Final: Cavaliers - 114 Bulls - 108.
Overtime (:04): Irving hits both costless throws and ices this game.
Overtime (:06): Gasol with a two and now Irving gets fouled.
Overtime (:12): Thompson hits both costless throws.
Overtime (:12): Gibson with a quick two. Thompson fouled on the other end.
Overtime (:16): Irving hits two costless throws. Bulls down 6. Timeout Bulls.
Overtime (:21): Moving screen on Noah, and that should do it. Cavaliers - 108 Bulls - 104. Noah fouled out.
Overtime (:24): Not too late for Thompson to get an extension right now.
Overtime (:24): Thompson with another offensive rebound and dunks it over everyone! What a play. He has 12 offensive rebounds and has been a factor in this game.
Overtime (:46): Hinrich hits both costless throws. Cavs up 106-104.
Overtime (:46): After a James miss, Hinrich draws a foul on the other end.
Overtime (1:30): James hits both costless throws. And an offensive foul on the other end as Brooks charged in.
Overtime (1:30): Snell fouls James. Bulls over the limit. James to the line.
Overtime (1:35): Bulls should put Gasol in for Gibson. Gibson hasn't had a good game.
Overtime (1:35): Turnover by Brooks on the other end. Bulls foul Irving to stop the fast break.
Overtime (1:51): Irving air balls a three. Bulls ball, two-point game.
Overtime (2:11): 10 offensive rebounds by Tristan Thompson.
Overtime (2:30): Dunleavy hits a huge three for the Bulls. Cavs up two.
Overtime (2:40): Noah back in for Gasol.
Overtime (3:27): Gasol struggling offensively.
Overtime (3:43): And James with an and-one layup on the other end. 33 for James.
Overtime (3:49): Gasol draws a foul on the other end, hits the first, and a lane violation by Gibson gets the second make wiped off. Cavaliers - 101 Bulls - 99.
Overtime (4:08): Rose is actually in the locker room with ice on his ankle.
Overtime (4:08): LeBron now draws a foul.
Overtime (4:41): James with a circus layup...good!
Overtime (5:00): Gasol in the game for Noah.
4th Quarter (:00) Love misses three. Overtime!
4th Quarter (:03): Hinrich airballs a three. Cavs ball. Tied at 98.
4th Quarter (:27): Down the wire and no Rose in the game.
4th Quarter (:27): Irving got an and-one play. The refs gave him the and-one. Tie game!
4th Quarter (:46): LeBron gets fouled. To the line for two, hits both. 98-95 Bulls.
4th Quarter (:47): Hinrich again! Step back jumper all good. "Mama there goes that man."
4th Quarter (1:06): LeBron with a beautiful dish to Love for a dunk.
4th Quarter (1:15): Cavaliers - 91 Bulls - 96.
4th Quarter (1:15): Hinrich another three!!! He has done it all. On defense and offense.
4th Quarter (1:27): Another turnover by Cleveland.
4th Quarter (1:45): Hinrich bangs home a three!
4th Quarter (1:57): Good defensive plays on both ends. Still a one point lead for the Cavs.
4th Quarter (2:59): This one's going down to the wire. Love hits both costless throws. Cavs now up one.
4th Quarter (2:59): Love draws a foul. He heads to the line for two.
4th Quarter (3:11): Gasol is on the bench too to finish this one out.
4th Quarter (3:11): Cavaliers - 89 Bulls - 90.
4th Quarter (3:56): Rose still on the bench.
4th Quarter (4:01): Noah with a nice interior, bounce pass to Gibson who puts the Bulls up one. Timeout Cavs.
4th Quarter (4:19): Snell has done a great job on James. Maybe that's why Rose is not back yet.
4th Quarter (4:34): Rose STILL not back into the game.
4th Quarter (4:34): Noah picks up his fourth foul.
4th Quarter (4:45): Cavaliers - 89 Bulls - 86.
4th Quarter (5:02): What a play by Irving! He finishes a spinning layup and a foul. Crazy shot.
4th Quarter (5:08): Hinrich a shot fake and a nice shot.
4th Quarter (6:00): Rose still not into the game, but Gibson is back after spraining his ankle.
4th Quarter (6:00): Back to back baskets by the Cavs gives them a two point lead.
4th Quarter (6:33): Bulls defense collaspses on James and Noah blocks him. 14 Bulls blocks.
4th Quarter (6:44): Brooks again on the drive. Bulls lead for the first time this half.
4th Quarter (6:48): Brooks proving a lot of energy. We're still tied at 82.
