JIMMY!

[GooooMarquette]

Getting the best of LBJ tonight.  Forced him into two huge TOs down the stretch.

[Groin_pull]

Getting the best of LBJ tonight.  Forced him into two huge TOs down the stretch.

And he's not yapping. Just keeping his mouth shut and kicking butt.

[Galway Eagle]

And he's not yapping. Just keeping his mouth shut and kicking butt.

Not according to Wadesworld

[🏀]

Jimmy knows you don't yap at LeBron. That's not a good idea.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Bulls catching an enormous break without Love playing. 

[buckchuckler]

Eh, no one cried for the bulls the last few years, except bulls fans.

[royceda5 9]

Congrats to Jimmy! Glad he's still killing it but does the east even matter? The west is gonna run train on whoever gets through.

[LloydsLegs]

Bulls catching an enormous break without Love playing. 

True (and Smith for 2 games).  But as buckchuckler notes, how about the last 4 years for the Bulls?  Rose, Deng, Noah, Gibson (and various supporting cast members) out or limited during playoffs.  And look around the league...many teams this year lost critical pieces (OKC, LAC, Portland, Bucks...).  Part of the grind.  And this is not a done deal by any means for the Bulls.  If LBJ decides to do it, he can carry the team (as good as Jimmy is, he cannot defend him in the post).

[Groin_pull]

Bulls catching an enormous break without Love playing. 

Shouldn't you be watching hockey?

[Dr. Blackheart]

Bulls catching an enormous break without Love playing. 

Just to note that Noah is playing on one leg so maybe not as big of an advantage.  Cleveland was out of sync with the long rest I thought.  Had nothing left for the last run.  Irving and Schumpert were carving up the Bulls defense with Jimmy on LBJ (although Jimmy was on Irving a bit).  It will be a long series as the Bulls are slow grinders and are vulnerable to penetrating guards.

Liked that Thibs gave Jmmy the ball at the end instead of Rose as he had the matchup (and Rose would only look to shoot).

[lurch91]

Great efficient game from JFB!  Awesome game by a true Warrior.

[Lennys Tap]

Bulls catching an enormous break without Love playing. 

Houston caught an enormous break with CP3 not playing. Lost (AT HOME) by 16.

When the Bulls have had to play without Rose (and others) I don't recall you coming on here and talking about any enormous breaks for their opponents. Kevin Love is a nice player. Third best guy on the Cavs. Injuries happen, man up or go home - no whining.

[jsglow]

True (and Smith for 2 games).  But as buckchuckler notes, how about the last 4 years for the Bulls?  Rose, Deng, Noah, Gibson (and various supporting cast members) out or limited during playoffs.  And look around the league...many teams this year lost critical pieces (OKC, LAC, Portland, Bucks...).  Part of the grind.  And this is not a done deal by any means for the Bulls.  If LBJ decides to do it, he can carry the team (as good as Jimmy is, he cannot defend him in the post).

I think that's a bit strong.  As Sir Charles said last night, Irving and James could score 35 apiece and that's still only 70.  Cleveland's big problem is that they simply have no way to handle Gasol without Love.  I'm thinking Bulls in 6 and even that could be charitable.  IF Chicago wins Wednesday, it'll be 4 or 5.

[jsglow]

Houston caught an enormous break with CP3 not playing. Lost (AT HOME) by 16.

When the Bulls have had to play without Rose (and others) I don't recall you coming on here and talking about any enormous breaks for their opponents. Kevin Love is a nice player. Third best guy on the Cavs. Injuries happen, man up or go home - no whining.

Shocked the heck out of me.  I didn't watch.  What happened there?

[JWags85]

Shocked the heck out of me.  I didn't watch.  What happened there?

Houston sleep-walked into the game and assumed that they had it won before it started, being at home and with no CP3.  Griffin and Barnes stepped up huge and they controlled the game for much of it.

As for the Bulls, I think it was less about the Cavs being rusty and more about Rose having 2+ days of rest.  When on more than 1 day of rest, his 2PT and 3PT shooting percentages jump by 15% and 5%, respectively, which drives a lot for the Bulls offensively.

And JFB on Lebron?  Jimmy guarded him for 73 of 75 possessions last night, Bron Bron was 7 for 18 with 5 TOs.  I think he can handle him just fine, inside or out.

[jsglow]

Houston sleep-walked into the game and assumed that they had it won before it started, being at home and with no CP3.  Griffin and Barnes stepped up huge and they controlled the game for much of it.

As for the Bulls, I think it was less about the Cavs being rusty and more about Rose having 2+ days of rest.  When on more than 1 day of rest, his 2PT and 3PT shooting percentages jump by 15% and 5%, respectively, which drives a lot for the Bulls offensively.

And JFB on Lebron?  Jimmy guarded him for 73 of 75 possessions last night, Bron Bron was 7 for 18 with 5 TOs.  I think he can handle him just fine, inside or out.

Totally agree.  Last year when he was with the Heat Jimmy would cover James and then 'get a break' by covering DWade when James rested.

[frozena pizza]

JFB did as good a job as anyone can reasonably expect to do on LeBron.  Kept him out of sync all night.  Bulls are a clear favorite in this series with Love out and Smith gone for another game.

[GooooMarquette]

Houston caught an enormous break with CP3 not playing. Lost (AT HOME) by 16.

When the Bulls have had to play without Rose (and others) I don't recall you coming on here and talking about any enormous breaks for their opponents. Kevin Love is a nice player. Third best guy on the Cavs. Injuries happen, man up or go home - no whining.

Agreed.  Injuries are as much a part of the game as controversial calls or guys having career nights.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Shouldn't you be watching hockey?

I didn't watch the Bulls game.  Ducks didn't play last night.  Love's injury is big, they were the favorites to advance from the east if healthy.  Not any longer.  Guys play hurt this time of year...that's different than guys not playing at all.  Hard to replace a guy at 18ppg, with the range he has and the size.  There is a reason he will be one of the most coveted free agents, because he is very good. 

[LloydsLegs]

BTW, for those who did watch the game, is Chris Webber as bad as I think he is? 

[GGGG]

BTW, for those who did watch the game, is Chris Webber as bad as I think he is? 

I like him.

[frozena pizza]

Houston sleep-walked into the game and assumed that they had it won before it started, being at home and with no CP3.  Griffin and Barnes stepped up huge and they controlled the game for much of it.

I'll admit I didn't watch the game that closely but it seemed like the Clippers were the ones with the lackluster start with 19 points in the first quarter and trailing at the half, maybe due to being without CP3.  Then they dominated the second half.

[MUSF]

JFB did as good a job as anyone can reasonably expect to do on LeBron.  Kept him out of sync all night.  Bulls are a clear favorite in this series with Love out and Smith gone for another game.

Teal?  Or did you forget the best player on the planet plays for the other team?

[jesmu84]

I didn't watch the Bulls game.  Ducks didn't play last night.  Love's injury is big, they were the favorites to advance from the east if healthy.  Not any longer.  Guys play hurt this time of year...that's different than guys not playing at all.  Hard to replace a guy at 18ppg, with the range he has and the size.  There is a reason he will be one of the most coveted free agents, because he is very good. 

Like Conley Jr? Chris Paul? etc, etc

[MUVander]

For anyone who didn't know, Jimmy was named the NBA most improved player a few hours ago.