It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when this Eastern Conference semifinal series was over.
It could have been after Game 2, when the Bulls watched the Charlotte Hornets exult in their surprising victory at the United Center. Or perhaps it was last weekend, when the Bulls, stung by that loss in Game 2, dominated the Hornets in two games in Charlotte.
But for all intents and purposes, the series wasn’t truly over until well into Wednesday night’s fourth quarter, when the Bulls did just enough to pull out a 93-84 victory in front of 22,844 nervous fans at the United Center, closing out the Hornets in five games.
The Bulls advance to the Eastern Conference finals, where the Indiana Pacers are waiting. The Pacers, who earlier knocked off the New York Knicks in their semifinal series, will be at the United Center for Sunday’s opener at 2:30 p.m. Game 2 will be Tuesday, with Games 3 and 4 next Saturday and Monday.
Michael Jordan led the Bulls with 33 points and Dennis Rodman had 21 rebounds. Glen Rice, who had struggled throughout the series, had 30 for Charlotte.
The Hornets didn’t make it easy, hanging with the Bulls for most of the game. But with just over seven minutes left, Rodman went after a loose ball, knocking it out off Dell Curry in front of the Charlotte bench. The Hornets complained that Rodman fouled Curry and Curry complained the loudest, picking up his second technical foul and resulting in his ejection.
Steve Kerr hit the free throw, giving the Bulls an 81-76 lead. Jordan blocked an Anthony Mason jumper, then hit a jumper of his own. That gave them enough breathing room. When Kerr hit a jumper with 5 minutes 14 seconds left, the Bulls had an 87-79 lead.
At least the Bulls got what they expected. Coming in, the Bulls knew Charlotte would give them a good run after falling behind 3-1 in the series.
“It’s very difficult to come back,” coach Phil Jackson said. “You can sense all you want. They can come out with a loose, free game. Suddenly everything goes real easy for them. All of a sudden we can find ourselves down 20 points to a team like this. We really can’t take anything for granted.”
The Hornets never had the Bulls down by 20 but did take an early nine-point lead by hitting 13 of their first 17 shots. Jackson expected Charlotte to take an initial shot, but when Scottie Pippen nailed a three-pointer with 3:20 left in the first half, the Bulls had a one-point lead and never really looked back.
The Bulls had a 49-45 lead at the break, despite Charlotte’s 51 percent shooting.
The Bulls did just about everything they had to do to take this series. Take away a bad shooting night in Game 1, which the Bulls still managed to win, and a fourth-quarter letdown in Game 2, when B.J. Armstrong and Curry unexpectedly led the Hornets to victory, and the Bulls had a relatively easy time.
It was Pippen’s defense on Rice that provided one of the keys for the Bulls. Rodman, once again, did the dirty work. Not only did he stop Mason, he powered the Bulls in the intimidation department.
The Bulls–particularly Jordan and Ron Harper–also rendered Charlotte’s backcourt of David Wesley and Bobby Phills almost helpless.
And except for that fourth-quarter outburst in Game 2, Charlotte’s bench did nothing.
No wonder Charlotte, which averaged 96 points during the regular season and was fourth in the league in shooting percentage, never really got on track.
“What you don’t want to let a team have is rhythm shots,” Jackson said. “If you’re chasing guys into hurried shots, that’s what’s important.”
Now the Bulls move on to an Eastern Conference final matchup against the Pacers, with whom they split the four-game regular-season series.
To be successful against the Pacers, the Bulls need the usual contributions from Jordan, Pippen and Rodman. They also need a bigger contribution from the bench, more consistency from Toni Kukoc and big play from their big man, Longley.
