Five Keys in Order for Cleveland Cavaliers to Beat Chicago Bulls in Round Two

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2. Win the Point Guard Matchup

Kyrie Irving vs. Derrick Rose
Honestly, the fact that Bulls star point guard Derrick Rose (2011 NBA Regular Season MVP) is back playing basketball at all this season following his unfortunate string of serious knee injuries is admirable, as it says a lot about his character and determination.

With that being said, the stats don’t lie when making the argument that Kyrie Irving currently has the advantage over Rose heading into the Eastern Conference semifinals, despite Irving making his playoff debut this season.

2014-15 Regular Season Per Game Statistics Comparison:

Player Season Age G MP FG% 3P% FT% TRB AST STL BLK PTS
Kyrie Irving 2014-15 22 75 36.4 .468 .415 .863 3.2 5.2 1.5 0.3 21.7
Derrick Rose 2014-15 26 51 30.0 .405 .280 .813 3.2 4.9 0.7 0.3 17.7

2014-15 Playoffs Per Game Statistics Comparison:

Player Season Age G MP FG% 3P% FT% TRB AST STL BLK PTS
Kyrie Irving 2014-15 22 4 40.5 .435 .480 .808 5.0 4.3 1.0 1.0 23.3
Derrick Rose 2014-15 26 6 36.7 .410 .375 .895 4.3 6.5 1.5 0.5 19.0

As of late, we have seen many glimpses of the Rose from a few seasons ago prior to his injury woes, notably when he absolutely took over Game 3 of the Bulls’ 113-106 double-overtime victory over the Bucks at the Bradley Center. Rose was magnificent, as the point guard exploded for 34 points (12 for 23 shooting, including five of nine from three-point range) to compliment his eight assists, five boards and three steals.

Next: Take Advantage of LeBron vs. Butler

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Andrew Salmi is a recent graduate of California State University, Fullerton after he previously attended Arizona State University. He is proud to be a staff writer for Cavaliers Nation. You can follow him on Twitter @andrewsalmi.