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Chicago Bulls Game 2: Post-Game Grades After Wednesday’s Loss

The Eastern Conference Semifinals is now tied 1-1 after the Chicago Bulls fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. LeBron James led the Cavaliers with 33 points and 8 rebounds, and Cleveland dominated the game the moment it began.

After such a successful game 1, where everything seemed to be going well, the Bulls were simply not prepared for game 2. Once they were down 38-18 at the end of the first quarter, the game had already been decided. Outside of Taj Gibson, no-one on Chicago shot the ball well, and the Bulls finished shooting 41 percent from the field.

The Bulls should be pleased that they won a game in Cleveland, because they now have homecourt advantage. However, they need to make sure that they are ready for game 3, or the series could easily switch back in Cleveland’s favor.

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Post-Game Grades:

Derrick Rose – B-

Stat line: 14 points, 6-20 from the field, 7 rebounds, 10 assists

The shots simply weren’t falling tonight for Rose, who kept trying to get into rhythm, but with no success. He did a good job of facilitating the ball, but he wasn’t able to lead Chicago back into the game.

Rose plays much better when he has two days or more of rest (which he did for Game 1), but the problem is that outside of a theoretical Game 7, every game has just one day of rest.

Jimmy Butler – C

Stat line: 18 points, 1 assist, 2 rebounds 5-14 from the field

Butler tried his hardest against LeBron defensively, but he used all of his energy trying to stop him. This translated to a poor offensive game for Butler, as he shot just 5-14 from the field.

Coming into the series, Chicago knew that Butler would need to be playing top notch in order to slow down James and do well on offense. He did so in Game 1 (noticing a trend?), but tonight James was focused and ready, and when that happens, there’s nothing anybody can really do.

Let’s hope that when Butler hears the news that he won the Most Improved Player of the year award he’ll be even more motivated for Game 3 on Friday.

Mike Dunleavy – C+

Stat line: 8 points, 3-6 shooting, 4 rebounds, 0 assists

Dunleavy definitely wasn’t as productive as he was in the first game, but he shouldn’t be the one needing to carry the Bulls. His stat line, although not the prettiest, was around his usual mark.

In reality, Dunleavy’s intangibles and his ability to space the floor are what makes him such an important player for Chicago. He’s always be solid on defense, and most nights he’ll be able to knock down his shots.

Sure, we would love it if Dunleavy had a magnificent game in the near-future, but we shouldn’t be expecting it.

Pau Gasol – C-

Stat line: 11 points, 4 rebounds, 0 assists, 3-8 from the field

Gasol played poorly, and he was missing open shots as well as allowing easy baskets on defense. He tends to be a streaky player—if he starts off hot, he’ll have a great game, and if he doesn’t, he’ll struggle—so it’s important for the Bulls to try and get him going early. That was something they didn’t do in Game 2, and as a result Gasol was a non-factor.

Joakim Noah – C

Stat line: 4 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2-4 from the field

Noah’s hustle and energy almost always allows him to thrive on the boards and play great defense. Unfortunately, Cleveland’s frontcourt has proved to be fantastic at grabbing rebounds (especially offensive ones), and Noah had trouble getting anything.

The whole “Point Noah” strategy becomes much less used and important when Rose is playing, so Jo really didn’t do too much in the game.

Other Important Player Stats:

LeBron James – 33 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals

Taj Gibson – 11 points, 5-5 from the field, 2 rebounds

Kyrie Irving – 21 points, 10-12 from the free-throw line, 3 assists

Next: Bulls Give Lackluster Effort in Game 2

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