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Analyzing a Potential Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers Playoff Match-Up

By Paul Steeno

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In a nationally televised matinee on Easter, the Chicago Bulls lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-94 at Quicken Loans Arena. For the Bulls, the loss had serious playoff implications as the Toronto Raptors move only one game behind Chicago for the third seed in the Eastern Conference. Here are the highlights from the game on Sunday.

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The Chicago Bulls have struggled against the Cleveland Cavaliers this season. In four regular season match-ups, the Bulls have fallen at the hands of the Cavaliers three times. Ironically, since 2010 the Bulls have enjoyed remarkable success against LeBron James-led teams in the regular season, making the losing record against the Cavaliers this season somewhat of a head scratcher. In the four seasons when LeBron played in Miami, the Bulls won 9-of-15 match-ups in the regular season. However, come playoff time the roles reversed as the Bulls only mustered a 2-8 playoff series record against the Heat in that same time-span. Perhaps the Bulls’ losing record against the Cavs this season is indicative of a role-reversal come playoff time. Regardless, LeBron James told media following the game on Sunday that he doesn’t take too much satisfaction in beating the Bulls in a regular season contest. James was especially disappointed with how his team allowed the Bulls to climb back into the game despite having them down by 13 points in the fourth quarter.

"“I think we turned the ball over and we got out of attack mode. I think we settled for a lot of jumpers in the fourth quarter. And those are things that we, as a young team, will have to just learn from and get better with it the next time. So, we controlled the game, but we allowed them to get back in the game because of what we did offensively and that’s a very good team. You know a Thibs team is never going to give up and we have to understand every single possession means everything and we can’t take one off.”"

Despite the lack of success against Cleveland this season, Joakim Noah remains confident that his team can beat the Cavaliers in a seven-game series.

"“I think we’re a confident group. And it would be great to play them in the playoffs. It would be very, very exciting.”"

Noah even suggested that he hopes that the Bulls’ road to a championship runs through Cleveland.

"But if the opportunity presents itself and we can play Cleveland, I would be very happy. We would be very happy as a team to be able to do that."

If the Bulls do end up playing Cleveland in the playoffs this season, one thing is for sure: it is going to be painstakingly close. Here are four keys for the Chicago Bulls to Beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 7 games series.

1. Offensive Rebounding

In all three games that the Bulls lost to the Cavaliers this season, Cleveland collected more offensive rebounds than Chicago. Ultimately, offensive rebounding comes down to effort, an area that has been surprisingly lacking this year for Chicago. Hustle players like Tristan Thompson and Anderson Varejao (although he is injured), have killed the Bulls on the offensive glass this season. The Bulls boast one of the biggest, most physical front-lines in the entire NBA. Yet, they surrender 11.7 offensive rebounds to opponents per game which lands them at number 27 in the league in this statistical category. As I hinted earlier, improving in this category comes down to fundamentals and effort. If the Bulls can once again establish themselves as an elite offensive rebounding unit, they should enjoy more success against Cleveland in the playoffs.

Apr 5, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Bulls forward

Taj Gibson

(22) and Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) reach for a rebound in the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

2. Don’t Let Lebron Beat Them

Lebron James is a fantastic basketball player. The trick with Lebron is containing him because stopping him is virtually impossible. During the 2010-2011 eastern conference finals, the Heat executed a strategy in which they doubled and forced Derrick Rose into traps to try to neutralize his impact on the game. Rose was forced into being more of a facilitator, and his teammates were unable to capitalize on the open opportunities that they were given because the defense mostly focused on what Rose was doing. If the Bulls do meet the Cavaliers in the playoffs, a similar strategy should be executed. It is a little more difficult of a defensive concept to draw-up considering the Cavaliers this season have more talent around Lebron than the Bulls had around Rose in 2010-2011. However, I’d rather the Bulls make Lebron a facilitator and force guys like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love (neither of whom have ever been to the playoffs) to beat them. Perhaps a defensive scheme designed to force Lebron into defensive traps and then a loose zone on the perimeter players will force the Cavaliers to become perimeter oriented and shoot themselves out of the game.

Apr 5, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward

LeBron James

(23) reacts after a dunk in the third quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

3. High Pick and Rolls

These have been killing the Bulls the entire season. Once again, reverting back to fundamentals will resolve this problem. As Stacey King likes to say, KYP (Know Your Personnel). Whether the Bulls defender should go over or under the screen or if a switch should occur depends on the abilities of the opposing players in the high screen and roll. The Chicago Bulls guards need to fight through screens and do whatever they can to get in front of their opponent before he can get an open shot or penetrate into the lane breaking down the defense. In addition, the Bulls guards and big men have to communicate on high pick and rolls; an often cited reason for the struggles defensively this season. 

Apr 5, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) shoots the ball past Chicago Bulls forward

Pau Gasol

(16) in the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

4. Aaron Brook’s Defense Is Key For Bull’s Success

Last season, the Bulls lost against the Washington Wizards in the playoffs largely because of DJ Augustin’s inability to stop Andre Miller. If the Cavaliers are smart, they are going to do everything in their power to create mismatches to exploit another undersized guard on the Bulls roster: Aaron Brooks. The Bulls have to develop a scheme to help out Brooks when opposing guards try to take advantage of him in the post without sacrificing the ability to guard the other four players on offense. Brook’s defensive performance is an under-the-radar key to this match-up and will go a long way towards determining if the Bulls are successful in this series. Whether Brooks is matched up with Irving, Iman Shumpert or Matt Dellavedova he is going to be at a disadvantage in terms of size. It will be interesting to see how he responds.

Apr 5, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23), guard Iman Shumpert (4) and guard Kyrie Irving (2) celebrate as Chicago Bulls guard Aaron Brooks (0) looks on in the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

It’s your turn to weight in! Are my keys correct? Did I nail the issues that the Bulls need to focus on if they want to beat the Cavaliers in the playoffs? Or, am I completely wrong and the Bulls need to render a radically different game-plan if they expect to win? Please comment below.

Next: Harsh Reality Looms For Bulls in Playoffs

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