NBA Playoffs 2015: 10 reasons Cavaliers will beat Bulls
By Josh Hill
No Kevin Love, No Problem
The loss of Kevin Love hurts the Cavaliers, there is no way around that. He spaces the floor and he forces defenders to keep an eye on him all the time — something that won’t be the case if the Cavaliers throw out James Jones or Tristan Thompson. But both of those players could step up in a big way for the Cavaliers against the Bulls which is why they were brought in.
James Jones proved in Miami that he can heat up from beyond the arc and that could be something that spaces the Bulls defense to try and contain him and prevent a hot streak from outside. Tristan Thompson, on the other hand, could help make up for the rebounding hit Cleveland will take with Love out of action.
Both players need to step up in big ways to make sure the loss of Love isn’t felt, but it’s not impossible. They won’t shut down Pau Gasol or Joakim Noah, but if they can offset the loss of Love then they can leave the business of getting past the Bulls bigs up to their elite teammates.
Bulls Response: It’s true, James Jones and Tristan Thompson are two players who, when put together, can fill the void that Kevin Love left. The problem is, you can’t have them both on the floor at the same time. When James Jones is out there, the Bulls have a size advantage inside with Noah and Gasol. When Tristan Thompson is on the floor the Bulls don’t need to worry about excessive outside shooting from him, which will lead to Kyrie Irving and LeBron James getting stopped by the efficient help defense of the Bulls.
Read more reasons why the Bulls will beat the Cavaliers here.
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