May 12, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Bulls guard
Derrick Rose(1) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game five of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
The entire second quarter
LeBron James scoring his team’s first 12 points of the quarter wasn’t even the worst part for the Chicago Bulls. Neither was the fact that they allowed the Cavs to go on ANOTHER 15-6.
It’s the fact that they never recovered in that quarter. And credit the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavs held Chicago to a 4-22, 18 percent shooting quarter. 18 PERCENT. That’s really bad, even for the standards of the — at times — offensively-challenged Chicago Bulls.
Chicago just couldn’t hit on anything it was serving up to the basket in that quarter, and it’s a huge reason why the Cleveland Cavaliers managed to hold off the Bulls in the second half.
The Bulls won both the third and fourth quarters, and only lost the first quarter by one point. The Cavs won the second quarter, though, by nine points. One of the bigger differences in the ball game.
Next: Impactful Kyrie