CLEVELAND -- Random dribbles from the Cavaliers' 106-91 win over the visiting Chicago Bulls in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Wednesday:
1. It's a series now, and if the Milwaukee Bucks can win in Chicago, LeBron James and the Cavs certainly can, too. James showed he still has the knowledge and heart of a champion. He drove, he dished, and just basically lifted the Cavs as he promised he would.
2. The Cavs never led in Game 1. They never trailed in Game 2. They dominated from the minute they set foot on the floor, racing to a 38-18 lead at the end of the first quarter.
3. As Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau put it: "They smashed us."
4. Of course, aside from the utter domination and tying the series at 1-all, a lot of the focus was on the return of LeBron's headband. "It was time for it to make a comeback," he said. "So, that's what happened."
5. OK, enough of that. Back to the game. James finished with 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists. He had a monster dunk and simply refused to be denied near the basket. Even when his shot was altered or blocked, he'd fight for the ball and put it in. He displayed tons of guts right from the start and his teammates joined the fun.
6. It also really helped that the Cavs got some spread-the-floor offense from Iman Shumpert and James Jones. That was missing in the first game, and it really made the absences of Kevin Love and J.R. Smith fairly glaring.
7. But Shumpert came out hot in Game 2, finishing with 15 points and 4-of-7 on 3-pointers. Jones erupted for 17 off the bench, including 5-of-9 on threes. A couple of those threes were quite huge -- as Chicago tried to claw its way back in the third quarter. Jones would have none of it.
8. LeBron won two titles with Jones in Miami. "He's battle-tested, he's a professional," James said. "I'm always looking for him. For him to score 17 off our bench ... and his defense and commitment to detail. It's just great to have him around. Not just on the floor, but in the locker room. I'm more proud of the way he played than anybody."
9. Shumpert, by the way, spent at least 10 minutes of game time on a stationary bike after straining his left groin. He is expected to be OK for Game 3, although it's too soon to say for sure.
10. LeBron on Shumpert: "He's not waiting when he gets the ball. He's either catching or shooting, or catching and driving." And that is precisely what the Cavs need him to do.
11. Smith returns Friday following a two-game suspension from the league office. He took part in shootaround before Wednesday's game and looked good. "J.R. will take pressure off all of us," James said.
12. Kyrie Irving finished with a fairly quiet 21 points, taking just nine shots and making five. But he drew plenty of contact and went 10-of-12 on free throws.
13. Tristan Thompson was also big in his first playoff start, grabbing 12 rebounds. Half of those were at the offensive end. Blatt hinted he could change the lineup again for Game 3, but that's likely just to keep the Bulls guessing. This worked well.
14. Although, I suspect Smith will start ahead of Shumpert again. But no guarantees there, either. Shumpert has clearly played well, averaging 18.5 points in his two playoff starts.
15. But it all started with LeBron. "There wasn't one possession tonight where he wasn't dominant," Irving said.
16. LeBron on the night: "We're a little short-handed. So I have to change my approach. Kyrie wanted me to be ultra-aggressive. I have to respond to my teammates. I have to do it if that's what my guys want me to do."
17. Of course, it's important to remember this series is indeed tied at 1-all. It's important to remember the next two games are at Chicago. And it's important to remember Irving, Thompson and some of the other younger players have never played a road playoff game like the one they're about to see.
18. LeBron on heading to Chicago: "Those fans are amazing and they feed off that crowd. We'll have to be even better than we were tonight."
19. Blatt on the state of things: "This was a back-against-the-wall game for us. No way did we want to go to Chicago down 0-2. The first game, we didn't play well. Today, we really stepped up. But we were facing a lot of change in that first game. We didn't meet the challenge that day. Today, we did. The series is wide open for both teams. We're gonna have to play great basketball to win there."
20. Meanwhile, Bulls stars Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol combined for just 25 points on a meager 9-of-28 shooting. That included a 6-of-20 performance from Rose. At halftime, Cavs reserve Matthew Dellavedova had outscored Rose, 8-7.
21. But again, it's now a five-game series and the Bulls own homecourt advantage. "That sounds good, but we're just trying to win the second one," Rose said. "(Game 3) should be another exciting game. Hopefully, we play some defense this time."
