Band Aid for Cleveland

Okay, so maybe LeBron James wearing his headband in Game 2 for the first time since March is too silly of a narrative.  It's still a narrative nonetheless and one many people want to eat up.  That's especially true after James scored 14 of his game-high 33 points in the first quarter.  It set the tone for a 106-91 Cavaliers victory.

In a classic role reversal, Cleveland led this entire contest just as the Bulls did in Game 1.  Not only did James come out swinging, but he had plenty of help.  Kyrie Irving played the rightful sidekick role with 21 points.  Nine total 3-pointers came from Iman Shumpert and James "Where Did He Come From" Jones.

Meanwhile, no Bull reached the 20-point mark.  Jimmy Butler, just named the NBA's Most Improved Player, was the team's leading scorer with 18 points.  Derrick Rose achieved a double-double of 14 points and 10 assists.  Together, their shooting left something to be desired at 11-for-34 (32.4 percent).

It was pretty difficult to imagine Game 2 playing out any other way.  People should have known James would come out with a vengeance.  He can turn in on whenever he wants and any team he's playing at that time is in trouble.  When he gets assistance from his supporting cast, the Cavaliers are as dangerous as anybody.

Meanwhile, the Bulls can only shrug it off and wonder how prepared for this game they actually were.  The turnovers showed up again and their best players weren't shooting successfully at a decent rate.  All of that must change if they want to get out of the series.  We keep thinking this will correct itself, but we've seen far too much evidence to the contrary for our liking.

The good news is the Bulls still have home-court advantage.  They can first use it in Game 3 Friday at the United Center.  Hopefully, the crowd will be rowdier than they were throughout the Milwaukee series.  More importantly, let's hope the Bulls can feed off that energy.