Within the big picture, how the Bulls closed the regular season–losing three of their last four games–or the fact they fell short of 70 victories doesn’t mean anything. What’s important is what happens from here on out.
“We start out this week with the preparation for the road to the championship,” said Bulls coach Phil Jackson. “What we’re after is to put the best team on the floor.”
On Sunday, the Bulls found out they will begin defense of their NBA title against the Washington Bullets on Friday at the United Center. Now it’s all about putting the right pieces together for a postseason run that promises to be more difficult than last year’s title run, in which the Bulls swept the Miami Heat 3-0 in the first round on their way to an impressive 15-3 playoff record.
They aren’t as healthy as they were a year ago and they are more tired. Those are their two biggest concerns heading into the first round of the playoffs.
Playoff-bound?
Jackson’s first order of business comes at 2 p.m. Monday when the playoff roster must be submitted to the league office.
Jackson’s inclination–given recent history–is to carry three centers through the postseason. The Bulls will again need three big men, with matchups against Washington’s Gheorghe Muresan followed by, possibly, Atlanta’s Dikembe Mutombo, New York’s Patrick Ewing and Miami’s Alonzo Mourning.
The status report on Bill Wennington doesn’t look promising. He hasn’t played since March 29, when he ruptured a tendon in his left foot against the New Jersey Nets. The team will receive official word Monday from the doctors on Wennington’s progress, paving the way for Robert Parish and Brian Williams to complement starter Luc Longley in the middle for the playoffs.
And because the way Jason Caffey and Jud Buechler have played during the absences of Toni Kukoc and Dennis Rodman, it looks like Dickey Simpkins will be left off the playoff roster a third straight time.
“I really don’t have any thoughts about it,” Simpkins said Saturday, almost expecting the inevitable.
Ready or not?
Rodman and Kukoc will begin practicing with the team Tuesday, and barring any setbacks, both are expected to be in uniform on Friday.
There have been rumors that Rodman, who missed the team’s final 13 games with a sprained ligament in his left knee, wouldn’t be ready for the first round.
Rodman said the rumors aren’t true. “It’s money time, so it’s time to go out and play,” he said.
Kukoc, who missed the team’s last nine games with a strained right arch, said he’s ready to play. The trick will be working Rodman and Kukoc back into the fold.
“We know it’s not going to come back in one practice, and maybe not even in one game,” said Michael Jordan. “It’s just going to take some time–hopefully, not too much time.”
Wearing down?
It will be intesting to see just how much practice time Jordan and Scottie Pippen see this week. Because of the injuries and close games, both had to play a lot of minutes the last month.
Jordan ended up playing 3,106 minutes this season (37.8 minutes a game), the most he has played in a season since 1989-90. Pippen played 3,095 minutes (37.7), the most he hs played since 1992-93.
Silver lining
There is one huge advantage the Bulls will carry into the playoffs. Because of the injury bug–which bit everyone except Pippen, Jordan and Steve Kerr–several players were pushed into valuable action.
The two who benefited the most were Caffey and Buechler, which has helped both secure spots on the postseason roster. And the injuries not only forced Jackson to work the 43-year-old Parish into the rotation sooner than he expected, they also forced him to get newcomer Williams some valuable playing time to get acquainted with the offense.
“We’ve got some young players who have played extremely well,” Jordan said. “Caffey played well down the stretch, and Jud Buechler played well. In some ways, we extended certain talents on this team. When we’re at full strength, I’m sure everybody knows how well we can play together.”
Plus, the Bulls had the deepest bench in the playoffs last season.
The hunted
Having weathered the difficulties of this season, the Bulls begin defense of their title with a confident attitude. No, it hasn’t been easy for them, but maybe the toughest times are behind them.
Still, there’s an attitude among their opponents that the Bulls are ripe to be knocked out of the running.
“Last year, we weren’t the team on top,” Jordan explained. “Even though we won (72) games, Houston was the reigning champion. So until they were dethroned, they were the targets. Now we’re the targets, and we have to deal with it.”
