The Cleveland Cavaliers showed up Saturday in the United Center without their three best players to face the raging Bulls. Injury and illness, they claimed. But could it have been fear and loathing over what they might endure with the Bulls having won eight of their last 11?
Apparently two-way Cavs rookie Craig Porter Jr., Dean Wade and former Lewis University standout Max Strus didn’t feel that way as Strus riddled the Bulls with 26 points and—geez, you’ve got to be kidding—five of 17 threes and a personal 10-0 run down the stretch in the fourth quarter to turn this one, in the end, into a silent night for the Bulls in a 109-95 Cavaliers victory.
“I felt like we were a step slow, quite honestly,” said Bulls coach Billy Donovan. “We got hurt on the glass. That was certainly a factor (15-5 Cavs offensive rebounding). And then the free throw line, too (26 attempts for Cleveland). I thought we were fouling too much. We never were able to get out in transition as much. They didn’t necessarily shoot it great from three themselves (12 for 45; c’mon, seriously. That’s basketball?). But the times they got it back kind of slowed us down and caught us in the half court quite a bit. We were just a step slow on a lot of loose balls and even on a lot of rotations we were a step slow. I thought were a little slow and a step behind and were trying to generate some energy or plays.”
And so the Bulls appropriately slowed their role and chance for a second four-game wining streak in the last month while seeing their record fall to 13-18. The Cavaliers, who played without Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, are 17-13.
So Donovan dismissed the overconfident angle.
“I didn’t, certainly, sense that at all from these guys,” said Donovan. “I think they understand where Cleveland’s at in the standings compared to where we are, us being below them. Our record right now, we don’t even have the luxury to have that mentality. I did not sense that from our guys at all. Give them credit; they played well. They were physical and because of the rebounding and fouls they were able to set their defense quite a bit. I thought physically at times they got into us and got us out of rhythm some. I think our guys are smart enough that they didn’t think they could just walk in here show up and play and go home.”
Even without the athletic 6-11 Mobley, the Cavaliers dominated on the boards (48-37) to such an extent that Donovan grudgingly went to a lineup many fans regularly suggest and which he tends to eschew, pairing Andre Drummond with Nikola Vučević.
Not to say it might not work at times, but it looked pretty bad Saturday in two stints, one in the second quarter for just over two minutes and one in the third for the last three minutes. The first time didn’t move the needle much as the Bulls gained two points as Drummond drew a third foul and was taken out.
The next time in the third with, of all guys former Bulls buyout Tristan Thompson wrecking havoc and even tipping in a missed free throw, the Bulls went from trailing by three to trailing 82-72 at the end of the third quarter.
“That didn’t really cure the rebounding problem, quite honestly,” Donovan admitted.
One problem was what Donovan has talked about with those two together. One has to chase to the perimeter, especially with a three-point chukker team like the Cavs. So the defense seems to be scrambling often and out of position for rebounding. On offense with Drummond an inside force, Vučević thus spends more time floating around the perimeter. That takes away not only his post presence as he’s adept with drop step moves. But then he’s not in position to move the ball as a mid-play facilitator.
Those were just a few minutes of a game the Cavs mostly controlled, surprisingly enough. So it’s difficult to make a significant judgment of Drumević. And especially against bigger front lines, like say the Bucks, Donovan might go that way again. But the Bulls success, especially in this recent run of games was with fluid and fractious (to the opposition) ball and player movement.
Which was mostly the problem Saturday as Donovan noted several times in his post game comments. Too much pregame egg nog? That would stick to your bones.
It would have been helpful if the Bulls stuck to Strus, who is another of the truly amazing stories in a league with plenty of them. The kid from Southwest suburban Hickory Hills and Stagg High School in Palos Hills can’t get a whiff of college interest. So he goes to Division II Lewis University. To get an idea of what that means and how low that is on the skill scale, I played Division II ball. That’s where you pay them to play. More penny stock than blue chip. Though he was second team all-Great Lakes. Which then apparently gets you to DePaul.
