The Bulls have been reduced to a team named desire, and the Boston Celtics are a team on fire.
That was the storyline Tuesday night from the Stadium as the undermanned Bulls overachieved for three quarters before succumbing 106-94 to the best team in pro basketball.
The Bulls` record fell to 21-41 while the Celtics won their sixth straight and climbed to 48-11.
Facing the Celtics without Michael Jordan, Quintin Dailey, Jawann Oldham and Dave Corzine was bad enough. Then Orlando Woolridge skipped Tuesday`s game and flew to New York Tuesday morning to meet with his agent. His apparent disregard for his teammates didn`t seem to set off any shock waves.
”What he does has no effect on the team,” said Corzine, who sat on the bench with a broken left hand. ”It wasn`t on everybody`s mind, `Oh, where is Orlando tonight?` He has not been playing and has not been involved in the day-to-day, game-to-game things with the team. We don`t get up in the morning and say, `Where is Orlando today?”`
Woolridge has played only in two of the last 13 games, having missed the last six straight, citing knee and wrist problems.
The Bulls` problems were an inability to match up with the Celtics inside. Kevin McHale had 23 points and 8 rebounds, Robert Parish 18 points and 11 rebounds and Larry Bird 15 points and 9 rebounds. The Celtics outboarded the Bulls 47-36 and came away with 33 offensive rebounds.
Charles Oakley, who fouled out with 5 minutes 37 seconds left in the game, led the Bulls with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while 7-foot rookie Mike Smrek had a career-highs in points with 15 and rebounds with 11.
”When they come down on that fast break with a couple of guys and then those two big guys (Parish and McHale) are waiting for whatever comes off the rim, what can you do?” Smrek said. ”They have two 7-footers crashing the boards.”
The Bulls battled to a 52-all tie at halftime on the strength of a 16-2 run in the second quarter, including 12 straight points. They hung close most of the third period until a Celtic surge at the end provided an 81-68 lead. Boston gradually pulled away in the final quarter as the Bulls`
scrappiness was no match for the Celtics` overall talent.
”Chicago didn`t surprise me,” Celtics` coach K.C. Jones said. ”They play hard. I told our group before the game to look out for their hard defense. They have nothing to lose and play all the harder with their big guys out.”
”Sidney Green and Charles Oakley played hard,” Bird said. ”Gene Banks also bangs and really goes after the ball. This team is fun to play against. These guys play tough and hard. Chicago can be proud.”
The Bulls are also more banged up. In the first quarter, Banks caught a thumb in his left eye from Danny Ainge as the Celtic guard was following through on a pass. He went on to play 26 minutes and scored 10 points, but afterwards the eye was badly swollen and bandaged. Banks took some medication and vowed to return for Wednesday`s rematch in Boston.
”I have to play, I have no other choice,” Banks said. ”I talked to a couple of doctors and they said to take the medication and wait and see.”
The Bulls have been coming on strong in the second quarter of late, primarily because there is no let-up in their intensity even when opponents rest their starters. The Bulls really have no bench. They are using all nine players out of necessity and scrambling all over the floor as if the second quarter were the fourth quarter.
The Celtics went ahead 49-44, but an 8-2 surge gave the Bulls a 52-51 lead as John Paxson scored on a bank shot. It set off one of the loudest ovations of the season from a vocal Stadium crowd that is coming to appreciate more and more the effort of this blue-collar team.
Back came the Celtics` regulars in the third quarter, and the combined inside strength of McHale, Bird and Robert Parish, perhaps the league`s best front line, began taking its toll. The Celtic trio, McHale in particular, provided Boston with a 67-60 lead with 5:45 left in the period.
McHale began getting loose for layups and tip-ins, mostly because Oakley picked up his fourth foul and went to the bench. The Bulls` best rebounder and inside player had been doing an effective job against McHale and Parish.
