LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers were all business in sweeping Boston in the first round of the playoffs. But it didn’t come without its fair share of casualties. The Bulls had a much tougher outing against Milwaukee, winning the series 4-2. The Central Division rivals now meet in a thrilling second round matchup in the Eastern Conference.
Can James play matador to the Bulls? Read on for a close look at Game 1 of this intriguing series. Get ready for an explosive second round in the 2015 NBA Playoffs. Check out our complete previews for the Wizards vs. Hawks and Grizzlies vs. Warriors.
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Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Game 1 Preview
Series Scores and Schedule
Game 1 – May 4, 7:00 PM ET – Chicago Bulls (+5) at Cleveland Cavaliers (-5); total 194.0 – view all NBA lines
Game 2 – May 6, 7:00 PM ET – Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers
Game 3 – May 8, TBD – Cleveland Cavaliers at Chicago Bulls
Game 4 – May 10, 3:30 PM ET – Cleveland Cavaliers at Chicago Bulls
Game 5* – May 12, TBD – Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers
Game 6*– May 14, TBD – Cleveland Cavaliers at Chicago Bulls
Game 7* – May 17, TBD – Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers
*If necessary
Betting on the Chicago Bulls
The young Bucks brought Chicago to Game 6. But the Bulls put on quite a beatdown against their first round opponents, on the road at that. Mike Dunleavy sizzled from the field, scoring a game-high 20 points on 5-of-7 shooting (4-of-6 from downtown). Pau Gasol added 19 points and Chicago blew out Milwaukee 120-66. It was the second-largest margin of victory in the NBA Playoffs.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Gasol should figure prominently in this series, especially with Cleveland’s Kevin Love out for the remainder of the postseason. He has averaged 14 points and 9.8 rebounds in four games against the Cavaliers in the regular season. But had 18 points and 10 rebounds in the Bulls’ only regular season win, 113-98, against the Cavs—the only one Love missed.
Derrick Rose happened to have a big game in that victory, leading the Bulls with 30 points on 12-of-24 shooting and seven assists. If the Bulls are to escape with a tough win on the road, then they’ll need Rose to play like the MVP Chicago needs him to be. Rose averaged 21 points on 46 percent shooting in three road games in the first round series against the Bucks.
Chicago could also get some production of Jimmy Butler, especially with Cleveland’s J.R. Smith suspended for two games for a hit against Boston’s Jae Crowder in the first round of the playoffs. Butler was spectacular in the six-game set against Milwaukee, averaging 24.8 points on 48 percent shooting. He shot 41 percent from three-point range, which should be a welcome commodity with one of Cleveland’s sharpshooters out for the first two games.
The Bulls are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games on the road.
This is one spectacular Eastern Conference matchup. Create a betting account now and get in on the exciting games of the NBA Playoffs.
Betting on the Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland may be missing a member of its Big Three. But it’s not something LeBron James hasn’t seen before. In capturing the first NBA Championship of his career back in 2012, James averaged 30.8 points 10.8 rebounds and 6.2 assists in the second-round series against Indiana after then-teammate Chris Bosh went out in Game 1. James’ team went on to win in six games before defeating Oklahoma City in the NBA Finals.
Love had been an important player among the Cavs averaging 18.3 points and nine rebounds while shooting 47.4 percent from beyond the arc in the first three games of the postseason. With Love out, expect to see more of Tristan Thompson. He wasn’t too shabby in backing up Love in the regular season, averaging 8.5 points and eight rebounds per game.
Center Timofey Mozgov should also figure prominently in the Cavs’ frontcourt with Love out. He’s averaging 9.8 points and eight rebounds in the postseason. Mozgov has also experienced success against the Bulls, averaging 10.8 points and 9.8 rebounds in five meetings.
There’s also James Jones. But he was uninspiring in the first round series against Boston, shooting just 23 percent from the field and 18 percent from three-point range. The Cavs will need much more from their backcourt, especially with their frontcourt taking such a big hit. Kyrie Irving needs to be in overdrive, at least for the first two games while J.R. Smith is out.
Irving was dialed-in over his playoff series debut. He averaged 23.3 points per game and shot a sizzling 48 percent from three-point range. A highly-mobile Irving should be difficult to guard, especially when matched up against Chicago’s Rose and his oft-injured knees. Irving averaged 21.3 points in four regular-season games against the Bulls.
But Irving won’t need to shoulder too much load if Iman Shumpert can play as well as he did in Game 4 against the Celtics. Shumpert had 15 points and 10 rebounds in the series-clinching win.
The total has gone under in four of the past five meetings at Cleveland.
Writer’s Prediction
Even with Love and Smith out, expect the Cavs to come out guns blazing to cover -5. Cleveland goes on to win the series in six games.
