Bulls hang tough but fall late to Cavs |
LAS VEGAS - There were a lot of surprises in the NBA last season, but one of the bigger surprises was the Cleveland Cavaliers. After going out and securing Donovan Mitchell via a trade with the Utah Jazz, the Cavaliers went from a potential play-in team to a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference. They would eventually fall to the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs, but the groundwork was laid to build on.
This season, the Cavaliers are not going to sneak up on anyone, and the Chicago Bulls better get used to that, as they will see them four times again this season. That gives the Bulls four chances to put them away, but it also means that both teams will know each other so well that they can expose each other's weaknesses. Looking to renew their rivalry a bit earlier than expected, the Bulls and the Cavaliers met up for a summer league matchup in the last Pool Play games. A win for the Cavs would put them in the championship game, while the Bulls would keep themselves alive if they managed to win. Despite another fantastic defensive performance that saw the Bulls hold an opponent under 90 for the third time this summer, the Cavs were slightly better as they managed to pick up the 87-83 win. Chicago couldn't have asked for a worse start to the game, as their inability to knock down shots and failure to get back on defense led to countless easy buckets for Cleveland, who built a 29-19 lead after one quarter of play. Once the second quarter got underway, you started to see the Bulls play their style of basketball as they began to chip away at the lead. Led by an offense that saw four starters land in double figures, the Bulls closed the gap to four points at the half before taking a one-point lead into the fourth. It was in that fourth when the Bulls ran out of gas as their lack of outside shooting proved costly in the end once again, with the Cavs coming from behind and remaining unbeaten with the 87-83 win. As expected, Javon Freeman-Liberty was the man on offense for the Bulls, as his performance this summer has started to turn heads. Not only has Freeman-Liberty scored at least 15 points in every game, but he has led the team in scoring over the past three and came away with 18 points. While his future in this league is unclear, if the Summer League is any indication, he has done more than enough to secure a bench role for this team. Along with another strong performance from him, Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips came through with solid games, which was a nice thing to see. Coming off his breakout game on Tuesday, Phillips had a tougher time on the court but still managed to finish with 12 points. You also had Terry finish with 12 points in one of his better showings thus far. However, at 4-13 shooting, there are some concerns with Terry right now as he hasn't looked good shooting the ball. Nate Darling was the final Bull to land in double figures as he connected on three of the Bulls seven made triples to finish with 11 points. Adama Sanogo put together another nice game finishing with eight points and eight rebounds, while Henry Drell led the bench with nine points in the hard-fought loss. Even without Mitchell and some of their stars on the floor, this Cavaliers roster is scary, and they showed just how good some of their future players are. Former Witchita State Guard Craig Porter Jr had a monster game, leading all scorers with 22 points. Porter Jr added eight rebounds and six assists as his full arsenal was on display. Joining Porter Jr when it comes to having a great game was Emoni Bates, a player to watch this season. After transferring from Memphis to Eastern Michigan last season, Bates emerged as one of the better scorers in the nation and will look to add an excellent scoring presence off the Cavs bench. Bates had a great start to the game and finished with 15 points. The most impressive showing on the floor was former USC F/C Isaiah Mobley, who gave the Bulls fits. The 6-10 Mobley struggled to shoot the ball, connecting on just five of his 15 shots, but he still found a way to score 18 points. Mobley also added 12 rebounds as the Bull's lack of size was exposed at times. Like the Bulls, Cleveland also had four players land in double figures, all of which came from the starting five. Sharief Cooper was the final player to land in double figures as she showcased his overall skill with 11 points in the win. The Bulls will now get a few days off while waiting to hear their final Summer League opponent over the weekend.
