Cavs Close Series Against the Bulls, Advance To Eastern Conference Finals: Quick Thoughts

1. Without Kyrie Irving or consistent scoring play from LeBron James, the Cavs were able to beat the Chicago Bulls in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semi Finals.

2. There are a couple of positives to take away from this game. For one, Iman Shumpert, J.R Smith, Matthew Dellavedova, Tristan Thompson and the rest of the Cavs bench came up big in this game. In the playoffs, part of your success is going to come from your bench. The Cavs showed that tonight.

3. Matthew Dellavedova silenced critics who often wrote him off as just a name on the roster. He led all Cleveland scorers with 19 points. In the playoffs, Delly has provided the Wine and Gold consistent sparks when they need it. While he might not be the best defensively, he makes up for it with his "Scrappy" and tough nosed tenacity.

4. Tristan Thompson once again showed his toughness on the glass, as he is now averaging 9.4 rebounds per game in the post-season. More importantly, he is averaging 3.9 offensive rebounds per game in the playoffs. Thats another key that elite teams need if they hope to win the Finals.

5. Iman Shumpert and J.R Smith, both former New York Knicks, played great in the game. Offensively, during the Cavs 3 gaurd lineups they were able to move the ball effectively and efficently to create open shots between one another. Iman Shumpert, specifically, has been having great outings in the playoffs. So far, he has been averaging 10.4 points per game in the playoffs, along with 4.9 rebounds per game. Smith, once again, knocked down key three point shots during stretches where they Cavs could deflate the Bulls energy.

6. While LeBron was not a factor in the scoring department, it he was able to once again do the little things, where he did what was neccesary to set up everyone in a position to win the game. Its was great to see LeBron go into that role rather than trying to force himself to get going offensively.

7. Kyrie Irving needed the game off. After he reaggravated his injury, it was apparent that it would not be easy to get back into the game. Give Irving credit though, he really does want to be out there for his teammates. He tried to fight through it (and has been doing so the entire playoffs) just to be with his team on the floor. Thats great leadership, and thats something we were looking for from Kyrie at the beggining of the season.

8. Having said that, for the Eastern Conference Finals and ESPECIALLY the Finals if the Cavs make it, the team needs Kyrie to be healthy or at least close to 100%. These next few days will be key to Kyries health, as he will most likely take time to get treatments to get back to his form.

9. Someone that will not get any mention in winning this game that should: David Blatt. The Head Coach of the Cavaliers made some key rotations calls that continued the Cavs offensive energy thoughout the game, and often kept in his hot scorers to make up for the fact that LeBron was not getting his shots down. Matchups were clearly studied for in this game, and David Blatt showed that tonight in his execution of his gameplan.

10. The Chicago Bulls just looked deflated when the Cavs started to get on a rythm. At the start of the game, the Bulls were certainly aggressive, but then their offensive drought happend. The team only scored 13 points, once again, THIRTEEN points in the 2nd quarter. Then followed it up by posting only 29 points in the second half.

11. The Mirotic technical foul pretty much showed the Bulls were losing thier patience and mindset in the game. Commiting a foul like that early in the game only shows one thing: Frustration.

12. The Cavs now await the winner of the Atlanta - Washington series. Both teams are ones to not be overlooked. The Wizards can play VERY good basketball when they want too, and the Hawks are the Number one seed in the Eastern Conference.

13. However, I am still picking the Cavs to win the Eastern Conference. If they can all get healthy, there is too much fight and heart left in this team.

14. To end, I end on a key thing that LeBron said in the post game press conference. LeBron talked about how key the mental game is to basketball. Its a very true statement, and right now, it seems everyone on the team is conquering the concept of mental toughness.