COLUMBUS -- A few quick halftime dribbles from the Cavaliers-Bulls preseason game at Ohio State. The Cavs led 51-49 at intermission:
1. Kevin Love didn't do much offensively in the first half, but the guy sure grabs every rebound, doesn't he? At least, it seems that way, as Love is just always near the basket and ready to board. Doing it against Macabbi Tel Aviv is one thing, doing it against Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson is quite another. So Love impressed.
2. That said, I'd like to see Love going underneath more on offense. It's early, but he seems to be settling for 3-pointers too much. Then again, he's a veteran and the preseason doesn't exactly offer a lot of motivation.
3. I thought the Cavs did a nice job defensively in the first quarter. Bull coach Tom Thibodeau wants his team to grind it out and keep scores low -- and the Cavs were happy to oblige. They led 21-17 after the first, and aside from Derrick Rose sailing to the basket on a couple of occasions, the Cavs were overall solid.
4. Dion Waiters took a couple of bad shots, but he also made a couple of sweet passes in the second quarter. One went to Tristan Thompson for a two-handed slam, another to Shawn Marion for the same. On both occasions, Waiters drove into the lane, drew a couple of defenders and dished. That's the way you're supposed to do it.
5. LeBron James scored 14 first-half points in 18 minutes. He too has tossed a couple of sweet passes. Love grabbed eight rebounds in 17 minutes. Anderson Varejao scored 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting. He's been fantastic inside.
6. Rose scored 20 for the Bulls in 13 minutes. Frankly, he looks doggone good after missing most of the previous two seasons with major knee injuries. He seems unguardable now, though.
7. LeBron on the possibility of the Cavs-Bulls renewing their rivalry: "I wouldn’t say it's a rivalry renewed. We haven’t done anything. They are a team that is much better than us right now off chemistry. We have a long way to go."
