NBA Playoffs 2015: 10 reasons Cavaliers will beat Bulls

By Josh Hill | May 4, 2015

Apr 5, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23), guard Iman Shumpert (4) and guard Kyrie Irving (2) celebrate as Chicago Bulls guard Aaron Brooks (0) looks on in the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

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Jan 19, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) drives against Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic (44) in the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

LeBron James Will Swallow Nikola Mirotic Alive

The Chicago Bulls have seen great production out of rookie Nikola Mitotic but all for that might come to a crashing end in the postseason when the rookie is matched up against LeBron James.

It’s not that Mitotic is inexperienced, it’s just that he’s only seen one version of LeBron James this season and that’s not the truest form that LeBron takes. Once the postseason starts, LeBron James is a different player and he balls so much harder than he does any other time of the season.

Mirotic is a deadly outside threat for the Bulls in the same way the Cavaliers were hoping Kevin Love would be, but without Love to defend that seems to leave a hole. But thanks to Kyrie Irving being able to guard Derrick Rose, LeBron James is freed up to take on Mitotic and give him the worst series he’s ever been a part of. When LeBron James wants to shut you down, he does and Mitotic is going to get a lesson from LeBron all series long.

Bulls Response: It is true that Nikola Mirotic hasn’t seen the best Lebron James can put forth. But if you really think about it, do the Bulls really need Mirotic to put up 20 plus points in the post season? Not really. Don’t get me wrong, Mirotic did wonderful things for the Bulls this season when Jimmy Butler were out.

But ever since the return of the Bulls’ dynamic duo Mirotic has receded into his role of coming off the bench, playing less than 20 minutes, grabbing a few rebounds, and hitting the occasional outside shot when defenders collapse on the penetrating Rose or Butler. Unless something drastic happens to the Bulls roster (like another Derrick Rose knee injury), the Bulls should be just fine with LeBron James shutting down their rookie.

Next: No Kevin Love, No Problem

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