I was impressed by Nikola Mirotic’s willingness to chuck up threes tonight. He was just throwing them at the rim without any hesitation. 16 attempts in 28 minutes in what looks to be the three-chuckingest performance of the season. Harden had 17 early in the season, but he had 35 minutes to do it in.
If someone is going to shoot 50 percent on them, like Mirotic did tonight, a savvy coach would want that person to shoot every time down the court. At least until it stops working or the defense starts triple-teaming. It could be argued that he was sabotaging his own team’s chance of success every time he stepped inside the arc. It took the NBA forever to figure it out, so don’t forget it now: 3 is greater than 2.
Mirotic’s scorching shooting combined with Lauri Markkanen’s equally skilled display meant that the Bulls demolished the Pacers, winning yet another game in their quest for the 8th seed. Mirotic makes them too good to tank. The only way they’ll go back to their old losing ways is if he sits, and since that’s not going to happen, full steam for playoffs baby! Nothing easy! Nothing easy!