By Josh Tolentino
EBC Sports
Bulls upset King James and Cavs 111-105
CHICAGO — LeBron James arrived Friday evening at the United Center dressed in Cubs pinstripes, as part of a World Series bet made with former teammate Dwayne Wade. The King was greeted by hundreds of reporters and plenty of laughs.
James’ smile and the laughs ended soon after as the Chicago Bulls went on to hand the defending NBA Champion, Cleveland Cavaliers a 111-105 defeat, the Cavs’ third consecutive loss. James wasn’t shy with reporters after the game, being as vocal as he has been all season.
“We got to get out of the honeymoon stage,” James said. “You got to play the game, the right way. We’ve got to battle every night like we ain’t won nothing. Last year is last year. After ring night is over with, now it’s a new season and everybody is gunning for us every night and we have to understand that. The honeymoon stage is over. It’s time to play some real ball and be physical, especially in the trenches. Giving up 78 points (in the paint) is ridiculous. We’ve got to man up. Everybody.”
James finished with a game-high 27 points and 13 rebounds, while Kyrie Irving added 20 points and eight assists.
Chicago’s bench was once again a non-factor, but it didn’t matter as the starters scored 98 of the Bulls 111 points. The Bulls also made just 3-of-18 3-point attempts.
Jimmy Butler scored a team-high 26 points, which marked his 12th straight game with 20 or more points.
“It was huge,” Butler said. “We competed. We guarded. I think we know what we’re capable of if we play basketball the right way and do what we’re supposed to do,”
Dwyane Wade tallied 24 points, while Taj Gibson was a force down low with 23 points. Rajon Rondo posted his first triple-double in a Bulls uniform with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists.
Niko Mirotic went just 1-of-9 from the field but played hard on the defensive end and made key stops late in the fourth quarter, including blocking Irving forcing a 24-second violation.
“I was really proud of the guys when they came out,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “Those guys were on a mission over there, they came out with some fire and were flying up the floor. Really good individual performances…obviously Rondo’s triple-double, Wade, Jimmy and Taj were all beasts.”
Wade said of Lebron: “He brings the best out of me and I love competing against him. I’m glad we got the ‘W’ but he’s the greatest in the game. He brings the best out of everybody.”