If you told someone unfamiliar with last season’s Cavaliers that they would be facing the Bulls in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semis on the road without Kevin Love, with Kyrie Irving playing just over one quarter and with LeBron James going 7-for-23 from the floor – and the result was a three-touchdown blowout, it would seem totally plausible.
The only thing is: it was the Wine and Gold who did the blowing out – thrashing the Bulls, 94-73, to eliminate them from the postseason and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2009.
After the first five games of the series mostly being decided in dramatic fashion – including back-to-back buzzer-beaters in Games 3 and 4 – the closer was a complete laugher.
The game turned at the exact midway point of the second quarter with the Cavaliers leading, 41-40.
That’s when Nikola Mirotic clotheslined Iman Shumpert on the offensive end, prompting Shump to go on a personal 7-0 run before Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau called timeout to stop the bleeding.
The onslaught only continued from there. Shumpert and J.R. Smith canned back-to-back treys to give Cleveland a 13-point advantage just before intermission. Matthew Dellavedova did the rest after intermission.
Delly leads the way with 19 points.
View some of the best snapshots.
Delly to the rescue.
Go inside the locker room.
Watch slow-mo highlights from Game 6.
The Cavaliers’ injury-marred postseason continued early in the contest when Kyrie Irving inadvertently stepped on Tristan Thompson's foot early in the second quarter, turning his left knee. Irving hobbled off the floor and directly into the locker room. After getting his leg wrapped, Kyrie came out to the Cavaliers bench, but didn’t return to floor for the rest of the evening.
With Irving out, the Cavs turned to Dellavedova, who responded with the best game of his young playoff career – going 7-for-11 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, scoring 11 of his team-high 19 points in the fourth quarter.
The sophomore guard from St. Mary’s College – who was about to become a household name – also did his usual stellar work on the defensive end, holding Derrick Rose and Aaron Brooks to a combined 18 points on 9-for-20 shooting.
Of course, after tangling with Taj Gibson in Game 2 at The Q, he was booed at the United Center every time he touched the ball.
“I didn’t really hear that many boos or like they do for LeBron,” smiled Delly after the win. “I played at BYU and Gonzaga and the boos were a lot louder there.”
Tristan Thompson, getting his fourth straight start in place of the injured Kevin Love, came up big again: doubling-up with 13 points, a game-high 17 boards and a pair of blocked shots. Thompson notched 10 of his 13 points in the first period as he set an early aggressive tone for the Wine and Gold.
Following his historic performance in Game 5, LeBron struggled from the floor, but still finished just one rebound shy of his 12th career playoff triple-double – tallying 15 points, a game-high 11 assists (just six less than Chicago had as a team), nine boards and a pair of blocked shots.
“I didn’t shoot the ball well today; when that happens, I have to bring leadership and energy,” said James. “I have to make (my teammates) believe they are supernatural. Tonight, (Dellavedova and Thompson) were terrific. For me, you can’t coach a motor. Some guys have it, some guys don’t.”
After giving up 31 points in the first period, the Cavaliers completely locked Chicago down defensively – holding the Bulls to just 13 points in the second and fourth quarters, allowing only 16 in the third. The Bulls shot 38 percent on Thursday and just above 40 percent in the series.
In the Game 6 drubbing of Chicago, the Cavaliers took twice as many free throws, held the Bulls to just 42 points over the final three periods, doubled their bench scoring and mauled them on the boards, 53-32.
Days later, the shorthanded “Grit Squad” would take on the 60-win Hawks as they continued to defy the odds in their quest to reach the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history.