Westerlund: 5 Thoughts After Bulls-Cavs

By Cody Westerlund--

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Bulls hung on for a 97-95 victory against the Cavaliers on Tuesday night at the United Center in their season opener, giving coach Fred Hoiberg his first win in the NBA. Here are the notes and observations from the evening.

1. In his first extensive action after missing all but the preseason finale with a left orbital fracture, Bulls point guard Derrick Rose wasn't shy. He had 18 points on an 8-of-22 showing from the field, attempting at least twice as many shots as every Bull except Jimmy Butler. He also had five assists and two turnovers.

The most promising takeaways were that Rose went hard to the rim often and played 32:28 – more than Hoiberg had envisioned. His conditioning was fine, and he showed no fear while donning a protective mask and careening – controllably – into Cleveland's trees in the paint.

"Everything's a positive to me," Rose said. "It's a step in the right direction. I'm not worried about my stats or anything. I love that my teammates encourage me to shoot the ball or drive the ball the way I was driving the ball."

Rose continues to say he's completely closing one of his eyes while playing. While that may seem a bit of a stretch, it's clear he's bothered by his left eye and has a depth perception challenge.

"I'm all right," Rose said. "A couple of layups I could've hit, but I think I'm careful when I'm out there. I'm just trying to get back to playing."

2. On the game's final play that started on a Cavaliers baseline inbounds with 3.6 seconds left, the Bulls sealed the win when Butler tipped away a pass by Mo Williams intended for LeBron James (25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists) near the elbow.

Time and again, Butler has stressed that he can't let down on the defensive end despite accepting a bigger offensive burden. He backed up his words in this instance.

"We all knew they'd try to get the ball to LeBron," Butler said. "To tell you the truth, I thought it was going to be same play that they made in the playoffs last year."

Butler was referencing James' game-winning jumper from Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals last May, when James buried a fadeaway corner 2-pointer at the horn. While that shot was plenty tough, Butler allowed James the needed space on that play.

This final play was a counter to that Game 4 winner. James once again broke to the corner, but then reversed course to the top of the key while getting a pair of backscreens.

This time, Butler allowed no space after quickly navigating under the Tristan Thompson screen. Sometimes that's the difference between a win and a loss.

"Stay on his body," Butler said of the key.

"You got to keep your body on LeBron."

3. Pau Gasol had one of the wonkier statistical lines you'll ever see: two points on 1-of-7 shooting, two rebounds and six blocked shots.

Gasol wasn't a primary option offensively on this night, which he was OK with afterward.

"No pressing," Gasol said. "The team was doing well offensively. You know, it might not be your night offensively. You just have to find ways to contribute, and that's what I tried to do."

Gasol was also an adventure defensively. The six blocks were a gaudy number and back up Hoiberg's previous assertion that Gasol has the potential to be an effective rim defender. And he deserves all the credit in the world for rejecting a driving James, with a full head of steam, with 3.6 seconds left to preserve the Bulls' two-point lead and the victory.

At the same time, Gasol was the culprit for the Cavs getting several really easy baskets at the rim when he failed to rotate defensively. On pick-and-rolls, he often continued a 2014-'15 habit of giving the Cavs ball-handlers too much space and back-pedaling, even when he was at a point near the hoop where he needed to take become a wall.

"The most important part is to stay disciplined and to communicate well defensively to get stops," Gasol said.

Joakim Noah went down with a knee contusion early in the fourth quarter and didn't return. Hoiberg indicated he wanted to put Noah back in, but the trainers wouldn't let him. Taj Gibson fouled out with 1:38 left, so Hoiberg was forced to go with the Gasol-Nikola Mirotic duo.

That closing duo may not stick for long. Twice, the Bulls lost Kevin Love in the final 62 seconds, and he drilled a 3-pointer both times that got the Cavaliers back in it. The Bulls would be better served with Noah or Gibson on the floor in defensive situations and when they need to protect a lead. Expect there to be a lot of movement late when everyone's available.

4. We got our first glimpse at Hoiberg's rotation. He went with 10 players. Rose, Butler, Tony Snell, Mirotic and Gasol started as expected. Aaron Brooks, Doug McDermott, E'Twaun Moore, Gibson and Noah came off the bench.

Notably missing from the rotation were guard Kirk Hinrich (a Tom Thibodeau favorite) and rookie forward Bobby Portis, who impressed in the preseason.

Hoiberg only used Gasol and Noah together once, for what was about a four-minute stretch in the second quarter. The decision was at least partly out of necessity, as Mirotic picked up his third foul midway through the second quarter.

Hoiberg will continue experimenting with a variety of big man pairings early.

"It's going to be different every night probably," Hoiberg said.

5. It was easy to see why Hoiberg made the decision to start Mirotic at power forward. Mirotic hit two early 3-pointers and was solid throughout, scoring 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting, grabbing nine rebounds and doing well to front Love in the post on multiple occasions. Love finished with 18 points on 6-of-17 shooting and had eight rebounds.

Hoiberg had rave reviews for Mirotic afterward.

"Niko was great, not only hitting shots, but I thought he battled," Hoiberg said.

"He battled on the defensive end. That's going to allow us to play him at the power forward spot, where it's a very difficult matchup. You have to guard him. That's what opens up the space and opens up driving lanes for Derrick and Jimmy."

Hoiberg's decision as a rookie coach to start Mirotic over Noah can't be undersold. While many will say it's common sense, you must also understand the politics that come with having a proud veteran who was a first-team all-NBA players two season ago and is in a contract year come off the bench.

It's a power move by Hoiberg that can only be made with confidence, communication and the support of the front office. It will be one of the most fascinating storylines to follow in the entire NBA.

Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for CBSChicago.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.

In:
• Derrick Rose
• LeBron James