It was clear from the beginning that turnovers would be plenty, especially on Cleveland's part. They ended the evening with 20 turnovers, off which the Bulls scored 29 points. By contrast, the Bulls only gave up nine points off 11 turnovers. Yeah, that's a pretty high number for this team, but when your opponent makes you look good in that department, you'll take the result.
Of course, that won't be enough in Tom Thibodeau's eyes. He's more likely to focus on how his team let a 13-point lead shrink down to one. Fortunately, since the Cavs don't have the personnel to get to the next level right now, they couldn't retake the lead. Instead, the Bulls closed the game on an 18-6 run to get to .500 on the year. Although it's early, any team is at least somewhat legit when they reach that mark.
The scoring was evenly balanced out among six players who scored in double figures. On a score sheet that looked similar to the one the Heat had on Opening Night, Carlos Boozer was the leader with 17 points. He also had a great turnaround jumper in the second half that would have made Michael Jordan jealous. Boozer has 16.8 million reasons to stick around next year and he won't collect them unless he can convince the team brass he's worth it.
Derrick Rose's 16 points and highlight drive to the hoop late in the fourth quarter took a back seat to the immediate aftermath of the play. He grimaced in pain and didn't return to action as he was examined on the bench. Bulls Nation held its breath for a period, but Thibodeau said in his postgame press conference it was a minor right hamstring injury. K.C. Johnson later tweeted Rose left the locker room without a limp, so hopefully, that's where this story ends.
I hope this is the game in which we can see Mike Dunleavy finally came out of whatever shell he's been in to start the season. He scored 15 and knocked down a pair of three-pointers. He drew contact on another three-point attempt and made the subsequent free throws. The Bulls need more games like this out of him if they want to succeed this season. Otherwise, another promising run could be cut short. That would also happen if Rose suffered another major injury, but let's not even go there.
Two weeks into the season, there's much room for improvement. The offense still has problems, mainly due to shoddy shooting and trying to get too fancy as a unit. Chemistry is still building for some of these players, but they won't be able to perform their individual specialties if the timing is off. That will lead to turnovers, which result in giving up points. A better club would have likely beaten the Bulls tonight, which is not a good sign.
Right now, the team looks like something between last year's Bulls and the previous two incarnations: the star power is there and the bang-bang plays make a few appearances, but the lack of a consistent offense is making some games closer than they should be. With Kyrie Irving struggling for much of tonight, it never should have turned into a one-point game in the final frame. Yes, he ended up leading the Cavs with 16 points, but you can't let a team with less talent get into a rhythm for any period.
Still, the Bulls have a gear they can shift to that doesn't allow many of these games to slip away. They've had it throughout Thibodeau's tenure. With Rose back, that gear is only more lethal. By next month, the chemistry will hopefully have been established, resulting in more blowout victories against inferior teams and close wins against the better ones. There's a lot to look forward to here.
The Bulls will head north of the border Friday to play the Toronto Raptors. If early indications hold, the concern for Rose will have subsided significantly except for whether he contributes in that MVP style he's known for. Just laugh if you hear pessimism about his health. He's here to win, not create drama.
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