Bulls’ Stars are Outplaying Cavs’ Stars
No matter how much Butler wants to deny it, he has definitely become a superstar. He and Derrick Rose have been outstanding this postseason and have looked like the best backcourt in the league.
Even with the task of handling the best player in the game on the defensive end, Jimmy has been producing for the Bulls offensively. Here are each star duo’s stats compared to each other after four games:
- Derrick Rose: 25.0 points, 5.3 Rebounds, 6.5 assists, 40% from the field, 42.1% from behind the arc, and 94.1% from the free-throw line.
- Kyrie Irving: 18.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.8 steals, 36.4% from the field, 35.7% from behind the arc, 93.5% from the free throw-line.
- LeBron James: 26.0 points, 11.3 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.3 blocks, 37.7% from the field, 10.5% from behind the arc, 84.6% from the free-throw line, and 5.8 turnovers.
- Jimmy Butler: 19.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 3.3 steals, 39.7% from the field, 38.1% from behind the arc, 78.9% from the free-throw line, and 1.0 turnovers.
If we combine these numbers and compare, this is what we get:
- Rose & Butler: 44.25 points, 10.25 rebounds, 9.25 assists, 3.75 steals, 1.25 blocks, 40% from the field, 40% from behind the arc, 86.1% on free throws, and 3.25 turnovers.
- James & Irving: 44.5 points, 13.75 rebounds, 11.75 assists, 3.5 steals, 1.75 blocks, 37.3% from the field, 21.2% from behind the arc, 89.5% on free throws, and 7.75 turnovers.
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The mighty LeBron James is playing over 40 minutes a game, yet the “injury-riddled” “ex-superstar” Derrick Rose has matched his awe-inspiring play shot-for-shot. The Bulls’ backcourt has barely played together and are still learning each other’s tendencies, so for them to look so comfortable and perform so well in these playoff games is remarkable.
The team’s inability to “step on an opponent’s throat,” as Mike Dunleavy put it, has been a theme all season. They’ve seemingly thrived under pressure situations. Expect these guys to come out firing the rest of the series, especially in a hostile environment for Game 5.