LEBRON JAMES STARRED as the Cleveland Cavaliers squared up their series against the Chicago Bulls.
James — back in the headband he stopped wearing in March to “look like his team-mates” — hit a game-high 33 points as the Cavs eased past the Bulls 106-91 to make it 1-1 in their Eastern Conference semi-final.
And the headband, named Terry, is so important — James only had 19 points and committed six turnovers in game one — the Cavs even made a short documentary about it:
Kyrie Irving (21 points) was also a big contributor for the Cavs, who set up their win with a 38-18 first quarter at the Quicken Loans Arena.
Derrick Rose had a double-double of 14 points and 10 assists for the Bulls and Jimmy Butler finished with 18 points, but they were unable to recover from their slow start.
Elsewhere Chris Paul was sidelined again as the Los Angeles Clippers suffered a 115-109 loss to the Houston Rockets.
James Harden (32 points) and Dwight Howard (24 points, 16 rebounds) delivered for the Rockets.
Blake Griffin had 34 points and 15 rebounds for the Clippers, while DeAndre Jordan (16 points, 12 rebounds) also had a double-double.
The Western Conference semi-final is locked at 1-1 heading into two games at the Staples Center, including game three on Friday.
It remains uncertain whether Paul, who hurt his hamstring on 2 May, will be fit to return.
Additional reporting from Steve O’Rourke.
Originally published at 0800
