The Chicago Bulls will play host to the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers Monday night at the United Center to try and hand the 11-0 Cavs their first loss of the season. The Bulls check into the contest at 4-6 and with a lot of unknowns early on in the season. The surprise of the Eastern Conference in the season’s first month has been Cleveland, who sit 5.5 games ahead of every team in the conference with the exception of the defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have gotten out to a hot start under first-year head coach Kenny Atkinson. The team ranks in the top ten in the NBA in offensive and defensive efficiency and has seemingly turned a corner with its talented nucleus. It may only be 11 games, but the Cavs have dominated their opposition with a speed, cohesion, and frenetic aggression that had been missing in the unit’s first couple of seasons. It is up to the Chicago Bulls to stand in their way tonight and try to keep them from getting to 12-0.
Cavaliers Come Into Chicago
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the top stories in the NBA so far this season. They have jumped out to an 11-0 record and done so with ease. In the team’s first year under Kenny Atkinson, they changed the way they played and continued to develop their young stars. Their train is a couple of stops down the track from the Chicago Bulls, who they will take on tonight. The Bulls are 4-6 this season and have their own group of youngsters who are anxious to leave their mark on this game, and they have a great opportunity to do just that and shock the league Monday night.
The Bulls got Zach LaVine back into the starting lineup against Atlanta Saturday night, but he is still working his way back from his right thigh injury and shouldn’t be back at full strength. He is a question mark to even suit up tonight as he is listed as questionable ahead of the 7:00 PM tip. Lonzo Ball is still out, and his right wrist injury is worse than Chicago initially expected, meaning his absence could be longer. The ailing guard situation will not help the Bulls deal with Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, who have worked hard on their chemistry and are playing in tandem as one of the league’s best backcourts this year.
Cleveland Rolling Down the Track
The Chicago Bulls won their last contest against the Atlanta Hawks, where eight different players got into double figures in the box score. That kind of team effort is going to have to translate back home for tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs present a new challenge this year that hasn’t been their specialty in years past speed. This team loves to run the floor and use their breakneck speed to their advantage. If the Bulls want to keep this game competitive, they will have to match that speed and depend on their bench players to spell the gassed starters. Three of the eight players who scored at least ten in Atlanta came off the bench and will be relied on tonight. Ayo Dosunmu, Julian Philips, and Jalen Smith have a tall task ahead of them when the Cavs take the floor at the United Center.
This year’s Cavs team isn’t all just speed, though. The dynamic frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen have played well off the speedy backcourt with some productive play themselves. The Cavs rely on Mobley and Allen to fill in the gaps for Garland and Mitchell, and so far this season, they have done a terrific job. The Bulls often like to trot out a small lineup with Patrick Williams at the center position. Billy Donovan may have to rethink that rotation if Allen, Mobley, or both of them are in the game. The threat of a shooting barrage is very real with this Cavs team, but they will play bully ball down low just as easily if given the opportunity.
Final Thoughts
If the Chicago Bulls want to put the first chink in the armor of the Cavs, they have to shoot the ball well when they have open chances, play team-friendly basketball to get favorable matchups, and not let the Cavs get out on any massive runs. Chicago has made an early-season habit of falling hopelessly behind in the first half before slowly inching their way back into the game before a tight finish. That option will not be available against a Cleveland Cavaliers team that has learned how to win and has all the necessary tools to stop any semblance of a comeback the Bulls try to ignite.
