The Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers lock horns in the post-season yet again and LeBron James will be hoping to continue his dominant run over his rivals.
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland.
When: Tuesday May 5, 00:00
Watch live: Click here to watch on BT Sport online!
The two-time NBA champion has a 12-3 record against Chicago in the post-season, and it has mattered little whether he is playing in Cleveland or Miami to get the win over them.
However, the mood in the Chicago camp this year is a confident one, as they believe that they have the talent, depth and experience to now dethrone the King, but it will certainly still take a monumental effort to get past Cleveland.
The hosts will of course be without Kevin Love for the entire series after he suffered a dislocated shoulder and underwent surgery last week, while JR Smith is suspended for the first two games after his hit on Jae Crowder in Game 4 against the Boston Celtics.
As a result, coach David Blatt will need to make some necessary changes to the rotation, and with that comes a bit more predictability in what the Cavs can do.
However, they still have James and Kyrie Irving to lean on, and their moves in the market prior to the trade deadline has made them a more well-rounded outfit.
As a result, this series should be highly competitive and grab the attention of the entire NBA as one of these two teams will be tipped to go on and make the NBA Finals.
Jimmy Butler will be tasked with guarding LeBron as well as continuing his improvement on the offensive end, and that will likely be the key match-up in this clash.
If Derrick Rose can find his best form then it would be a huge boost for the Bulls, and ultimately they will see this as a case of if they don’t do it now, then perhaps they never will.
Prediction: Bulls to claim the win in Game 1 against a weakened Cavs team.
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