Jimmy G. Buckets Aplenty

Confession time:  I watched the Bears lose at Soldier Field Sunday afternoon, so I missed most of the Bulls game against the Toronto Raptors.  But what I caught at the end convinced me that Jimmy Butler has reached yet another level of his game.  It was one that prompted Stacey King to drop his "Big-time players make big-time plays" line once reserved solely for Derrick Rose, who will undergo an MRI on his sore right knee after missing his third straight game.  Best of all, it propelled the Bulls, down 15 at one point, to win 115-113.

In the second half, Butler scored 40 of his 42 points, breaking Michael Jordan's franchise record of 39 points in a half.  21 came in the third quarter alone.  But he saved his most dramatic field goal for last, drilling a corner 3-pointer to give the Bulls a one-point lead with 30.8 seconds left.  When it was over, his teammates surrounded him in a low-key version of celebrating a buzzer beater during March Madness.

What Deadspin called "one of the best and coolest performance of the NBA season so far" was almost finished before it really started.  Midway through the second quarter, Butler took an elbow to the teeth from DeMarre Carroll and had to get stitched up at halftime.  Butler, apparently feeling he had something to prove, caught fire in the second half and never looked back.  Oh by the way, that was Carroll he made the game-winning 3 in front of.

Sure, Pau Gasol achieved a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds to go with a team-high six assists.  And yeah, Nikola Mirotic complimented his fellow Spaniard nicely by scoring 17.  But let's face it.  No one's going to remember what they, or anyone not named Jimmy Butler, did in this game.

It's just extraordinary how a rookie who couldn't find the floor if he was looking right at it has blossomed to into one of the most dynamic players in the league.  Just when you think he couldn't possibly step his game up more, he adds another level to it.  Maybe he doesn't quite repeat what he did on that one night consistently, but you still have to bump him up to another tier of NBA players.  With that much skill and development built into his arsenal, he must be considered dangerous by all opponents and that's good news for the Bulls.

A few notable names took to Twitter during and after this fine performance.  Gasol, an active social media user, made his feelings known the first chance he got.  Scottie Pippen also got in on the praising.  Bears legend Lance Briggs had some good ribbing and even Illinois high school basketball legend Ronnie Fields got in on the back-slapping.

They say to the victor goes the spoils.  Butler has had his fair share already, but he deserves an All-Star selection and more for this year.  His personal reward has to be the strong evidence he's given to being the true leader of this team.  While some within the organization might still take issue with that, perhaps their icy hearts have been warmed after this game.

Thanks to a four-game winning streak, the longest one in the East, the 20-12 Bulls are now second in the conference and just 2 1/2 games behind Cleveland.  They'll try to keep the train moving Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks at the United Center.  All eyes will be on Butler closer than ever.  Good for him and great for us to know he's ours.