O’Neal, playing for the first time since tearing a thumb ligament Feb. 25, had 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks in 24 minutes as the top-seeded Cavaliers won a testy opener between teams that obviously don’t care for each other.
“I don’t really know nobody on that team and I don’t really care,’’ said Chicago’s Joakim Noah, who was plagued by foul trouble and booed for much of the game by Cleveland fans. “I just want to win.’’
Derrick Rose had 28 points and 10 assists for Chicago, which trimmed a 22-point deficit in the third quarter to 7 in the fourth.
But James converted a 3-point play with 2:29 left and Mo Williams followed with a 3-pointer to put Cleveland up, 94-81.
After they were eliminated in the Eastern Conference finals last May by Orlando, the Cavaliers traded for O’Neal, a four-time NBA champion. O’Neal was brought in not only to combat Magic center Dwight Howard but to help James win his first title and deliver Cleveland its first championship in any major pro sport since 1964.
Williams added 19 points and 10 assists, and Antawn Jamison, acquired at the trading deadline, finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Cleveland blocked 12 shots — 10 in the second half.
Hawks 102, Bucks 92 — Led by Joe Johnson’s 22 points and getting production from all their key players, host Atlanta blitzed Milwaukee early and survived a lackluster showing after halftime to take Game 1 of their Eastern Conference series.
The Hawks had mismatches all over the court, taking advantage of the gruesome injury that took out Milwaukee center Andrew Bogut late in the season. The home team never trailed, building a 20-point lead in the first quarter and going to halftime with a 62-40 edge. The Bucks made a game of it, led by rookie Brandon Jennings, who scored 34 points.
Nuggets 126, Jazz 113 — Carmelo Anthony scored a playoff career-high 42 points and J.R. Smith’s fourth-quarter flurry of 3-pointers helped host Denver beat Utah in Game 1 of their playoff series.
Anthony, whose previous playoff high was 41 points against Dallas last year, benefited from the absence of Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko, who re-injured his strained left calf in practice Thursday and won’t play in the series.
