James' triple-double leads Cavs past Bulls, 121-98
0 
 |
|
LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers signals to teammates after making a three-point shot against the Chicago Bulls in Game Four of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the playoffs at the United Center on Sunday in Chicago, Illinois. [Jonathan Daniel / Agence France-Presse] |
LeBron James insisted there was nothing unusual about the shot, that he's perfectly comfortable taking it.
Never mind that he unleashed it from nearly halfcourt.
James' jumper - from a spot that requires a heave for many players - was just part of the show on a day when he delivered his fifth career postseason triple-double with 37 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. That led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 121-98 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday and a 3-1 lead in their first-round series.
"I've done some great things in the past, I'll do some great things in the future," he said. "But we're in the present now and I'm feeling pretty good."
The Cavaliers led by 10 at halftime after scoring 38 in the second quarter and broke it open with a 37-point third, putting them in position to close it out at home on Tuesday.
James was at it again after scoring 40 and 39 the previous two games, connecting whenever he wanted and from wherever he wanted. He was 6 of 9 on 3-pointers, including a jumper from just inside midcourt at the end of the third that made it 99-76.
"I can comfortably shoot that shot," James said. "It was a regular jump shot for me. Comfortably, I can walk and dribble into a halfcourt 3."
James certainly made it look easy against the Bulls.
"He was extremely active all over the place," coach Mike Brown said. "He really set the tone defensively. He was terrific for us on the weakside. He was great for us on the ball and he talked defense the whole game."
He had plenty of help from Antawn Jamison, who scored 12 of his 24 in the third quarter, not to mention Mo Williams (19 points).
Chicago got 21 apiece from Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, who also pulled down 20 rebounds, but the Bulls settled for jump shots once they fell behind. Now they are on the verge of their second straight first-round exit after a thorough beating by the Eastern Conference's top seed.
"I just think we weren't very tough mentally today," Noah said. "We were playing good ball and then just collapsed. We're a young team and have to learn from this."
The Cavaliers were simply locked in after a two-point loss in Game 3. They shot 53 percent and outscored Chicago 40-34 in the paint after being dominated there 94-70 the previous two games.
The Bulls were leading 43-40 after Luol Deng hit a 17-footer with just over five minutes left in the half. Then, Cleveland took over.
"When we had the lead, we should have run some more effective plays, run some pick-and-rolls and attacked the basket," Rose said. "And even if you couldn't make the shot, you could dump it off to a big and maybe they could get to the line."
Go to Forum >>0 Comments