Cavs take big lead, coast to series opening win over Bulls

CLEVELAND—United for only one goal, LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal took their first step together toward an NBA title.Cleveland’s superstars, separated for a large chunk of the regular season, combined for 36 points and seven blocks as the Cavaliers opened the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 96-83 win over the Bulls on Saturday.James had 24 points and four blocks and a slimmed-down O’Neal, playing for the first time since Feb. 25, scored 12 in 24 minutes as the top-seeded Cavs won a testy opener between two teams that obviously don’t care for each other.Game 2 of the best-of-7 series is Monday in Cleveland.Derrick Rose had 28 points and 10 assists for the Bulls.