Rockets start strong; Jordan & co. finish strong.
(Recap) Houston Chronicle: Fans who came hoping to see Michael Jordan put on one more memorable show got their money's worth.
Those wishing to see the Rockets flip the switch and show they still have what it takes to hang with the big boys were sorely disappointed. The Rockets proved it doesn't matter how many times you jiggle that thing up and down, nothing's going to happen if the bulb's burned out. Or the electricity is off.
In the Rockets' case, maybe it's both. They couldn't flicker to life in the second half as Jordan and the Chicago Bulls lit up Compaq Center with a 109-94 victory over the Rockets on Sunday evening. Jordan racked up 40 points in what might be his final Houston appearance.
The Rockets' sixth consecutive loss (and the Bulls' 12th straight win) illustrated that Chicago has the power and the Rockets don't.
"They're like a fine-tuned Mercedes-Benz," Mario Elie said.
Which pretty much makes the Rockets a broken-down Ford Fairlane. The loss dropped their record to 37-38. It's the latest point in any season the Rockets have been under .500 since they were 40-41 before winning the finale in 1989-90.
The Rockets stayed close to the Bulls for three quarters. They were down by just a point at halftime and shaved an eight-point Bulls lead to 65-64 late in the third quarter. But they had no staying power beyond that point.
"We came out focused and were very competitive," Tomjanovich said of the first three quarters. "But as the game wore on, their athleticism wore us down. They really, truly are a great team. It's scary to think that two of their starters (Toni Kukoc and Luc Longley) weren't here.
"Whenever we tried to stop their pick-and-roll or post-ups, they swung the ball and somebody hit a shot. And even though we won the rebounding game, they had a lot of second-chance points that were real killers."
The Bulls' blew open the game without Jordan on the floor. He had 30 points after three periods. Jordan didn't start the fourth quarter, but when he returned with just over six minutes to go, the Bulls' lead had mushroomed to a dozen.
"They just outhustled us," Elie said. "I know those guys are quick and long, but they just beat us to a lot of rebounds and then in the fourth quarter, they really started stroking their shots. Scott Burrell hit some shots and Scottie (Pippen) hurt us, too.
"And Michael is just tremendous. His concentration is phenomenal. That's why he's the best player in history."
Which he showed with an assortment of dunks, fadeaway jumpers and different moves. When the game was over, Jordan sent his shoes over to Charles Barkley. Jordan had autographed them, and also written the final score on the shoes.
Barkley inspected the shoes and said: "I'm surprised the toe isn't all scuffed up because of all the butt-kicking he did."
Indeed, the Rockets were helpless at times to stop him. But if Jordan was doing the primary butt-kicking, it was his supporting cast that held the Rockets down while Jordan swung the foot.
"It's tough getting humiliated on national TV," Barkley said. "Right now is probably as low as I've ever been. I'm very disappointed and very depressed right now."
The Rockets were in close range, down just 67-64 with barely a minute left in the third quarter. Jordan had been scorching the Rockets, but Elie was making him work for his points. Elie went out for the final 1:08 of the third quarter and the first 5:52 of the fourth. When he returned, the Rockets were down 90-78.
Strangely, Jordan had been on the Bulls' bench in the first 5:52 of the fourth quarter, too. And yet the Bulls' reserves pulled away. Bill Wennington, who had 14 points, and Burrell were strong contributors. Pippen finished with 20 points to go with eight assists.
29 сен 2024
