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 It was Cleveland coach David Blatt, who earned his first career
victory as the Cavaliers earned a 114-108 overtime win against the
Chicago Bulls.
"That was a big win for him," Thompson said. "We messed up his
hair-do."
If not for a late rally by the Cavaliers, Blatt might have been
yanking his hair out after the game instead. The Cavaliers (1-1)
overcame a five-point deficit in the final minute of the fourth
quarter to force overtime, and the Bulls (1-1) faded down the
stretch to drop their home opener in front of a sellout crowd of
22,879.
LeBron James led Cleveland with 36 points and eight rebounds after a
forgettable season debut one night earlier against the New York
Knicks. Thompson added 16 points and 13 rebounds, 12 of which came
on the offensive glass.
The Bulls played down the stretch without point guard Derrick Rose,
who was limited to nine minutes in the second half after he injured
his left ankle on an awkward landing in the second quarter. Rose
remained in the game after the play but managed only two points in
the second half after scoring 18 in the first half.
After the game, Rose said X-rays on his injured ankle were negative.
 "Don't worry, man," Rose said. "It's just an ankle sprain."
Yet Rose admitted that watching from the bench in the fourth quarter
was difficult.
"Very hard," Rose said. "Especially this game, when you're playing
against a team like that. It's hard, but at the same time, you know
that you'll be playing against them three more times (this season)."
The Cavaliers trailed by five points with 47.1 seconds to go in the
fourth quarter, but they rallied behind a pair of free throws by
James and a three-point play by guard Kyrie Irving to tie the score
at 98. James fed an inbound pass to forward Kevin Love for a
last-second shot at the end of the fourth quarter, but Love missed a
3-point attempt to prompt overtime.
The late stand by Cleveland spoiled a fourth-quarter comeback by the
Bulls, who had clawed to a lead because of a 10-point fourth-quarter
outburst by veteran guard Kirk Hinrich. In the span of 55 seconds,
Hinrich drilled two shots from beyond the arc and one from just
inside the 3-point line to put the Bulls on top 98-93 with less than
a minute to play.
Hinrich and Rose led the Bulls with 20 points apiece. Forward Pau
Gasol added 15 points and nine rebounds in his home debut for
Chicago, and center Joakim Noah pulled down 13 rebounds.
Blatt pointed to his players' comeback as proof that they could
bounce back from adversity, particularly in light of their home
opening loss against the Knicks.
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"Tonight, we came here determined to win," Blatt said. "We wanted to
play well and consistently. We beat a very good team here tonight."
The Cavaliers headed into the fourth quarter with a 78-69 lead after
a 19-13 run to close out the third quarter. Love knocked down a hook
shot and a jump shot after the Bulls had sliced the deficit to
three, and Thompson muscled into the paint for a basket against
Gasol to help extend Cleveland's lead to nine.
The Bulls allowed 20 offensive rebounds to the Cavaliers and were
outrebounded in the game by a margin of 52-42. Cleveland outscored
Chicago 58-44 in the paint and earned a 22-14 edge in second chance
points.
"I thought rebounding was a problem from the beginning," Bulls coach
Tom Thibodeau said. "In this league, you've got to play with an
edge. We knew we would get their best coming off of last night, and
we did."
The Cavaliers led 58-52 at halftime thanks largely to James, who had
19 points before the break. James jelled more easily with his new
teammates, enjoying a turnover-free first half one night after he
committed eight turnovers.
NOTES: Cleveland C Anderson Varejao agreed to a reported three-year,
$30 million contract extension Friday. "We're all very happy in the
organization," Cavaliers coach David Blatt said. "Andy's a valued
member of this team, and he's really part of the fabric of Cleveland
sports." ... Bulls G/F Jimmy Butler (thumb sprain) warmed up during
pregame drills but remained out for a second consecutive game. ...
Blatt said he leaned too heavily on F LeBron James by playing him 43
minutes in the season opener, but James said he didn't mind the
workload. "I didn't even feel it," James said. ... The Bulls will
not meet the Cavaliers again until Jan. 19.
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