There are those who go in search of the Dalai Lama, who climb Mt. Everest or kneel at the shrine at Lourdes.
The Bulls go to Phoenix.
Or Portland or Seattle or Sacramento. It hardly mattered last season as they went out West in search of their true identity and came back with seven victories en route to a 14-game winning streak.
A fear to some teams, a daunting task at the very least to others, the Bulls` November sojourn is something they actually look forward to. The road, as they see it, is a place of comfort, and the visiting arena is a place to unite.
But do they actually need this symbolic rebirth, a team with two world titles, a 5-1 record to start this season and a 33-point blowout of Denver in their last game?
The Bulls think they do.
”We need to find ourselves a little bit better than we have in the last five games,” said Michael Jordan, ”and being on the road, we tend to do that a little bit better. When we know the odds are stacked against us, we tend to play better together and with more rhythm, and I think this road trip is going to do a good job for us.”
And so, as the circus rolls into town, the Bulls and Blackhawks roll out of town.
The first part of the Bulls` trip takes them to Minnesota, Seattle, Los Angeles, to play the Lakers, Phoenix and Golden State. In all, there are five games in eight days with the promised reward of their first Thanksgiving home in years.
For Jordan, make that nine years. ”It`s great,” he said. ”I can`t even remember the last time I`ve been home for Thanksgiving, not since I`ve been in the league.”
Jordan actually may have to fly home during the trip should his wife, Juanita, go into labor a week or two early with their third child. ”We`re crossing our fingers,” he said, adding he would not miss a game unless he could make it home in time for the delivery.
If the Jordans do make it through the West Coast, there`s always New York and Boston to worry about. The Bulls travel there Nov. 28 and Dec. 2 before returning home for 10 of their next 12 games at the Stadium.
”I think it`s going to be really good for us to get away,” Stacey King said. ”It gives us a chance to bond a little bit. We`re still not really in sync right now, but I feel like when we get out to the West Coast by ourselves away from everybody, it`s 12 against 15-16,000 people and it helps us respond a little bit better.”
Bulls coach Phil Jackson, a realist by trade, puts an emphasis on the first stop. ”Minnesota is a former expansion team that was easy prey for us the last few years even though we`ve had some tough games up there,” he said. ”But they look like a very good team right now. They`re playing well, they`re playing hard and they`re bigger than they were in the past.
”With the addition of two veteran players in (Micheal) Williams and
(Chuck) Person, they`re a tough opponent and we`ll have to play a good game up there to beat them. And that`s important, to get off on the road with a win and get things rolling from there because the next stop is Seattle, who we consider a very good team. L.A. at home is always L.A. at home, then Phoenix and then Golden State and things can mushroom if you don`t get going right away on the road.”
The highlights of the trip will include a first regular-season meeting with Minnesota rookie Christian Laettner (the Bulls defeated the Wolves in the preseason), and a showdown with a reborn Charles Barkley in Phoenix. The Bulls needed overtime to win in Seattle last season and opened their trip with a four-point victory against Golden State.
”This is going to be a good opportunity for us,” said Horace Grant,
”and very interesting to see how we respond to a long road trip like this.”
”It`s a test,” Rodney McCray said. ”It`s tough to win out there on the road, plus there are teams that have made some changes and you want to see how you measure up early in the season.”
McCray and fellow Bulls newcomer Trent Tucker are somewhat amused by the Bulls enthusiastic approach to the road. Amused and grateful.
”The most impressive thing about this team is they feel they can win wherever they go and that`s the sign of a champion,” Tucker said. ”They have no fear about going to the West Coast. They accept the challenge and that`s one thing I`ve started to see about this team is the confidence they have.
”They believe they can win. It`s not a cocky attitude, it`s just a belief in their abilities and this team has great abilities.”
