Chicago Bulls vs Cleveland Cavaliers: Position-By-Position Preview For The Rest of the Series
By Fuad Ahad
Shooting Guard: Mike Dunleavy vs J.R. Smith
May 4, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Mike Dunleavy (34) is double-teamed by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert (4) and guard Matthew Dellavedova (8) in the fourth quarter in game one of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
This is a weird series considering Jimmy Butler will be guarding LeBron James, even though he’s the Chicago Bulls’ shooting guard, and also considering that J.R. Smith is suspended for the first two games of the series.
It seems like Iman Shumpert will be the Cavs’ starting two guard for those first two games and will be defended by Mike Dunleavy. Dunleavy would have the advantage there based on length, shooting, and experience.
He showed all of those qualities in the first quarter of Game 1 as he hit all five shots for 13 points and at one point having more points than the entire Cavs team.
Shumpert played very well in his starting role scoring 22 points and shooting 8-17 from the field with four 3-pointers. He shot better than expected but if you’re the Bulls, he’s the one you want taking all of those shots whether they’re contested or not.
Matching Dunleavy up with Smith is a bit more complicated. When J.R. is zoned in, it’s difficult to stop him; he’s a volume shooter who is always “on fire” in his mind. He displayed that mindset in an April 5 match-up against the Bulls with shots like this:
His ability to spread the floor and catch fire at any given moment will be an important factor in the series so the Cavs will surely miss him in Games 1 & 2. The same can be said for Dunleavy after he torched the Bucks in Game 6 en route to a 54 point win.
The fact that Dunleavy will be playing in the first two games and Smith will not will clearly be a difference in this match-up. But Dunleavy’s consistency and yearning to produce for his team by doing the little things give him an even bigger edge.
Advantage: Mike Dunleavy
Next: Jimmy Butler vs LeBron James