Iman Shumpert scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds in Game 6 Thursday night to help the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Cavs fans can thank Nikola Mirotic for that.
Late in the first half, Shumpert faked like he was going to attempt a 3-pointer and then drove to the paint. Mirotic, who bought the fake, reached out and clotheslined Shumpert. He then walked toward Shumpert as if to say, “What are you going to do about it?”
“That wasn’t smart,” Shumpert said after the game, per Marc Berman of the New York Post. “I didn’t like that at all. There was no need for it and to stand over me, that wasn’t smart. Everyone needs to have inspiration.”
The foul occurred with just 5:19 remaining in the second quarter, and Shumpert went on to hit 4-of-7 shots — including two 3-pointers — to close out the half. He also locked down Bulls star Jimmy Butler defensively. The Cavs were leading just 41-40 at the time of the foul, and the final score was 94-73.
Shumpert ended up averaging 13 points and 4.5 rebounds in the 4-2 series win. He really got things going after J.R. Smith was suspended for the first two games.
“With J.R. being suspended, I got more looks at the basket and had more eyes on it, but they’ve always asked me to contribute in different ways, and it doesn’t always show on the stat sheet, but I’m there,” he said.
Mirotic’s idiotic foul certainly seemed to light a fire under Shumpert and his teammates. The Cavs likely would have won the game anyway, but Mirotic did the Bulls no favors.
