CLEVELAND — The playoff adversity for the Cleveland Cavaliers struck when they lost Kevin Love to a season-ending injury and J.R. Smith for the first two games of the Eastern Conference because of a suspension.
They trailed the Chicago Bulls by 16 in the first half and 15 in the second half and lost to the Bulls 99-92 in their series opener on Monday, ceding home-court advantage in the process.
It's the first time Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson and Matthew Dellavedova — all playoff neophytes — have trailed in a series, and the first real taste of on-court playoff adversity has rolled into Cleveland in the name of grit and finesse, a combination Tom Thibodeau's Bulls have rarely possessed.