Chicago Bulls Know How Shorthanded Cleveland Cavaliers Feel

When word came out that the Cleveland Cavaliers would be missing Kevin Love due to shoulder surgery and J.R. Smith to suspension, then the hearts of many in Northeast Ohio sank. The Chicago Bulls can feel their pain.

Chicago’s recent campaigns have fallen short because of injuries, mainly to No. 1 overall draft pick and Chi-town native Derrick Rose.

The PG played every playoff game for the Bulls from the beginning of his career until the 2010-2011 season. The team was 62-20 that year and made it to the conference finals, and their point guard won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award. We all know what happened in the next season. The Bulls tied for the best record in the league and looked set to bounce the Miami Heat from contention, but then an ACL tear to Rose’s left knee against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 28, 2012 ruined those chances.

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Rose has dealt with two more knee surgeries since then, but nothing quite as serious as an ACL. His return from a meniscus removal five games before the season’s end has his teammates hopeful that the PG can help contribute to a long playoff run.

“He makes everything easier for everybody,” his backcourt partner, Jimmy Butler, told The Associated Press.

This role reversal only seems fair, until you consider that this is happening to Cleveland: A city whose championship drought is truly depressing.

Bulls fans should not get overly excited about a title run though. LeBron James thrives playing on the road in the playoffs, and you can pencil the Cavs in for at least one win at the United Center. That means the Bulls will likely have to win twice in Cleveland. Their best shot at making that happen would be the first two games of the series when the Cavs will still be missing Smith.

Cleveland may be a snake-bitten city when it comes to championships, but the problem is that James has a way of making up for all manner of sins (or injuries). The forward weathered the storm of losing Chris Bosh for a stretch of the playoffs when he was with the Heat and still led his team to a victory parade.

The Cavaliers will ride LeBron and Kyrie Irving to at least 50 points per game in this series, and their bench is well rested at this point. The Bulls must not rule out seeing production from players like Mike Miller and James Jones, and home-court advantage is definitely an issue as well. All of these factors and the presence of two-time champion LeBron have made many pundits pick the Cavs to win the series despite their missing players. The Bulls definitely have the deeper team though, and so they must try to wear down Cleveland’s front line by constantly throwing big bodies at them.

So the question is: What will win out? Talent or depth?

Next: Analyzing Potentical Bulls vs. Cavs Series

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