WASHINGTON (NBA.com) - For the first time this preseason, the Cavaliers starting five officially took the floor together. And, at times, it looked like it.
That group of starters might be the most talented quintet in the Conference, but they were expectedly out of synch against Chicago – as the young Bulls jumped ahead and stayed ahead, keeping Cleveland winless in the preseason with the 108-94 win on Tuesday at The Q.
Fans finally got to see LeBron James in the Cavaliers new threads and, like the rest of the squad, the four-time MVP had his share of ups and downs – leading Cleveland with 17 points on 8-for-13 shooting, adding five boards and three assists, but committing a game-high eight miscues in the loss.
”I know for me, personally, it was off,” explained LeBron. "I could feel it. (It was) my first action since The Finals, so my timing was a little off and the turnovers I think just trickled down to everybody. So it made everyone’s timing off.”
On the negative side of the ledger, the Cavaliers finished with 22 turnovers that led to 35 Bulls’ points. Kevin Love and Dwyane Wade shot a combined 2-for-19. And Justin Holiday, who Cleveland waived in Training Camp back in 2012, finished with 28 points and 11 boards.
On the positive side, the Cavs second unit was solid in relief – with Iman Shumpert and Jeff Green leading the way, combining to go 7-for-10 from the floor, and Tristan Thompson notching seven points and a team-high 11 boards off the bench.