Opening Night: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls Player of the Game

Jimmy Buttler provided one of the highlights of the match against the Cleveland Cavaliers

Man! That was a good game. The intense rivalry between the Bulls and a team with James on it is always fun to see. Especially after the rivalry built up last year in the Conference Semifinals, this match-up is always going to be one to look out for. The Bulls led the Cavs for most of the game and protected their lead in the final seconds when LeBron and his Cavs tried to make a comeback.

Player of the Game: Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler has become the face of the Bulls. With Rose injured most times, Noah sitting on the bench and Tom Thibodeau not with the Bulls anymore, Butler is the biggest star in Chicago. The 2015 Most Improved Player is getting even better. Butler got an amazing highlight dunk in the fourth quarter where he realized that there was no Mazgov under the rim and Love was late on the rotation. Already a member of the NBA All-Defensive Second Team last year, Butler was definitely back to work guarding LeBron James and doing a damn good job limiting his offense.

Of course, LeBron scored 25 points. But that’s just because he took most offensive opportunities whenever he got the chance in his limited minutes. Butler got 2 steals but his defensive pressure is difficult to quantify. Even though Mirotic scored really well and Rose came alive mid-game to push the Bulls further up, it was Butler’s consistent pressure on both sides of the court that got Obama’s Bulls the W. The Clutch block by Gasol still wasn’t enough to push away the Cavs for good and Jimmy’s interception, with under 3 seconds to go, confirmed Chicago’s win over Cleveland. Without a doubt, Jimmy Butler was the Season Opener’s Player of the Game.

Honorable Mentions

Mo Williams (Cleveland Cavaliers)

Williams made his return to Cleveland this offseason and did really good for his season opener against the Bulls. Filling in a recovering Kyrie Irving’s shoes, Mo showed off his veteran skills putting up 19 points, 7 assists and 1 steal on the board. He seemed to have a great sense of instinctive unspoken communication with his teammates and helped LeBron to attempt a comeback later in the game.

Nikola Mirotic (Chicago Bulls)

Mirotic gave the Bulls their initial lead that they worked hard and preserved for most of the game. He got 11 points just in the 1st Quarter and finished the game with a team-high 19 points along with 9 rebounds, an assist and a steal. He shot 75% from the perimeter spacing the Bulls out and challenging the Cavalier defense. His assist came as a lob pass to Jimmy Butler who took it as an opportunity to answer the Cleveland alley-oop. He faced some foul trouble in the 2nd Quarter after picking up two offensive fouls on back to back possessions.