CLEVELAND -- LeBron James walked into the Cleveland Cavaliers' locker room three hours before the game Wednesday and found a headband in his locker.

He stopped wearing the signature headband in early March, but like Superman rediscovering his cape, James figured he was ready for another superhuman effort.

"It was time for it to make a comeback," he said.

A more aggressive James recorded 33 points, eight rebounds and five assists, the Cavaliers set a franchise record by opening a 20-point lead after the first quarter, and Cleveland beat the Chicago Bulls 106-91 Wednesday night to knot their Eastern Conference semifinal series at 1-1.

Bulls forward Pau Gasol was limited to 11 points and didn't score his first basket until the final two minutes of the first half after he tormented the Cavs with 21 points and 10 rebounds in Game 1.

Chicago point guard Derrick Rose had 14 points and 10 assists but shot just 6-for-20 from the floor, and guard Jimmy Butler scored 18 points on 5-of-14 shooting. The Bulls, however, still return home for Game 3 on Friday night holding home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series.

"This was a back-against-the-wall game for us," Cavs coach David Blatt said. "No way did we want to go to Chicago down 0-2."

James promised to be sharper in Game 2 than he was in the opener, and he delivered. He matched his number of baskets from Game 1 (nine) by halftime, consistently fought through double teams for baskets in the paint and beat Butler, the Bulls' defensive whiz, off the dribble for driving baskets to set the tone for a more aggressive attack.

"I think everybody on their team fed off LeBron," Rose said. "We kind of let them dictate the game from the very beginning."

Part of the reason for James' explosion was a return to his comfort zone. After he started Game 1 at power forward, the Cavs changed their starting lineup yet again and inserted Tristan Thompson in the post, moving James back to his more comfortable spot on the wing. Thompson grabbed 12 rebounds, and the overall impact was evident almost immediately.

The Cavs never trailed Wednesday, forced seven turnovers in the first quarter and jumped out to 22-point lead late in the period before settling for a 38-18 lead at the buzzer, the largest advantage after one quarter in team history. It was the exact opposite of Monday's Game 1, when the Bulls opened a 16-point lead in the first quarter and never trailed.

"The story of the game was the first quarter," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "They smashed us, and we've got to respond a lot better. We knew their aggression would be better, harder, and we didn't respond well to it."

The Cavs were again without suspended guard J.R. Smith, and they temporarily lost Iman Shumpert in the third quarter to a left groin strain. While Shumpert was being treated in the locker room, the Bulls chopped a 25-point deficit down to 11 in the third, but they couldn't get within single digits. Shumpert eventually returned in the fourth quarter.

Guard Kyrie Irving scored 21 points, and forward James Jones added 17. Shumpert had 15 points and seven rebounds for the Cavs, admirably filling in for Smith during his two-game suspension. Shumpert, who made four 3-pointers for the second consecutive game, has been terrific in his last three postseason contests. He acknowledged postgame that his groin was still sore but said it would take a lot of doctors to keep him out of Game 3.

Now the Cavs will welcome back Smith from his suspension Friday, although they will remain without forward Kevin Love for the rest of the playoffs.

Love rejoined his teammates for the first time Wednesday after undergoing season-ending surgery last week in New York on his dislocated left shoulder. Love, who can become a free agent this summer, sat in the second row behind the Cavs' bench and received a standing ovation from the home crowd when he was shown on the scoreboard.

"I was extremely happy he was here," Blatt said. "I told him to suit up. It was great that the fans acknowledged him."

NOTES: Bulls G Jimmy Butler is expected to be named the NBA's Most Improved Player later this week, according to multiple reports. ... Chicago G Derrick Rose has yet to shoot a free throw in this series, something that seems to be annoying coach Tom Thibodeau. "It looks like there's a lot of contact to me," Thibodeau said. ... Former NBA F Shane Battier was a postgame visitor to the Cavs' locker room to greet F LeBron James, his old teammate with the Miami Heat.