Live Thread: Cavs vs. Bulls, Game 5

https://soundcloud.com/dayton-radio/tom-pestak-5-12-15

Game 5.  LeBron’s had some memorable ones, including “Game 5“.  It dawned on me that this series is in some ways reminiscent of those early playoff series against the Pistons.  Anemic half-court offense, gritty defense, possession battles, and two teams that didn’t like each other.  The difference is that the relative lack of offensive firepower wasn’t due to an outbreak of debilitating injuries.

Pau Gasol will not play tonight.  Kyrie Irving’s gonna give it his best.  Let’s hope the Cavs found a descendant of Mr. Miyagi to fix Kyrie’s extremities, or that Kyrie developed a swan kick of sorts in the past 40 hours.

With any luck, this one won’t come down to issues of timeouts, last minute sideline plays and a third buzzer beater to end it. If the Cavs can continue to defend the Bulls the way they have been the last two games, and find some semblance of offense inside (with Moz and TT) and out (from J.R.), and LeBron can protect the ball the way he did in Game 2, the Cavs should get one big step closer to the next round.

Buckle up, this ride’s going to feel like the mean streak.