Then undrafted, of course, even though now 6-5 and has some impressive shooting bandwidth. But who’s he guarding? Goes to Summer League with the Celtics, but gets cut so they can keep Javonte Green. Signs a two-way with the Bulls, but tears his ACL. He rehabs, but management changes while he’s away, and he decides to head to Miami. Why not; Buffett still was around and lifeguard is a nice career to begin.
But what do you know, he thought he still could play basketball. And Strus becomes somewhere between Klay Thompson and Kyle Korver. Basically beats the Bulls in the play-in game last season with Jimmy Butler’s close, and then just shot the heck out of them Saturday.
And a really good guy. I remember during his Bulls rehab he couldn’t thank everyone enough for just talking to him.
“Everybody stepped up,” Strus said Saturday after the game. “When the ball was put in their (teammates) hands they made a play. It’s fun to play basketball like that. When guys are confident, when guys are moving, when everybody feels involved, that’s how you win games.”
You know, like the Bulls used to do.
Actually, the Bulls have been doing so for a month with this one hiccup. Seems to me no worry. An impressively impressive run that was truly impressive—no way I could say that more times than Cris Collinsworth says unbelievable, so I had to give up—with huge wins over contending teams, Coby White emerging as a potential league star. the Bulls style of play, finesse and flair flummoxing opponents.
You knew they were going to need to take a breath some time.
It was Saturday. The Bulls continue their six-game homestend through December 30 on Tuesday against Atlanta. So the Bulls get some rest, a chance to open gifts with family and watch football on Christmas Day. What, the NBA is playing, too?
White had 17 points but finally cooled with zero for eight on threes. Vučević led the Bulls with 20 points and 12 rebounds, but the Cavs' Jarrett Allen was too big with 19 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists.
Thompson offset Drummond with the same six rebounds. DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 21 points and eight assists. But the Bulls got just 14 points from the reserves despite Donovan going to Jevon Carter and Dalen Terry in the first quarter to jar the Bulls tectonic plates of lethargy. It only catalyzed briefly before the eventual cataclysm. Because this Cavs bricolage of spot shooting, rebounding efficiency and three players with at least seven assists mimicked that Bulls component formula we so admired. C’mon, who’s reading on Christmas Eve? When else can I write a paragraph like that? Consider it a gift if things don’t work out at home.
Things just didn’t for the Bulls, either, and right from the start with a 16-7 Mad Max fury beginning with threes. The Cavaliers attempted 16 in the first quarter. C’mon, oh I went there already, I know, but c’mon.
White was doing some very good things to offset the video game element finding Vučević on a skillful role to the rim and then as he’s done so much lately winning the perimeter and passing cross court for a Patrick Williams three. Williams added 13 points with continued steady play. The Bulls, though, were eight of 35 on threes.
But the elastic fantastic Allen was just getting everything and the Bulls weren’t as sharp. Ayo Dosunmu got beat back door and then DeRozan and White. They were doing more ball watching than lately, and also seeing the Cavs retrieve it a lot. White added a powerful scoring drive late in the first and the Bulls did swing back within 32-30.
The Bulls had their moments before halftime with a pair of White driving slam dunks and Caruso with a fast break three after DeRozan picked up an errant Cavs lob. Cleveland inched ahead 57-56 at halftime.
The Bulls then went stone cold after halftime, allowing Thompson to crash the boards and then Strus putting Vučević on a poster; well, actually the floor after a dunk that was called an offensive foul and reversed on appeal. That made it 65-60 Cavs and with a 15-3 run coming thereafter made it 82-72 Cavs after three quarters.
The gravitational force of the Bulls pulled the Cavs down to earth enough that with a Williams three from DeRozan with 7:10 left the Bulls trailed by just 90-85. But it was all thunderdome from there with Strus steel caging the Bulls into submission and the Bulls unable to get closer than within 10 points the last six minutes.
Which is okay. Because this holiday time has mostly been a gift for Bulls fans. No need for any returns. Merry, merry, happy, happy.
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