For as great as Rose and Butler have been at times this season, especially in this series, the Bulls can’t beat the Cavs without Gasol. He is the stabilizer for this group and has been all season. Offensively, he’s the man the Bulls can dump the ball down to on the blocks when they are in need of a bucket. He’s the man who would have helped stunt those scoring droughts the Bulls have gotten themselves into in the last two games.
Defensively, he isn’t the most active guy on the floor, but his length and his ability to rebound in traffic have helped the Bulls this season.