ball (58 percent). He scored from basically every spot on the floor, taking the ball in the post, driving through the heart of the Bulls' defense and he even pulled up from mid-range for a number of jumpers. Butler played admirable defense but there was just no stopping LeBron in Game 5.
2. CHICAGO'S OFFENSIVE OFFENSE: The Bulls had difficulty scoring all game. Without Pau Gasol, the Bulls don't have a reliable post scorer to compliment Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler. Mike Dunleavey was able to score 19 points (5-8 FG, 2-4 3PT 7-7 FT) and Butler led Chicago with 29 points (9-18 FG, 3-8 3PT, 8-8 FT), but the rest of the Bulls were just woeful on offense.
Rose scored 16 points but shot 7-for-24 from the field. The Bulls as a team shot 39.5 percent from the field and 28 percent from beyond the arc. There was even a six minute stretch in the second quarter when the Bulls didn't score.
Not great.
Gibson's kick earned him a flagrant-2 foul and an automatic ejection while Dellavedova got away scot-free. Since Gibson actually hit Dellavedova, it will be interesting to see if the NBA will further penalize him. A fine or maybe even a one game suspension could be in Gibson's future.
