Tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET on TNT the Cleveland Cavaliers will try to avoid falling in an 0-2 hole on their own floor in their Eastern Conference Playoffs second round series vs. the Chicago Bulls when they tip off their matchup which can be live streamed free by clicking this link. Cavaliers fans can listen to the radio broadcast on WTAM 1100, and Bulls fans can tune in to ESPN 1000.
The Chicago Bulls are known for their tough defense, but in Game 1 their offense is what really gave the Cavaliers fits. Big man Pau Gasol had a huge game, and his big night proved how valuable a healthy Derrick Rose can be.
"High pick and roll is a play a lot of teams run," Gasol told the team's official website. "With Derrick's ability and my ability to make plays for each other and make plays for others we were very effective, and let's see if we can continue to be as effective."
The Cavs struggled defensively, and on offense they were inefficient. The Bulls held LeBron James to 19 points on 9-of-22 shooting, an uncharacteristically poor percentage for James. Irving poured in 30 points, but hit only one 3-pointer (20 percent). Cleveland shot 27 percent from beyond the arc, and looked clogged without floor-stretchers Kevin Love and J.R. Smith on the court. Love is out for the rest of the postseason, but Smith will be back for Game 3.
Cavaliers coach David Blatt hinted that he expected some trouble at the outset, and hopes his players can adapt having experienced life without their long-range snipers.
"Coming in, we knew what the circumstances were," Blatt said. "We knew what we were looking at but we had to go through it to learn from it. Now we have and hopefully we come out a lot better."
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