4th Quarter (7:56): Brooks hits a three. We are tied!!
4th Quarter (8:26): Gasol with a lefty hook.
4th Quarter (8:47): Tritan Thompson has been an X-Factor.
4th Quarter (8:52): Cavaliers - 80 Bulls - 77.
4th Quarter (9:04): James with an airball. Chicago's defense coming alive.
4th Quarter (9:32): Gasol protecting the paint beautifully. And Snell brings the Bulls within 3 with a three-point shot.
4th Quarter (10:02): Varejao with a nice hook shot over Gasol. Wowsa.
4th Quarter (10:38): Gibson heads to the locker room.
4th Quarter (10:54): Brooks with a three. Back down to four.
4th Quarter (11:07): Gibson slid and sprained his ankle.
4th Quarter (11:07): Bulls cannot corrall rebounds and now Gibson is hurt. Seems to be his ankle. Timeout on the floor.
4th Quarter (11:34): Snell misses a layup but Gibson with the putback dunk.
4th Quarter (12:00): Irving back with four fouls.
3rd Quarter (:00): Brooks almost made it from midcourt but that ends the quarter. Cavaliers - 78 Bulls - 69.
3rd Quarter (:21): A bunch of misses by the Bulls right at the rim, and now we have a jump ball after both teams scrambled for the loose ball.
3rd Quarter (:48): Love with a long two and the lead is up to 8 again.
3rd Quarter (1:48): Love with a nice mid-post move.
3rd Quarter (2:17): Gasol rejects Marion. Four blocks by Pau.
3rd Quarter (2:21): Bulls trying to go for home run plays every time they catch up. It has not worked yet.
3rd Quarter (2:38): Cavaliers - 71 Bulls - 68.
3rd Quarter (3:20): What a pass by Varejao to Love for that alley-oop play. And Snell answers with a three.
3rd Quarter (3:33): Dunleavy for three.
3rd Quarter (3:48): Cavaliers - 69 Bulls - 62.
3rd Quarter (4:10): Noah needs to stop bringing the ball up.
3rd Quarter (4:40): LeBron signaling to the Cavs bench asking for a rest. He now gets it as Mario checks in for him.
3rd Quarter (5:00): Noah taking the feed from Gasol for the two. Good passing by the two bigs.
3rd Quarter (6:23): Great hustle play by Hinrich who keeps the ball alive for the Bulls which leads to a Rose jump shot.
3rd Quarter (6:34): Gasol struggling to find scoring in the post.
3rd Quarter (6:53): James with a step back jumper in the face of Dunleavy.
3rd Quarter (7:35): Another leak out play by the Cavs. This time LeBron is the recipient. Told you they will have a lot of those plays.
3rd Quarter (8:09): Waiters leaks out for an easy layup. That's something we will see a lot from the Cavs this season with Love's touchdown passes.
3rd Quarter (8:51): Hinrich making it happen on both ends of the floor. Bulls down 3.
3rd Quarter (9:32): Irving made a nice lefty layup, but now will have to sit with four fouls.
3rd Quarter (10:10): Such a tough task for Dunleavy to defend LeBron.
3rd Quarter (10:22): Bulls working the offense throught Gasol early in this quarter.
3rd Quarter (10:39): Sloppy start to the half for both teams.
2nd Quarter (:00): Half ends with Dunleavy blocking James' shot. James was asking for a foul.
2nd Quarter (:24): It's unlike the Bulls to get out-rebounded.
2nd Quarter (:40): Thompson hurting the Bulls with his offensive boards.
2nd Quarter (1:30): James again! Just too strong for Dunleavy. Rose answers with a three. He's got 18.
2nd Quarter (1:54): Irving picks up his third foul. He had a great second quarter though. 54-47 Cavs.
2nd Quarter (2:08): Forcing turnovers and getting out in transition is key for the Cavs.
2nd Quarter (2:46): Gasol answers with a stand still jumper. Cavs up 52-44. Cavs playing much better defense tonight.
2nd Quarter (3:05): James with a two handed stuff in transition off the steal.
2nd Quarter (3:54): Gasol back into the game as Waiters shoots two costless throws.
2nd Quarter (3:54): Rose walks it off and is okay.
2nd Quarter (3:58): Uh-oh. Derrick Rose hurt his ankle. He stepped on someone's foot. Crowd got a bit worried there. He rolled his ankle on Irving's foot.
2nd Quarter (4:16): Both teams getting physical.
2nd Quarter (4:55): Rose with another nice move. Speeding to the paint and getting a scoop lay up.
