Bulls knock off Cavaliers in opener with President Obama in attendance

CHICAGO – With President Obama courtside to watch his favorite NBA team, the Chicago Bulls didn’t disappoint in their first game under new coach Fred Hoiberg.

The Bulls defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 97-95 Tuesday with Pau Gasol blocking a potentially game-tying shot by LeBron James with 3.6 seconds left in the game and Jimmy Butler deflecting a pass on a the final play preventing the Cavs from another chance to tie or take the lead. Gasol finished the game with six blocks.

Both teams are works in progress, but both plan on figuring prominently for the Eastern Conference title.

The Bulls have a new philosophy under Hoiberg that is more offensive-minded than the Bulls had with ex-coach Tom Thibodeau. To facilitate more offense, Hoiberg right now prefers forward Niklola Mirotic in the starting lineup instead of Joakim Noah. The Bulls looked for Mirtoic, especially at the three-point line, and he delivered with 19 points.

Derrick Rose, Gasol and Butler struggled offensively, but Rose, playing with a mask to protect a left orbital fracture, was persistent enough on drives to the basket and scored 18 points.

The Cavaliers played without two starters – guard Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert, both of whom are recovering from injuries, and LeBron James and Kevin Love played in the same game for the first time since Love’s shoulder injury in Game 4 against the Boston Celtics in the first round last season.

With offseason acquisitions Mo Williams (19 points) and Richard Jefferson (10 points) providing a strong veteran presence and James scoring at a mostly efficient rate (25 points on 12-for-22 shooting), the Cavs just didn’t have enough to overtake the Bulls in the fourth quarter.

Even though it was the opener, Cleveland revealed an ability to utilize a more dynamic offense with ball movement, screens and cuts.

Word spread Tuesday morning that the president – in Chicago for a police chiefs conference and fundraising events – planned to attend the game. A strong Secret Service presence at the morning shootaround indicated he would be there.

With 2:40 left in the first quarter, President Obama made his way to his courtside seat, shaking hands with fans along the way. He sat with friend and businessman Marty Nesbitt, according the White House pool report.

He left United Center a happy man.

PHOTOS: 2015 NBA OPENING NIGHT