Everyone knows what Michael Jordan means in the Bulls’ quest for the franchise’s fourth title. Everyone has a pretty good idea of how Scottie Pippen fits into the equation. And though no one knows what’s going on in Dennis Rodman’s colorful head, everyone knows what he brings to the table.
Jordan, Pippen and Rodman are the main reasons the Bulls are favored to win the NBA championship when they kick off the playoffs against the Miami Heat at the United Center Friday. But this season isn’t just about Jordan, Pippen and Rodman.
It’s also about Bill Wennington, Toni Kukoc and Steve Kerr. It’s also about Randy Brown, James Edwards and John Salley. It’s also about Jud Buechler. While “The Big Three” might carry the Bulls through the postseason, the bench is going to have to pick up some slack along the way.
“The focus is going to be on me,” Jordan said. “(Teams will) concentrate on trying to contain me. The most important thing is that the other guys help, especially our bench. That will enhance our chances of winning.”
A team that won an NBA-record 72 regular-season games doesn’t need much to enhance its chances of winning, but when the reserves play well the Bulls’ chances of winning do improve. The team was 47-5 when its bench outscored the opposition’s bench this season and 23-5 when the opposition’s reserves scored more.
But because the Bulls struggled with everything from injuries to weariness to a highly publicized six-game suspension during the last two months of the season, the reserves got more quality court time than in the past.
When Pippen had to miss five games to nurse his aching body, Kukoc moved into the lineup and saw his minutes substantially increase. When center Luc Longley missed 10 of the last 15 games with knee problems, Wennington and Edwards played more. When Rodman, who played in just 64 games, served a six-game suspension for head-butting referee Ted Bernhardt, Salley and Buechler benefitted. When Ron Harper missed the final two regular-season games with a sprained ankle, Brown was the direct recipient of extra playing time.
“Granted, you don’t like to see guys injured,” said Wennington, who started 20 games to spell Longley. “But (others gain) valuable playing experience.”
Nobody benefitted from the extra time more than Kukoc, who began the season as the team’s sixth man and spent the first two months struggling with his role. Kukoc, like Wennington, started 20 games down the stretch, playing his best basketball in the process. He finished third on the team in scoring (13.1 points per game) behind Jordan and Pippen. He averaged 33 minutes as a starter, 26 minutes overall.
Everybody has noticed the difference in Kukoc’s game the last month. The veterans have observed an air of confidence in Brown and Buechler, as well.Jordan said a veteran bench will be crucial as the postseason moves along.
“Salley and Edwards have been in a playoff situation before,” Jordan said. “But the other guys have been in the league for a while. They can give us some quality minutes.”
Randy Brown thinks the extra minutes will pay off now.
“We’ve been through the peaks and valleys of getting the guys ready to play,” he said. “We’ve been pretty good at filling in. We have a lot of old bodies out there.”
That kind of confidence from the reserves was lacking when the Bulls headed into the postseason last year.
“Going into the playoffs with all 12 guys confident about their games is a lot better than going into the playoffs with just three guys confident or on top of their games,” Wennington said.
Even if those three confident guys happen to be named Michael, Scottie and Dennis.
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