May 06--CLEVELAND -- Mike Dunleavy could've been sitting for Game 1. Instead, he was shooting.
Taking full advantage of avoiding a suspension for his flagrant foul on Michael Carter-Williams in the Bulls' clincher against the Bucks, Dunleavy sank his first five shots, including three 3-pointers, for 13 big first-quarter points in Monday's victory over the Cavaliers.
"Once the decision was made, I moved on from it and was just focused on the task at hand," Dunleavy said.
Dunleavy is quietly having a very strong postseason. Beyond his typically steady fundamental play, he's averaging 11 points and shooting 57.1 percent from 3-point range.
"I feel good," Dunleavy said. "We're doing a good job overall of moving the ball and sharing it."
Got your back: Derrick Rose strongly supported Joakim Noah, who failed to score Monday in almost 29 minutes with nine rebounds, four assists and four turnovers.
"Jo is giving us what he's got. He's been through a lot," Rose said. "Just his energy and presence is huge for us because he's a hell of a character, a hell of a teammate, a hell of a person. He'll do anything to win. So it kind of rubs off on people."
A year removed from left knee surgery, Noah still is showing effects.
"I just have to stay focused, keep grinding, get back in the gym and control what I can control," he said.
Full speed ahead: Rose said his right shoulder felt fine after a stinger forced his exit in the waning seconds of Game 1. The Bulls didn't practice Tuesday, holding a film session and walk-through at the team hotel.
"I feel good," Rose said. "I'm not sore or anything, so that's a good sign. The stinger was the most pain I had. (Tuesday) morning, I don't feel anything."
Status quo: Coach Tom Thibodeau fielded more questions about his relationship with management, which has been a season-long story, after Yahoo Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski wrote about it.
Both Thibodeau and general manager Gar Forman described it as "all noise."
The Tribune reported in January that the relationship is beyond repair and that a mutual parting wouldn't surprise. Since then, the Tribune reported that neither side has made a definitive decision on Thibodeau's future and that Thibodeau, who has two years left on his deal, enjoys living in Chicago and coaching this roster.
Players ignore the story.
"There's nothing we can do with what happens outside of the basketball floor," Pau Gasol said. "You always have to lock into what you can control, what's in your hands. The rest of the stuff, you just got to let it be."
Layups: Nikola Mirotic logged just 2 minutes, 25 seconds of first-half playing time after playing 7:37 in the clinching victory over the Bucks. "He's going to be situational right now," Thibodeau said. "But we need him." ... Rose on LeBron James' Game 2 approach: "I think he's going to try to dictate the whole game from both sides of the ball. That's something we have to be prepared for because he can actually do that."
