The Cleveland Cavaliers took the heart of the the Chicago Bulls in Game 4 as a LeBron James buzzer-beater evened this hard-fought series after four games. What do they have to do to take their first series lead with a win in Game 5?
1) LeBron James needs to carry the Cavs
Kyrie Irving has been severely hampered all series by left knee tendonitis and a right foot strain, and with Kevin Love already being out for the remainder of the postseason, almost all of the load has been placed on LeBron James’ back. He seems content to take on a majority of shots (he took 30 in Game 4 – no one else took more than 10), but he needs to do enough to carry the Cavs every single night if they want to advance to the conference finals.
2) Play great interior defense
Pau Gasol had a career year for the Bulls (18.5 ppg, 11.8 rpg), but a hamstring injury kept him out of Game 4 and should keep him out of Game 5. As a result, Chicago didn’t have any punch down low and became a perimeter-oriented team as Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler were the only players that scored in double-figures. That makes the Bulls much easier to guard, and the Cavs took advantage by holding Chicago to just 36 percent shooting from the floor as a team. Cleveland needs to replicate that formula to win this game.
3) Own the transition game
Even without Love and an injured Kyrie Irving, the Cleveland Cavaliers are still at their best when they're able to get out and run in transition. Chicago prefers to play a half court game, but they're almost unbeatable when Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler can consistently get points on the fast break. Owning transition would allow the Cavs to control the tempo of the game while limiting Chicago's easy baskets, which would ultimately lead to a Cleveland victory.
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