2nd Quarter (5:05): Cavaliers - 44 Bulls - 38.
2nd Quarter (5:37): LeBron takes it right at Dunleavy. That's a tough ask for him.
2nd Quarter (6:00): Dunleavy hits the three and the Bulls now within four.
2nd Quarter (6:25): Bulls already with five blocks as a team. 0 for Cleveland.
2nd Quarter (6:30): Gibson swats Love now.
2nd Quarter (7:08): Marion with a running banker. Cavs now up 9.
2nd Quarter (7:49): Thibbs comes back with Noah and Rose.
2nd Quarter (7:49): Irving hits again and now the Cavs up 7.
2nd Quarter (8:45): So far, the Cavs controlling the offensive boards. 37-33 Cleveland.
2nd Quarter (9:12): Now Irving draws a foul on Brooks on a fake. That's after Tony Snell put in a layup on the other end. Bulls bench still solid, but they have missed some makeable shots.
2nd Quarter (9:39): Irving again.
2nd Quarter (9:58): Aaron Brooks gets on the board with a nice floater.
2nd Quarter (10:49): Irving hits the three. Gives Cavs six point lead.
2nd Quarter (10:52): Incredible block by McDermott on Dellavedova.
2nd Quarter (10:59): Irving back in with his two fouls.
2nd Quarter (11:44): Doug McDermott not hesitant to hoist threes. Has taken three already and missed all of them.
1st Quarter (:00): Exciting first quarter. Cavaliers - 28 Bulls - 27. James with 11. Rose with 9.
1st Quarter (:02): Waiters picks up his second foul late in the quarter on an offensive foul.
1st Quarter (1:20): Thompson another offensive rebound and finish around the rim. He's been a difference maker.
1st Quarter (1:48): Gibson hits over Varejao as the shot clock expires.
1st Quarter (2:19): James hits a three on another offensive rebound by Thompson who has a handful of those already.
1st Quarter (3:20): Gasol owning the paint.
1st Quarter (3:38): Tough shot by James. He's got eight already.
1st Quarter (3:56): Anyway, they count it as a three.
1st Quarter (3:56): Refs still checking the replay. Thought this process was supposed to be quicker with the new replays.
1st Quarter (3:56): Derrick Rose hits another jump shot. Refs going to check to see if it's a three or two.
1st Quarter (4:17): Good alley-oop pass to Gasol by Dunleavy.
1st Quarter (4:49): Derrick Rose all the way to the rim for the hoop and harm after Love drained a three on the other end.
1st Quarter (5:23): Cavaliers - 14 Bulls - 16.
1st Quarter (5:23): Honestly, Rose doesn't look as rusty as he did last season when he came back from injury.
1st Quarter (5:44): Rose working the offensive glass as he rebounds and puts it back in. Strong finish.
1st Quarter (6:02): James coming out more aggressive as expected.
1st Quarter (6:15): By the way, this is why the Bulls brought in Gasol. Way more rim protection.
1st Quarter (6:15): Irving picks up his second foul.
1st Quarter (6:53): Wow!! Noah and Gasol shut down Love in the paint with back to back blocks (one from each) in one possession which leads to a three on the other end.
1st Quarter (7:27): Tristan Thompson comes in for Varejao who sits with six points.
1st Quarter (7:50): Gasol on the board, getting a nice pass from Dunleavy.
1st Quarter (8:38): James with a nice feed to Varejao who gets fouled.
1st Quarter (9:45): Derrick Rose good job of sacraficing his body and drawing a charge. Then he makes a hustle play that leads to an easy dunk for Noah.
1st Quarter (10:15): Derrick Rose gets to the rim for the first field for the Bulls.
1st Quarter (10:45): And James with the pull up J, all good.
1st Quarter (11:03): Varejao puts in another one. 4-1 Cavs.
1st Quarter (11:52): James hearing boos. Varejao starts the Cavs off.
1st Quarter (12:00): Here...we...go!
8:06 P.M. EST: So many LeBron James commercials these days. The man is every where.
8:03 P.M. EST: LeBron had eight turnovers last night and shot 5-of-15 from the field. Betting that does not happen tonight.
7:58 P.M. EST: "Let's come out with a purpose," says David Blatt, before the start of the game.
7:52 P.M. EST: Surprisingly, Kyrie Irving and Coach David Blatt took the blame for Thursday's loss for the Cavaliers.
7:49 P.M. EST: Going back to contract extensions, Tristan Thompson is still waiting for his, and the two sides are "50-50," according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.
