NBA Playoffs 2015: 10 reasons Cavaliers will beat Bulls
By Josh Hill
Iman Shumpert Is Set To Go Off
Just like how this could deb a series where Kyrie Irving goes off and launches himself to another level of superstardom, this could similarly be a series when Iman Shumpert really takes off and becomes something special. He’s started to come into his own as a perimeter defender, and that’s something that has made Shumpert into a valuable asset moving forward into the postseason.
With the loss of Kevin Love, there will be an emphasis put on scoring from outside and manufacturing that production somewhere. But rather than outshoot the Bulls, there’s a way to lock them down by being tough on defense and not allowing the outside shots to happen. That’s where Shumpert could be most valuable and he as a lot of incentive to get things right.
Shumpert is in a contract year where he could make a lot of money in the offseason, and this series against the Bulls could be where he makes a majority of his next contract.
Bulls Response: No one is arguing whether or not Iman Shumpert is a solid perimeter defender. He is going to take points away from Jimmy Butler, which will be huge for the Cavs down the stretch. However, Shumpert is not enough of a complete player to really make that much of an impact for the Cavs. He has been solid coming off the bench all year. But as a starter he will not produce enough for it to make too much of a difference in the series as a whole.
Read more reasons why the Bulls will beat the Cavaliers here.
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