Bulls' playoff chances require Mirotic, Butler to be at their best

You didn't think the Bulls were going to play more than a game or two with every principal remaining healthy and whole, did you? Sure, Nikola Mirotic going down for a couple of games isn't like losing Derrick Rose in Game 1 against Philly three years ago. It also isn't as bad as losing Joakim Noah, who, even when trying to find his game, can grab 19 rebounds. And it certainly won't be as damaging as if they were missing the newly indispensable Jimmy Butler.

Here's how good Butler has been through the first two games of the playoffs: He's tied with Kyrie Irving and likely MVP Stephen Curry in scoring at 28 points per game, fourth in the league. The only people who've scored more prolifically than Butler are Chris Paul,LaMarcus AldridgeandAnthony Davis. Butler has done that on 55 percent shooting -- the first performance topped, perhaps out of necessity, by the second.

Rose, Noah and Butler are essential to any hopes the Bulls have of advancing in this postseason, and their importance really can't be exaggerated.

Still, Mirotic's absence is going to hurt the Bulls in Milwaukee. His scoring and passing are needed, particularly for an offense that operates at a snail's pace and is entirely dependent on execution, shot-making and playmaking in the half court, with far too many shots coming in the final three seconds of the shot clock. It was Mirotic, when the Bulls' offense was pathetically stagnant Monday night in Game 2, who jump-started things with some much-needed ball movement.

It's a familiar story with Mirotic now. He can shoot the ball deep enough and well enough to draw defenders and stretch the floor; he can put it on the floor and drive well enough to force a double-team and pass it well enough to find teammates. For a Bulls offense that doesn't know how to pronounce the words "fast break," everything Mirotic does is important.

In the best-case scenario, Mirotic is probably out for four or five days, which means both games in Milwaukee. In the worst-case scenario, the rookie could miss around 10 days, which could cause the Bulls big problems.

For months, the Bulls have said of this season, "If only we can get healthy," and because everybody has been in uniform except Kirk Hinrich, the presumption through the first weekend of these playoffs is that the Bulls, finally, are healthy enough to play the way they've fantasized since training camp.

Except the Bulls aren't that healthy, and for a team that is pretty close to a true ensemble, the losses have great impact that have undermined what ought to be the deepest team in the league. Mirotic's absence will put strain on the offense, especially against a steadily improving Bucks defense. And whatever ails Taj Gibson (he has to be hurt to be limited, essentially, to four fouls in 11 minutes played) will hurt the defense.

The Bulls will have to rely heavily on their four studs (Rose, Butler, Noah and Pau Gasol) in at least one of the upcoming games in Milwaukee, and Butler seems to be the one the Bucks ought to be most worried about. One NBA scout said of Butler's first two playoff games: "He's improved by leaps and bounds. His improvement is incredible."

Because he's become such a dynamic offensive player, what the Bulls could use, at least temporarily, is a much-more-selfish Butler -- one who doesn't need Rose and Noah screaming at him to shoot the ball more frequently in playoff games. Butler, because of his size, athleticism, physicality and improved jump shot, is likely the Bulls' best option no matter what the opposing defense is doing. And that's saying something, given that Butler is often confronted by Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Here's how good Butler has become: He scored 31 points in Game 2 even though he was closely guarded and missed six free throws. Butler said candidly after the game, "I think I took a lot of bad shots that happened to go in." It's certainly an honest assessment. But it's also a very necessary ingredient once or twice a series if your team is to advance.

It's a critical component the Bulls didn't have when they were playing Keith Bogans and a well-past-his-prime Rip Hamilton at shooting guard in previous seasons.

Most Improved Player is a regular-season award, but Butler's performance through two games very much validates what he did from November through April.

So here they are, Butler and Mirotic, positioned alongside Rose as central figures in the Bulls' early-postseason drama. It was entirely unlikely, picking 23rd (Mirotic) and 30th (Butler) in the 2011 draft, that the Bulls would come away with a pair of players who so quickly became so invaluable in their very different ways.

Every one of these high-scoring performances by Butler pushes him higher up the league's NBA free-agent list, not that anybody cares about that now.

The Bulls should get past Milwaukee even without Mirotic, though it may take six games. But to have any real shot of challenging the Cavaliers in the next round, Mirotic has to be back, Gibson has to find something closer to his usual form and Butler's first two games have to become the norm -- games where he and Rose form a truly imposing backcourt.

Anything less than that, and a feisty Milwaukee team could find some inspiration that makes this series a lot closer than it appears.