7:48 P.M. EST: Getting closer to game-time, this is going to be a great game. Cannot wait.
7:42 P.M. EST: It's interesting to see if the Cavs will come out with better intensity. Last night's game against the Knicks, Cleveland came out with a lot of energy, but settled during the second quarter.
7:39 P.M. EST: Anderson Varejao signed a three-year, $30 million contract extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers today. Let's see if he could prove that he deserves that money.
7:38 P.M. EST: Let us not forget that Joakim Noah has bad blood for LeBron James, which makes this matchup more interesting. Expect both to go at it and trash talk throughout the game.
6:14 P.M. EST: Rebounding is what the Bulls do best. They are a one and done team. The Cavaliers, who also have a pair of excellent rebounders in their frontcourt, will have to be at their best tonight in that category. Surprisingly, they were out-rebounded by just a little Thursday night against the Knicks.
6:13 P.M. EST: The interesting part about Chicago's win over the Knicks was that they scored 104 points. This team struggled offensively last season but with Rose back and Gasol on board, the Bulls have plenty scoring. However, Rose only had 13 points and the Bulls still blew the Knicks out. That speaks a lot about what the Bulls will be about this season. They are going to get huge production from a different player each day. Gibson had 22 and Gasol had 21 in their last game. Who will step it up in this one?
6:12 P.M. EST: Going back to LeBron James, he is likely to be defended by Mike Dunleavy, which should give him the motive to post up a lot of more and attack the rim. Dunleavy is not as strong or agile to stay in front of James.
6:11 P.M. EST: This game will also be a good test for the Bulls. It's a good measuring stick to see where they are at and if they are going to be the beasts of the East.
6:10 P.M. EST: Being the second of a back to back, the Cavaliers may also show fatigue. They played in a highly contested game with New York last night and used up a lot of energy.
6:09 P.M. EST: When these two teams met during the preseason, the Cavaliers won 107-98. This is going to be a totally different game as the intensity is going to be higher. The Cavaliers still have ways to go as far as building chemistry, and this will be another great test for them.
6:08 P.M. EST: Which team will play the best defense? The Bulls have shown that they have one of the best defenses in the league the past few years. Adding another defensive weapon in Gasol gives them more protection in the rim. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers will have to rely a lot on their perimeter defense to keep Rose out of the lane as they have little to none shot blocking in the interior.
6:07 P.M. EST: The bench is going to be the biggest difference in this one. The Bulls bench hurt the Knicks on Wednesday night, and the Knicks bench dominated the Cavaliers bench Thursday night. That means the Cavaliers bench is very weak and vulnerable. They will look to bounce back, but Taj Gibson, who was in running for sixth man of the year, scores in bunches and plays with a lot of energy. Tristan Thompson will have to match Gibson's hustle and energy and keep him in check.
6:06 P.M. EST: We already looked at the point guard matchup, but let's look at it more closely. Both are going to look to attack the rim and are going to use their amazing ball handling to get to where they want. Both are quick and crafty, so this will be the most intriguing matchup to keep an eye on.
6:05 P.M. EST: Without Butler, it's going to take a team effort from the Bulls to subdue James. Their bigs will have to clog the driving lanes and defend the rim from LeBron. There is no question James will come out aggressive.
6:04 P.M. EST: Next, we look at who is going to defend LeBron James. LeBron is coming off a subpar game against the New York Knicks, and will look to bounce back in this one. Here is where the Bulls may have some trouble. The Bulls will be without Jimmy Butler their best perimeter and primary defender on LeBron.
6:03 P.M. EST: First, let's take a look at the power forward matchup between Pau Gasol and Kevin Love. These are two skilled big man with excellent I.Q. and passing ability. Love will look to stretch the floor on offense. Does this mean the Bulls will put Joakim Noah on Love because Noah does not mind stepping out on shooters? Possibly. That will leave Anderson Varejao to fight Pau Gasol for rebounds. However, Love should take on the task of defending Gasol on the other end of the floor. Pau will look to use his fundamentals and size to score over Love.
6:02 P.M. EST: As we all expect, these two teams should be top 2 in the East. They are likely to meet each other in the Conference Finals, so let's take a look at matchups.
6:01 P.M. EST: This is going to be a fun, fun matchup between the two point guards, Derrick Rose and Kyrie Irving. When these two teams met during the preseason, Rose dropped 30 points, while Irving scored 28 points on the other end. They will look to go at it again in this game.
6:00 P.M. EST: Welcome to VAVEL_USA's Live of this exciting match between the two top dogs of the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers.