There were relaxed smiles and players stretched out comfortably Friday on the Bulls` bench.
No, these weren`t the reserves–these were the starters. In a rare blowout, the Bulls had no trouble disposing of the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-96 before a Stadium crowd of 15,906.
Michael Jordan scored 35 points and John Paxson 17 for the Bulls, whose seventh victory in nine games lifted their record to 21-17. The Cavaliers have lost 11 of 13. The teams have a rematch Saturday in Richfield, Ohio.
The Bulls had pulled away by 20 points midway through the fourth quarter when coach Doug Collins took Jordan out. Charles Oakley was rested soon after, stretching out and chatting with Paxson. Oakley and Brad Sellers led a boisterous cheering section from the bench each time one of the reserves scored, particularly the popular rookie Pete Myers.
Paxson`s eight points in the first quarter sparked the Bulls to a 25-21 lead. His early offense took up the slack for a slow-starting Jordan, who might have been feeling the affects of a sprained right wrist. Oakley hit consecutive jumpers, then tipped the ball out to Elston Turner, whose jumper capped a 6-2 advantage at the end of the period.
Playing a strong first quarter, Oakley also made an acrobatic pass to Jordan. He saved a ball from going out of bounds and, in the same motion, unleashed perfect court-length pass. Jordan missed the shot, but Earl Cureton tipped it in.
The Bulls started out as frigid as the weather, missing 11 of their first 13 shots. They wound up hitting 40.7 percent in the first quarter to 45.5 for the Cavs. Cleveland rookie Brad Daugherty led all scorers with nine points.
Until recently, Daugherty and fellow rookies Ron Harper and John ”Hot Rod” Williams led the team in scoring. Harper is the highest-scoring rookie in the league, and Daugherty and Williams were second and third among the Cavs until veteran Phil Hubbard displaced Williams.
”Our biggest strength is also our biggest weakness,” Cleveland coach Lenny Wilkens said. ”Most teams have two or three veterans to take up the slack for the rookies. Our main people are rookies. And Mark Price, once he comes back (from appendicitis), is our first guard off the bench.
”You have to have patience. You have to be optismistic with them because you know what the future is going to bring.”
Though the Cavs are going through a tough stretch, Wilkens said he believes his team will come on strong in the second half of the season as the rookies mature.
If Harper, Daugherty and Williams wind up the season 1-2-3 in scoring for Cleveland, it will be the first time three rookies led their team since 1956, when Maurice Stokes, Jack Twyman and Ed Fleming did it for the Rochester Royals.
A couple of hot-shooting reserves set the tempo early in the second quarter. Turner bagged three more jumpers, and Newman hit five baskets in less than three minutes. It was close throughout the quarter as Paxson handed out eight assists.
Leading 52-51, the Bulls finished up the quarter with a 7-2 spurt to seize a 59-53 halftime lead. Jordan highlighted the charge by driving full-court and pulling up for a 3-point shot that just beat the buzzer. The Bulls shot 62.5 percent in the second quarter to 58.3 for the Cavaliers. They committed only one turnover in the quarter, four in the half.
Jordan led all scorers at halftime with 13 points. Paxson had 12 points and 9 assists.
A burst by Jordan early in the third quarter and scoring help from Oakley and Sellers shot the Bulls in front 71-58 with 8:12 left. They outscored Cleveland 12-5 at the outset of the period. A fancy one-handed move by Jordan made it 77-60 with 6:58 left.
The Cavs closed to 11 behind Harper and Keith Lee. The Bulls` big lead allowed Collins to rest Jordan earlier than usual, Turner subbing with just under 4 minutes left in the quarter. Jordan returned a couple of minutes later.
In his absence, Harper displayed some Jordanian moves. The talented 6-foot-6-inch guard often has been compared to the Bulls` star. A Harper free throw cut the margin to 85-75, but Cureton scored inside and Jordan swished a pair of free throws.
The Bulls led 93-79 going into the fourth quarter. Jordan had 20 points in the third for a total of 33.
