The two pre-season favourites to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals meet in the second round, when the Cleveland Cavaliers tip off against the Chicago Bulls.
Both teams established 3-0 leads in their respective first-round series, but their paths diverged from there.
Cleveland managed to finish off the upstart Boston Celtics in four, but the sweep came at a high cost as Kevin Love sustained a shoulder injury that will sideline him for four to six months. The free-agent-to-be may very well have played his final game in a Cavaliers’ uniform.
Meanwhile, the Bulls had difficulty closing out Jason Kidd’s Milwaukee Bucks, needing six games to finally put the nail in the coffin. After surviving the regular season despite a raft of injuries to key players—including former MVP Derrick Rose—Chicago is at full strength and poised for a run at the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Marquee matchup: LeBron James vs. Jimmy Butler
James did it all in Cleveland’s sweep of Boston (surprise, surprise), leading his team in scoring, assists, rebounds and steals. The two-time NBA champion was lights out against the Bulls in the regular season, averaging more points against Chicago than any other Eastern Conference opponent. James vowed to bring a title to his hometown, and he will have the opportunity to put his money where his mouth is in his first season back with the Cavs.
Opposing the ‘King’ is another jack of all trades in Butler. A candidate for the league’s Most Improved Player honour, the fourth-year man out of Marquette left his fingerprints all over the Bulls’ opening round series against Milwaukee. In those six contests, Butler stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 24.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.5 steals an outing. He and James have a well-documented rivalry, and it will be intriguing to watch the latest chapter unfold.
Role player to watch – Chicago: Taj Gibson
While Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah receive most of the spotlight, Gibson is a true weapon on Tom Thibodeau’s second unit. Easily talented enough to start on a plethora of NBA teams, the former first-round pick averaged 10.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in his 27 minutes per game off the bench in the regular season. With Love out of commission, Gibson will test Cleveland’s frontcourt depth.
Role player to watch – Cleveland: Tristan Thompson
The Cavaliers won’t be able to truly replace Love up front, but they do have a few options to slot in. Will David Blatt call on sharpshooters Mike Miller or James Jones to fill the void with their ability to spread the floor? Can Shawn Marion recapture some of his all-star form for yet another championship run? No matter how the bench boss chooses to proceed, Thompson will be at the core of his plans against the Bulls. The 24-year-old Canadian averaged a respectable 7.3 points and 6.8 rebounds in the opening round, and Cleveland will need even more from him against the Bulls’ big men.
Season series: Cavaliers won 3-1.
Bulls playoff stats leaders:
Points: Jimmy Butler (24.8)
Assists: Derrick Rose (6.5)
Rebounds: Pau Gasol (11.8)
Cavaliers playoff stats leaders:
Points: LeBron James (27.0)
Assists: LeBron James (6.5)
Rebounds: LeBron James (9.0)
Prediction: Cavaliers in seven