The first quarter made things look promising after the Bulls left it trailing only 33-31. Shortly after, the points, rebounds and overall heart of the team stopped showing themselves. The Bulls averaged only 14 points over the final three quarters and the Cavaliers, who struggled out of the gate in the second half, could have made that final score a lot worse. Instead, they'll settle for handing the Bulls their worst-ever defeat in an elimination game at home.
Matthew Dellavedova's 19 points led the Cavaliers, but his 7-of-11 shooting had everyone talking and pretty soon, a lot of people in Cleveland will be wearing t-shirts that talk about him. Dellavedova, J.R. Smith and James Jones all finished 3-of-6 from beyond the arc while the Bulls shot 4-of-20 from there. James somehow finished one rebound shy of a triple-double at 15, 9 and 11. Unremarkable on his part, but that can still be spun into a decent performance.
Jimmy Butler was the game's leading scorer with 20 points, although that was hampered by 8-of-22 shooting. Derrick Rose, in a contest not very reminiscent of days gone by, scored 14. That, along with his team-high six assists, would not be nearly enough to will the Bulls to victory. In fact, you have to wonder whether he was as gone mentally as everyone else apparently was, which is rather scary.
For a team that prides itself on being ready all the time, there sure wasn't much to indicate that in this game. Did they feel Game 4 was the backbreaker and thus, never recovered mentally? Was playing without Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson down the stretch in Game 5 a moment they had the wrong type of epiphany? If it was either, those are just excuses and thus, it would be fair the question the character of this team.
It was rather fitting for the season to end like this. All year, there have been extended stretches when the Bulls have looked like they'd rather be anywhere except on the court. With the improved offense that came with this season, it somehow came at the expense of the defense that has become their hallmark over this decade. We saw it too often against bad teams and just as we feared, it bit them badly in the playoffs when the offense flamed out.
This series will go down as one that could have finally been the time the Bulls got past James. Instead, James' buzzer-beater changed everything and the King got past the Bulls for the fourth time. Maybe this particular team just wasn't meant to beat the best and go on to win a ring. They've become a playoff punching bag for James just like Jordan had the Knicks, Cavaliers and Jazz.
The attention now focuses on Tom Thibodeau's future. As much as we'd love to have him back next year, all signs point to him taking his coaching genius elsewhere. Whether Gar Forman and John Paxson trade him for draft picks or simply fire him remains to be seen. Regardless, many basketball insiders would be shocked to see him back on the Bulls' sidelines.
The biggest fear Bulls fans should have is that the front office hires a coach that simply doesn't have what it takes to guide the talent coming back. Fred Hoiberg and any other inexperienced pro coach should be avoided. There are too many good players to adopt a philosophy that would better fit a college or rebuilding NBA team. This situation must be handled with extreme care.
Then again, this might all be moot if the Cavaliers surround James with more talent and more depth, thus setting the franchise up to contend for years. It's likely to happen, which is why this season will be seen as one of lost opportunity and empty promises. Given the circumstances, the Bulls should have had an easier time with the Cavs, but they made things more difficult than they needed to be. Any team that can't make simple shots, crash the boards or crack down on defense doesn't deserve to move on.
I'll have my season recap post coming soon. In the meantime, it's time for everything that happened during that time soak in. Changes will be made and it's possible the dynamic of the Bulls will change. Whether that change is for the better, we'll just have to wait and see.
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