A few observations on the Bulls’ 121-105 win over the Indiana Pacers, Saturday night at the United Center.

Father Prime giving a preview: Dwyane Wade pulled out his old and new bag of tricks, just in the event anyone forgot how special, how rare and how smart of a basketball player he is.

It wasn’t just the 22 points and three triples in 26 minutes but his cat-quick passes to Taj Gibson and others, part of his eight-assist showing that was more impressive than anything physical that was on display.

“When the ball’s in my hand, obviously I’m always trying to be a scorer but I’m always a playmaker too,” Wade said. “I have the ability to see the floor very well. Like I said, when you’ve got guys out there working hard, when guys are running, setting screens for you it’s your job to reward them. You’ve got 3-point shooters out there it’s your job to find ways, especially when you have the ball more times than not, find ways to keep them engaged in the game.”

And then, yes, the triples that he’s not supposed to take, given the scouting report on him, let alone make. You want him to bottle it up for one of those cold January nights, but just knowing he can do it has to provide some comfort to his teammates and the coaching staff.

“You know that saying, you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but you can. I'm the old dog around here, and I'm learning something new,” Wade said. “Being ready to shoot a three, I made my first one, and then Jimmy made sure I got the ball and I was a little hesitant but he was like, "Shoot the **** ball." And then I made it.”

Niko’s alive: Listening to Hoiberg pump up Nikola Mirotic before Saturday’s game, it was like hearing him talk about Bigfoot—referencing Mirotic’s “10 great practices” balanced against his two poor preseason showings, making it hard to believe Mirotic was actually having a good camp.

But coming off the bench behind Bobby Portis, he scored 18 points with nine rebounds in 25 minutes, hitting his first two triples—confident shots minus the usual pump-fake that drives everybody batty.

“It was good to see Niko knocking down shots, playing within himself and maybe bigger than that, getting the nine rebounds,” Hoiberg said.

[SHOP: Gear up, Bulls fans!]

It almost seems written in stone that Mirotic will be the opening night starter at power forward, considering Portis isn’t being as impactful or notable thus far. Taj Gibson will always provide what he brings, but one wonders if Hoiberg likes using him as a backup center behind Robin Lopez, so keeping him as a reserve means Hoiberg has the flexibility to use Gibson in whatever capacity is best.

Gibson scored 20, making all nine of his field goal attempts with five rebounds in 19 minutes. Which means Mirotic will be given every opportunity to seize the position—and he had better take advantage of it with nights like this.

Isaiah Can: Who knew what to expect with Isaiah Canaan coming in via free agency, considering he came from the moribund Philadelphia 76ers, but many Bulls pointed him out as the player who helped turn the contest into a blowout—but only took one shot.

“I just want to mention Isaiah, he had a big impact on the game,” Hoiberg said. “I thought the game changed with our ball screen defense.”

Canaan was a plus-40 in just 15 minutes of playing time. Hoiberg said Canaan got the ball to Wade’s hands, and he scored eight points with four assists, mostly getting to the line six times. Wade was impressed with the sheer number, but also the floor game Canaan displayed without having to force his own offense.

“That was amazing. We felt his impact on the game,” Wade said. “When he came in, he really settled us in. It was great. When we were on the floor out there with me and Jimmy, it helps having someone who spreads the floor on offense. I think in this game he helped us out more than any other game and he shot one shot. He was really a floor general out there. I think that's a preseason high. It has to be.”

Getting out, getting back: Clearly a big part of training camp is getting your defense in order and the Bulls have a long way before they can say they’re “there”. Taking into account the Pacers are playing at a speed faster than most teams the Bulls will go against, they still had a little trouble getting back in transition defense. It’s been a point of concern—as is defense as a whole so far—along with the Bulls’ trying too hard to force steals, leaving them vulnerable on the backside defensively, thus the Pacers’ feasting inside for most of the night.

On the other side, boy, the Bulls can fly offensively. Whether it was Spencer Dinwiddie (starting in place of Rajon Rondo) throwing a 50-foot alley-oop pass to Wade or Jimmy Butler and Wade getting out for easy buckets, there’s a real commitment to searching out the fast break advantage. It’s a balance the Bulls have to find because the pressure to score in the halfcourt will be alleviated if they can use their athletes—but they have to remember the first rule of defense—get back!