The city of Chicago has long been looking for a hero since Michael Jordan last wore a Bulls jersey in 1998. For most Bulls fans of that era, their iconic image of Jordan is of #23 hitting the game-winning shot over Byron Russell in game six of the 1998 finals to earn his sixth and final championship.
The Hall-of-Famer and arguably greatest player ever was also known for breaking the hearts of the Cleveland Cavaliers and their fans over and over again throughout his career, hitting several game-winning shots against them in the playoffs, most notably his double-clutch shot, aka "The Shot" over Craig Ehlo in game five of the 1989 Easter Conference first round (Don't look below if you are a Cavs fan).
However, in recent years, LeBron James (Current Cavalier) has been a Chicago Bulls killer, winning 4-1 in two separate playoff series during his four-year stint with the Miami Heat (2011 Eastern Conference Finals, 2013 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals). James and his teammates have always been able to rebound after losing the first game to Chicago, and appeared to be on their way to winning game three last night, until Derrick Rose fought back.
Rose, the prodigal son of Chicago (He went high school at Simeon Career Academy in Chicago), scored 30 points, with none bigger than his 3-pointer off of the backboard as time expired to give the Bulls a 99-96 win over Cleveland. The shot 2.0 didn't just give Chicago a 2-1 series lead, restoring home-court advantage, but it also gave the fans and city hope that this just might be their year to add a seventh championship to the collection.
Between James being a thorn in their side over the past five years, and Rose's injury problems (Almost two full seasons missed combined due to knee injuries), Bulls fans haven't always had a lot of confidence in its superstar and former MVP. They have however, always had his back, as proven by the crowd explosion at the United Center when Rose knocked down the game-winner last night.
The Chicago Bulls still have a long way to go in order to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2011. They need to defeat one of the league's best duos in LeBron James and Kyrie Irving two more times, a difficult task to say the least. But they may finally have the personnel and the right Derrick Rose to do the job. We'll find out if they can take a 3-1 series lead, or James and Co. can tie it up tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. on ABC.
Showing posts with label Cleveland Cavaliers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cleveland Cavaliers. Show all posts
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Who Will Step up for the Cavs with LeBron Out?
The Cleveland Cavaliers are struggling, plain and simple. They currently sit at 19-14, good for the fifth seed in a once-again weak Eastern Conference. The Cavs, losers of four out of their last six, have begun to hear rumors of head coach David Blatt being on the hot seat, as well as various trade scenarios. In fairness, Cleveland has encountered some poor luck, with center Anderson Varejao out for the season after a ruptured achilles, combined with guys like Kevin Love and Mike Miller, who are battling nagging injuries.
No matter how bad it's gotten however, there's always been hope, for they had the city's savior in LeBron James. The two-time NBA champion was having another James-esque season, averaging 25.2 points, 7.2 assists and 5.3 rebounds a game on 49% shooting from the field. But with the news that he will be out for about two weeks while he recovers from strains in his left knee and lower back, Cleveland is now on its' heels and scrambling to find answers.
The playoffs are still a realistic option, but the likeliest scenarios will be as a six, seven or eight seed, meaning a date with teams like the Bulls, Raptors and Wizards in the first round. In order to avoid that scenario, and in order to get through a brutal west coast trip that begins Jan. 9 in Golden State and ends four games later in Los Angeles (Against the Clippers), the following are the players on the Cavaliers' roster that need to step up.
Dion Waiters
The third-year shooting guard from Syracuse has been the subject of many trade rumors since the beginning of the season, but the Cavs need him now more than ever with their best scorer sidelined. His 41% shooting from the field is going to have to increase if he wants to make the most of his extra playing time, but his slashing and finishing abilities give him a positive upside for Cleveland. Waiters is currently averaging a little over 10 points a game, but has show that he can be the top threat next to Kyrie Irving at times this season.
Link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiGCBlYg9nY
Matthew Dellavedova
The second-year shooting guard has shown flashes of talent this season, and is averaging over 36 minutes a game over his last five contests for the Cavs. His season averages are around 4.1 points, 2.8 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game, but has hit almost 43% of his 3-point attempts over his last five games. His playmaking and consistency will need to improve, but Dellavedova has some of the tools required to make a sizable impact on the court.
Tristan Thompson
Thompson has already stepped his game up, as he has recorded four consecutive double-doubles for Cleveland. Coming off of back-to-back seasons where he averaged over 11 points and nine rebounds a game, Thompson is no stranger to playing starters' minutes, which is what he will do for the forceable future, as he is taking Varejao's spot in the starting lineup. His length and athleticism will greatly help the Cavs' backcourt over the next two weeks. Thompson is currently averaging 9.5 points and 8.0 rebounds a game this year.
Link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBjwny7E710
Time will tell if the various role players on Cleveland's roster, along with stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love can mesh together and thrive in James' absence. It also remains to be seen if the Cleveland front office will make any type of deals in the near future, but for now, all they can do is wait for their star to return, and hope for the best.
*All stats and info courtesy of ESPN
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| When Cleveland acquired Kevin Love to play alongside James and Irving, the city had renewed hopes of a first NBA title. Now they will have make a hard push just to get into the playoffs. Source |
The playoffs are still a realistic option, but the likeliest scenarios will be as a six, seven or eight seed, meaning a date with teams like the Bulls, Raptors and Wizards in the first round. In order to avoid that scenario, and in order to get through a brutal west coast trip that begins Jan. 9 in Golden State and ends four games later in Los Angeles (Against the Clippers), the following are the players on the Cavaliers' roster that need to step up.
Dion Waiters
The third-year shooting guard from Syracuse has been the subject of many trade rumors since the beginning of the season, but the Cavs need him now more than ever with their best scorer sidelined. His 41% shooting from the field is going to have to increase if he wants to make the most of his extra playing time, but his slashing and finishing abilities give him a positive upside for Cleveland. Waiters is currently averaging a little over 10 points a game, but has show that he can be the top threat next to Kyrie Irving at times this season.
Link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiGCBlYg9nY
Matthew Dellavedova
The second-year shooting guard has shown flashes of talent this season, and is averaging over 36 minutes a game over his last five contests for the Cavs. His season averages are around 4.1 points, 2.8 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game, but has hit almost 43% of his 3-point attempts over his last five games. His playmaking and consistency will need to improve, but Dellavedova has some of the tools required to make a sizable impact on the court.
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| Source |
Thompson has already stepped his game up, as he has recorded four consecutive double-doubles for Cleveland. Coming off of back-to-back seasons where he averaged over 11 points and nine rebounds a game, Thompson is no stranger to playing starters' minutes, which is what he will do for the forceable future, as he is taking Varejao's spot in the starting lineup. His length and athleticism will greatly help the Cavs' backcourt over the next two weeks. Thompson is currently averaging 9.5 points and 8.0 rebounds a game this year.
Link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBjwny7E710
Time will tell if the various role players on Cleveland's roster, along with stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love can mesh together and thrive in James' absence. It also remains to be seen if the Cleveland front office will make any type of deals in the near future, but for now, all they can do is wait for their star to return, and hope for the best.
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| Source |
2014-15 NBA Standings
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