Random dribbles following the Cavaliers' heartbreaker of a 96-93 loss to the host Chicago Bulls in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals:
1. It was a lucky shot and no one deserves to win or lose like that. As J.R. Smith said, shoot it again and it misses. But Derrick Rose of the Bulls did the right thing at the final buzzer. He heaved the ball at the basket and hoped. It banked in and down went the Cavs. So make it a 2-1 hole with Game 4 on Sunday in Chicago.
2. You've likely heard the news that Kyrie Irving is hurting (more in a minute). We already knew Iman Shumpert entered Friday with a strained groin. And we are all well aware that the Cavs lost Kevin Love for the playoffs. These aren't excuses. These are sad facts. But it took a miracle shot by the Bulls, on their own home floor, to beat the Cavs. The Cavs may be really banged up, they may be limping. But they still think this is their series.
3. Plus, as the Cavs will tell you, LeBron James is still healthy. He is also coming off a mostly miserable night shooting the ball. LeBron went 8-of-25 from the floor and 1-of-7 on 3-pointers. He also committed seven turnovers. Not surprisingly, he took a lot of the blame after, saying he needs to do some things differently again -- much like he did after Game 1.
4. LeBron on the Cavs: "I already know how we're going to respond, the same way we did in Game 2. Whether or not that results in a win, we don't know. (But) I don't have any doubt of how we will play on Sunday. We're going to give ourselves a chance.
5. James also said he has no doubt that younger players such as Irving and Tristan Thompson will be fine in what amounts to the biggest game of the season. ""I think that time has kind of passed right now, as far as me wondering what type of reaction the young guys will bring to the game," he said. "They're fighters."
6. So the Cavs are hurting. But they are not broken. They are very confident and maintaining a fair amount of swagger. They barely lost Game 3 and if they get Game 4, they will again own home-court advantage and a big mental edge. That, of course, is all riding on Game 4.
7. OK, back to Kyrie. He hurt his foot in Game 2 of the Boston series. The Cavs had eight days off between the Celtics and Bulls, so that gave him a chance to rest and receive treatment. Now, the Cavs and Bulls are on an every-other-day schedule of games. It's impacting both teams, as Pau Gasol missed a large part of the second half of Game 3 with a hamstring issue. (Although the Bulls were probably better without him.)
8. Irving said he will continue to play through the injury. "I tried to get treatment on it, tried to stay ready to play," he said of the sore foot. "But I don't make any excuses for myself, and for me to go out there, obviously, I was just trying to play through it as best I can, and I'm still going to continue to do that."
9. LeBron on Kyrie playing hurt: " No one feels sorry for Kyrie because he's hurting. We're not going to make any excuses. He's on the floor, he has to make plays. And I have to help him, and we have to help our team. Obviously, from a competitive standpoint, it's killing him inside because I know what type of competitor he is and I know what type of teammate he is. He wants to do everything great for his teammates. But the situation is the situation."
10. Bottom line: These are the types of situations that live on in NBA lore. Will Derrick Rose's miracle shot be what everyone remembers from this series? Or will it be LeBron James returning home and lifting the hobbled Cavs? Stay tuned, because so much of this season for both teams hinges on Game 4.
