Bulls at Knicks
D. Gerasimatos
First off, Michael Jordan did not have 55 points, 9 rebounds, and 8
assists. Where do these numbers come from? Jordan had 55 points,
4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers. It was a good line, but
not spectacular (for Mike).
Patrick Ewing had 36 points, and I think too many people have been
neglecting to mention that. He got some preferential treatment from the
refs (as did Starks and Smith), but so did Mikey. I think the game was
called so badly for both teams that things balanced out (yes, I realize
the Knicks attempted 19 more free throws). Had the Knicks made some of
their foul shots, they would have won going away. Anyhow, Ewing played
excellent ball.
I think the big stories in the game were these:
1) Michael showed that he still has his jumper. However, he didn't have
much of an inside game and the Knicks blocked several of his shots
from in close. I know the Knicks were trying to keep him out of the
paint, but he had no problem creating space to get off his jumpers. I
hope he can return to being Michael "Air" Jordan and not just be
Michael "J" Jordan. But hey... 55 points is 55 points.
2) Michael disappeared in the crucial 4th quarter. I know he had the
game winning assist and hit at least one big shot, but the 4th
quarter is supposed to be Jordan's time and he only had 6 points in
that quarter. It's not like he was racking up the assists, either. His
shots fell short or were blocked. He was 1-9 at one point. I assume
that he was fatigued, but I thought it disconcerting that Pippen or
his other teammates weren't touching the ball even when Jordan started
to "lose it".
3) The disappearance of Toni Kukoc. Kukoc looked miserable. Pippen, Kukoc,
and Jordan might not be able to coexist on this team. Too late for
a trade... What happens now?
4) The resurgence of BJ Armstrong. If and when he touches the ball, he
seems more confident. This guy likes to play with Mike.
5) John Starks did indeed do a good job on Jordan. Jordan was often not
double-teamed, but he still got off (and made) some _difficult_ shots.
Nick Anderson did a job on Jordan in the Magic game, but Jordan wasn't
hot like he was this game. When it comes down to it, the Knicks
dominated the ball game. They led throughout the time Jordan was
wreaking havoc. Jordan himself said that the Bulls need to work on
their defense. Jordan scored 55 and it was _barely_ enough. Had Starks
not tripped up (some say pushed by Mike), it might have been all
for naught.
That was a good game, but let's keep things in perspective. Anyhow, glad
to see that Mike's living up to expectations to some degree.
Dimitrios
Alan Dail
Gerasimatos) wrote:
:
:5) John Starks did indeed do a good job on Jordan. Jordan was often not
: double-teamed, but he still got off (and made) some _difficult_ shots.
: Nick Anderson did a job on Jordan in the Magic game, but Jordan wasn't
: hot like he was this game. When it comes down to it, the Knicks
: dominated the ball game. They led throughout the time Jordan was
: wreaking havoc. Jordan himself said that the Bulls need to work on
: their defense. Jordan scored 55 and it was _barely_ enough. Had Starks
: not tripped up (some say pushed by Mike), it might have been all
: for naught.
:
:
After the 1st quater when Jordan was blowing by him at will, they started
doubleing MJ the rest of the game.
Alan
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D. Gerasimatos
Alan Dail <ad...@infi.net> wrote:
[comments about Starks' defense deleted]
>After the 1st quater when Jordan was blowing by him at will, they started
>doubleing MJ the rest of the game.
Jordan didn't blow by Starks very many times. Of his 37 shots, I'd
estimate that maybe only 25% of them were taken as Jordan blew by Starks.
There is one play that sticks out, and that is the play where Jordan took
Starks on the baseline. However, for the most part, Starks had a hand in
Jordan's face and forced Jordan into taking tough leaners and fade-away
jumpers with less than 10 seconds on the shot clock. Jordan makes it
look easy, but he wasn't getting many open shots.
The only time I can think of that Jordan was double-teamed is when
a big man (usually Ewing) would move over to try for the block. Jordan
didn't usually have to shoot over a big man or shoot with 4 hands in his
face. For the most part, Jordan had his way at the top of the key and took
Starks off the dribble. No one could defend him any better than that. He
didn't get many dunks or lay-ups - just tough jumpers. I don't fault
Starks for that. Had Latrell Sprewell been taking those shots, it would
have been ugly! :)
Dimitrios
Paul Botts
D. Gerasimatos <d...@soda.CSUA.Berkeley.EDU> wrote:
>
>
>2) Michael disappeared in the crucial 4th quarter. I know he had the
> game winning assist and hit at least one big shot, but the 4th
> quarter is supposed to be Jordan's time and he only had 6 points in
> that quarter. It's not like he was racking up the assists, either. His
> shots fell short or were blocked. He was 1-9 at one point. I assume
> that he was fatigued, but I thought it disconcerting that Pippen or
> his other teammates weren't touching the ball even when Jordan started
> to "lose it".
Well, he sat out the first 6 minutes of the quarter.
--
"Don't take life too serious; it ain't nohow permanent." - Walt Kelly
Paul R. Botts email to: p...@chinet.chinet.com