The Chicago Bulls know that a much more aggressive LeBron James will show up Wednesday night in Game 2—King James says he needs a change of mindset with Kevin Love no longer in the lineup.
LeBron tallied 19 points, 15 rebounds and nine dimes in the 99-92 Game 1 loss, and acknowledges that the Cleveland Cavaliers are now facing a must-win situation.
James is undefeated in three different postseason showdowns with the Bulls throughout his career.
Per the AP:
“I’ve never went into a game saying, ‘OK I’m going to be ultra-aggressive,'” he said. “I’ve always had to feel out things, but last night it was a little bit too much feel out. I only had two shots at one point. I was just not as aggressive offensively as I was defensively. We’ll see. I think I may have to change my mindset a little bit with Kev being out.”
James, who has beaten Chicago in three different postseason series and never lost, labeled Game 2 “a game that we must have.” […] “You can’t go down 0-2 on your home floor,” he said.
Cleveland’s biggest adjustment needs to come on defense as Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol exploited the Cavs with a “pick-and-pop” play. Gasol set high screens for Rose, who either drove to the basket or passed the ball to the veteran forward. Gasol went 10 of 16 from the field and scored 21. [….] “It wasn’t miscommunication,” James said when asked why the Cavs couldn’t stop one of basketball’s most basic plays. “Some of it was some of our game plan, and some of it was we could’ve gave a better effort.”
