Bron's MJ act ushers out Bulls, Thibs

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CHICAGO -- It took 5½ games to be revealed, but midway through Thursday's second quarter it became completely apparent, surely to both teams, that the Cleveland Cavaliers were better -- more resourceful, tougher mentally and physically, certainly more determined. And that's when this series and the Chicago Bulls' season, for all practical purposes, ended.

LeBron James was limping badly. Kyrie Irving had already been helped to the locker room because he couldn't stand up. Tristan Thompson had an NFL-sized ice wrap on his left shoulder. But no matter whom the Cavaliers trotted out there, they played circles around the Bulls -- particularly the Chicago kid.

Somehow, Nikola Mirotic had the bright idea to go after Iman Shumpert, who grew up about 10 minutes west of the United Center. Mirotic hasn't been in Chicago long enough to understand you don't mess unnecessarily with kids from the west side, especially when you're on the west side. Anyway, Mirotic clotheslined Shumpert, whom Phil Jackson traded away from the Knicks for a ham sandwich, and Shumpert, clearly angered to have some Euro dude try to punk him in front of his family and friends, went nuclear on the team he grew up rooting for.

Shumpert made a foul shot, Shumpert went hard to the basket for a layup, Shumpert (after a Mirotic miss) fired a 3-pointer and got right up in Mirotic's grill. And Shumpert, in his personal rage and hell-bent on vengeance, turned what had been a 40-38 Bulls lead into a 47-40 Cavaliers lead. Talk about The Chicago Way. As his coach, David Blatt, would say later, "I think that was the wrong guy to clothesline in his hometown. He's a really tough guy. ... It really seemed to wake him up."