Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving strips Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose (Video)
Kyrie Irving and Derrick Rose are already engaged in a war as the first quarter of their playoff series is underway between the Bulls and the Cavs.
The winner of the individual matchup between Derrick Rose and Kyrie Irving could be the difference in the second round match up in the second round series between the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Irving and the Cavs won three of the four games against their Central division foe this season but the Bulls are hopeful a healthy and motivated Rose will allow the Bulls to win four out of seven to finally get past LeBron James in a postseason series.
While LeBron is the best player on the court and capable of going off at any moment, the battle within the war is Rose vs Irving and through the first quarter of Game 1, Rose is the winner with eight points on 3-of-6 shooting, including a perfect 2-2 from three-point range with two rebounds and one assist.
By comparison, Irving is 1-of-6 shooting from the field with three points and two rebounds as the Cavaliers trail the Bulls 27-15. The 15 points are tied for the third fewest points in playoff history and their lowest first period of the season.
However, Irving did get the better of Rose on one single play in the opening 12 minutes when he forced a turnover from Rose with some active hands to prevent Rose from adding to his point total.
Who are you picking to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals?