CLEVELAND — It happened so fast, Derrick Rose didn’t even realize the Bulls had scored 15 straight points.
“When you’re in the game,” he said, “you’re just focusing on how you can get easy baskets, change momentum and keep your poise.”
The Bulls did all three after the Cavaliers rallied to tie the game at 53-53. Over the next 155 seconds of the third quarter, the Bulls simply dominated.
“We made great plays on both ends of the floor,” Pau Gasol said.
The two-time NBA champion started the run with a great pass, zipping it to Jimmy Butler, who knocked down his first 3-pointer of the night.
After a miss by Kyrie Irving, Rose hit a long jumper over the 6-foot-9 Tristan Thompson.
With the Cavs reeling and desperate for a basket, LeBron James found himself defended by Joakim Noah. But instead of driving, James settled for a 25-foot try. He missed.
“Long, contested shots,” Noah said of his aim in defending King James.
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Then came the moment every Bulls fan had eagerly awaited: Two former MVPs, each representing his hometown (OK, home state), going mano-a-mano.
The first time it happened in Game 1, Rose drained a 16-foot jumper in James’ face.
Rose won the second battle even more decisively, stepping back to launch a 3-pointer over James’ outstretched arm. Nothing but net.
Butler then made a steal and dribbled uncontested down the floor. He was so alone, he looked like a man waiting to return a punt. His dunk made it 63-53.
Cavs coach David Blatt called a timeout, but it did not result in a desirable shot. James again settled for a long jumper and missed.
Gasol made the rebound — and grabbed a miss by Rose. Gasol converted a three-point play — drawing the foul he desires on seemingly every shot. Noah gave him a celebratory shove and high-five.
Asked about his two-handed push, Noah simply smiled and said, “Pau was huge for us tonight.”
Gasol recovered quickly, spotting up for an 18-foot jumper to put the finishing touch on the Bulls’ 15-0 run.
“Those (shots) are like layups for him,” Rose said.
Gasol returned the praise, saying: “Derrick was aggressive on the pick-and-roll. That left me open a lot of times.”
The Bulls led by 12 after one quarter. Cleveland needed more than 13 minutes to wipe that out.
The Bulls, by comparison, needed 2 minutes, 35 seconds to get back up by 15.
Gasol was aces during the run — and made 7 of 9 shots over the final two quarters.
“That was the coverage we were in, and they exploited it,” James said. “Game 1 is always a feel-out game. We’ll watch film and see how we can take that away. Obviously Pau is a great midrange shooter. We have to go back to the drawing board.”
Twitter @TeddyGreenstein