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The NBA All-Star break is over, and it is set to be a classic when the Eastern Conference leading Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Chicago Bulls at the Quicken Loans Arena. Join The Roar for live scores from 12pm (AEDT).
Heading into the All-Stars break, it was a tale of conflicting form for both the Cavaliers and the Bulls.
While the Cavaliers had won eight of their last 10 matches, cementing their first place position out east, the Bulls had gone from fail to fail, losing six of their last seven. With a very close middle of the pack in the east, they suddenly fell from what was looking like a consolidated third spot, all the way down to seventh.
While they are only four games behind the Boston Celtics, who currently sit in third spot, they are 11 games back from the Cavaliers. With teams milling up behind them, they must find a way to get back in the winners circle.
The Cavaliers, while having won those games before the All-Stars break, must note the only team worth mentioning was the San Antonio Spurs.
Coach Tyronn Lue is still not happy with their offence, and he could well have changed things over the All-Stars break. He has complained about tempo, and the plays the Cavaliers were running, and it will be interesting to see if any of that changes.
The teams have already matched up twice during the season, and the first was way back on opening day, with Chicago starting their season at home. It wasn’t enough to get the win over the Cavaliers though, as they went down by two.
It was the LeBron James and Tristan Thompson show, as they recorded 25 points and 12 rebounds respectively to sink the Bulls.
The second game meanwhile, played a little less than a month ago, saw the Bulls record an upset win in the Cavaliers first game under Lue. Read into that what you will, but being the first game under a new coach, and with the Cavaliers going on a winning run afterwards, it really doesn’t mean a lot in the course of either teams season.
Prediction
Teams can react in very different ways to having a week off, and in the Bulls case they need it to turn their season around. The question for the Cavaliers is, can they continue their form? What has Lue changed during the break? It could take them a few games to settle back in, allowing the Bulls to grab a close win in this one.
Bulls by 3.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde