The battle to define the cosmic significance of the Pacers’ 107-105 victory over the Bulls began almost immediately Saturday.
The Pacers saw it as affirmation that they belong, that they may just yet make some noise in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals.
The Bulls seemed to yawn.
“Just a bump in the road,” Michael Jordan said.
The Bulls lead the series 2-1, with Game 4 set for Monday at Market Square Arena. The Pacers feel emboldened. The Bulls don’t seem too concerned. Jordan was asked how much Saturday’s loss changed the complexion of the series.
“None,” he said. “We’re still trying to get one win in the series (in Indianapolis), and we’ve got Monday to do that. I’m sure we missed an opportunity here, but we move on from that. And I’ll tell you this, I like our chances.”
That was pretty much the tone Saturday, the Bulls seeing it as what they gave in order to lose, the Pacers seeing it as what they took in order to win.
“It’s a series for sure, but we had our chance to definitely get this ballgame,” Bulls guard Ron Harper said. “We definitely know that we let a golden opportunity slip through our hands today.”
Minutes after the final horn went off Saturday, the Bulls were already talking about the loss as something that should have been televised on PBS rather than NBC. They lost and learned.
“It’s a game we learned from, I think,” Harper said. “We still had our chances. If we hit some foul shots, it’s our game.”
“Write this up for experience,” Jordan said. “Look at the tape and we’ll come back.”
The team’s long history tells Jordan that. Recent history is a little more disconcerting for the Bulls, however. The Pacers played them close in Games 1 and 2 at the United Center. They split the regular-season series with the Bulls.
“I’m sure they’ll generate some confidence from it,” center Luc Longley said. “It’s a win. A win’s a win, no matter how you get it. They outplayed us in the fourth quarter.
“It’s always been a series in our minds. It’s been a series from the start. They’re a potent team, a good team, a disciplined team, well-coached–you go down the list. They’ve got everything it takes.”
The Pacers expected to put on a better show Saturday. They expected to win. The Bulls aren’t used to such impudence. Maybe that’s why there was such a big gap in how Saturday’s game was viewed.
The Pacers saw it as taking their rightful place in the series. The Bulls saw it as something of an aberration.
“Monday’s going to be monumental,” the Pacers’ Reggie Miller said.
Or, as the Bulls might put it, somewhat important.
