James has 25, 9 and 9 as Cavs beat Bulls

This has something to do with the fact that the team had recently signed Shumpert to a four-year $40 million deal in the offseason, which could make it hard for any team to take him in since that salary will play a factor. At one point in the second half, James had as many assists as the entire Bulls team. He’s a better wing defender than some give him credit for, and in the guts of a heated finals series against either the Warriors or Spurs, he is the kind of veteran who can swing a series by making a big shot… or five. That’s what set the tone for us. Every time I called his number, he was ready.

James fell one rebound and one assist shy of his second triple-double in his last three games. With Joakim Noah and Nikola Mirotic already hampered with injuries of their own, losing another starter and a player like Butler was nearly like a death sentence for the Bulls.

“Defensively, we have to get better”. “It’s the ugly right now”.

The Chicago Bulls, one of the most fickle teams in the National Basketball Association, entered the all-star break hemorrhaging losses.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a measuring stick”, Lue said. James celebrated by dancing with the crowd, this time without retaliation.

Cleveland’s pace slowed a bit at that point as the Bulls cut their deficit to 12, but the Cavs regrouped slightly to take a 78-64 lead after three and were never seriously threatened in the fourth.

As for the Cleveland and Bulls game, Chicago will be lucky to get out of this match with their dignity intact. “I like how we started the game”.

Kevin Love was efficient with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting to go with 15 rebounds as Cleveland moved the ball effectively from side-to-side and kept Chicago’s defense off balance. Rose’s owners will want the Bulls to be in the playoff hunt.

Love grabbed 11 first half rebounds, including nine on the defensive end, while the Cavalier shot 42 percent in the first half. I didn’t like how we finished the game.

“It’s not a concern”, Lue said. The team must gel and improve (especially defensively) the old-fashioned way – through sweat and hard work. “It’s just how we come back from that, which we did”.

Derrick Rose scored 28 points and Pau Gasol scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds after days of speculation over whether he would be dealt. Totals 37-93 13-22 95. They now own a 2-1 season series edge over the Bulls, and their grip on the Eastern Conference’s top seed only figures to tighten if they can continue to lock down on defense and receive balanced contributions from James, Love and Irving.

This season, however, he’s taking a career-high 15.9 percent of his total field goal attempts from 10-16 feet and hasn’t yet dunked.