Here they are again, the Detroit Pistons, who are like summer road construction for the Bulls, inevitable and frustrating. They slow you down and keep you from getting where you want to go.
Which for the Bulls is not here, just outside Detroit, which some have described as Cleveland without the glitter, the one-time murder capital of the nation that glorifies a team of bullies and thugs, the Bad Boys. They`re as uncompromising as a policeman`s club and as cunning as Satan, with a confidence born of acclaim and success.
The Bulls are here again to start a playoff series, for the third season in a row, because the road to the National Basketball Association finals comes through here.
”We know if we want to go for the title, this is the team we`ve got to beat,” said Michael Jordan, who will lead the Bulls into Game 1 of the best- of-seven series Sunday.
The Bulls actually think they can beat the Pistons, even if they`ve yet to demonstrate it on the court, where they`ve lost 24 of the last 30 to Detroit.
”The difference,” said Bill Cartwright, ”is now we have as many guys to throw at them as they`ve had to throw at us. We feel like we can adapt to their matchups better and we have confidence.
”Last year, we didn`t know if we could do it, we weren`t sure about who we were. A lot of guys were surprised we got as far as we did.”
But no more, especially the way the Bulls have achieved success this season. They won 55 regular-season games, the second most in their history;
set an all-time club record for wins at home, where they did not lose for two months, a total of 14 straight; and won two straight playoff series in fewer than the maximum number of games, winning one road game in each series.
”They`ve got as much confidence as they`ve ever had,” acknowledges Pistons coach Chuck Daly. ”They beat a very good Philadelphia team, they`re young, they`ve developed well, and they`re aggressive. We`re going to have a hard time.”
Which means Detroit should be ready and formidable.
”It`s a terrific defense to face,” said Bulls coach Phil Jackson. ”We know that if it`s a 100-95 game or a score in the 90s, it`s 20-1 that the Pistons will win the game.”
Detroit has maintained that level of defense in a 7-1 playoff run this year. The Pistons have allowed opponents an average of 91.8 points a game and have held them to 44.7 percent shooting. Those numbers compare favorably with their league-leading regular season totals of allowing 98.3 points a game and 44.7 percent shooting.
”But,” adds Jackson, ”if we get the score above 100 points, we feel we have the opportunity to win.”
And the Bulls can do that. So far in the playoffs they have averaged 108.8 points a game and are shooting 51.6 percent.
That, of course, is mostly due to Jordan, who is averaging 40.2 points a game in the playoffs, and is rested.
”This is the most rested I can remember being coming up to play Detroit,” said Jordan. ”This year the workload has been spread out and I didn`t have to do so much offensive work in the regular season, so I feel good playing 40 minutes.”
That is primarily due to the offense designed by Jackson-and adhered to all season despite occasional protests from Jordan-that equalizes the scoring opportunities by spreading players on the floor and utilizing quick passing.
Those also are tactics that can be effective against the Pistons, who are good at rotating on defense but can be exposed by quick passing for open jumpers.
The Bulls haven`t succeeded at it yet this season but believe they`re getting closer.
”You have to be successful at the end of games against Detroit,” said Jackson, ”and I don`t know when you overcome that nemesis until you beat them. Maybe like the (Phoenix) Suns, who beat the Lakers and then kept going on and beating them. Once you realize you can and expose some weaknesses, you work at it.”
But what, specifically? Jackson is not saying, but here are some things to consider:
– The trap. Detroit is vulnerable to it and it sets up the Bulls` style of play: steals resulting in transition baskets. The Bulls pulled it on them in the first game this season, the only game the Bulls won, after trailing by 12 at halftime. Last season, the Knicks swept the Pistons in the regular season, when New York employed an all-court trapping defense.
– The big guards. It`s something the Bulls only experimented with this season against Detroit, trying it for two- and three-minute spurts, with Jackson apparently not wanting to tip his hand.
But Jordan and Scottie Pippen could be a major size overmatch for Piston guards Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and Vinnie Johnson. One of the teams the Pistons have had the most trouble with is the Bucks, principally because their guards are so big.
– Horace Grant`s offense. He has never been looked to as an offensive player against Detroit, averaging just 12 points against the Pistons in the regular season. But with Dumars and Thomas jumping out at Jordan, and Dennis Rodman concentrating on Pippen, Grant could get numerous one-on-one situations against Bill Laimbeer, who is much slower than Grant.
And, of course, there`s Jordan.
”I expect him to spring loose at least one game,” said Jackson.
”That`s almost a given. But with the focus so much on him, others should be able to step up and get easier shots.”
And that focus will be the so-called ”Jordan rules,” Detroit`s name for its double-teaming, helping defense against Jordan. What`s so different about it? So special? Why can`t other teams use it?
It`s simple: They don`t have Dumars and Rodman, the two best one-on-one defensive players in the league. And they don`t have an aware supporting cast. ”They (Pistons) do play good helping, team defense,” said Jordan. ”I was surprised I didn`t get double-teamed against Milwaukee or Philadelphia. The Bucks played me up close, trying to force me into the drive and then into people who would beat me up. And Philadelphia played off me, but they didn`t give help.
”I know that`s not going to happen against Detroit. I`ve been carrying the offensive load for the last eight or nine games, and I know Detroit has seen that, so I look for my assists to go up.”
His scoring is another story. Jordan is the NBA`s all-time playoff scoring leader at 35.4 a game. But he averaged only 29.6 points in last season`s playoff series against Detroit and only 27.4 in 1988. Last season, when he averaged 32.5 points during the regular season, Jordan averaged 27.7 against Detroit. And this season, when he averaged 33.6 points and shot 52.6 percent, Detroit held him to 26 points a game and 42.8 percent shooting.
”I`ve been frustrated against them,” Jordan admits. ”But not anymore. I feel confident about the support from my teammates.”
Still, Detroit remains a problem.
”They`re not as mean or dirty without (Rick) Mahorn,” said Jackson,
”but they have (James) Edwards posting up, which is a great weapon. And they`ve got a good offense they keep under wraps, running those baseline screens, isolations with Thomas and Dumars and screen rolls with Laimbeer. And they have the ability to move the ball on offense better than anyone in the league.”
But are they as hungry this year as defending champions?
”Hopefully, we can catch them when they`re not,” said Jordan.
”We just want to go out and play hard and execute, and we`d like to get that first game (which the Bulls have done in five straight playoff series). But this is still the team to envy. They`re where you want to be.”
