The glory days are always there, mostly as a blessing, sometimes as a burden.
They represent what Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan–who’s in town Thursday–and their supporting cast accomplished during a dominant decade.
They also set the standard against which 4 1/2 seasons of recent futility have been measured.
Pippen returned to the scene of his countless displays of skill and six championships Tuesday, and if you took a quick glimpse at his Portland road reds and closed your eyes, it was 1993 again, not the eve of 2003.
But the future is where the Bulls’ hopes reside, and a United Center crowd of 16,392 caught a heavy dose of it with a breakout game by Tyson Chandler.
The second-year forward posted career highs with 27 points and 18 rebounds in a dominant performance against Rasheed Wallace that spoiled what could be Pippen’s final Chicago appearance.
Toss in Jalen Rose’s 32 points, a near double-double from Jay Williams and a solid role-playing game from Fred Hoiberg and it all added up to an impressive 102-87 Bulls victory, snapping Portland’s eight-game winning streak and giving the Bulls their first victory in the series since Jan. 29, 1998.
“Man,” Chandler said with a smile. “That was nice.”
Bulls fans can send their thank-yous for Chandler’s motivation to Amare Stoudemire. The Phoenix rookie, another youngster who already has declared a personal rivalry with Chandler, had a monster 38-point, 14-rebound game Monday night against Minnesota.
Chandler caught the highlights–not that he needed to. His teammates made sure he knew bright and early Tuesday.
“I told him, `Every good soldier has a rival, and that’s yours,'” said Rose, who had 11 big fourth-quarter points. “Every time [Stoudemire] has a good game, I give Tyson the stare and he gets [ticked] off. He told me he was getting 30 and 30. He went for it.”
With first-half numbers of 20 points and 10 rebounds, a 30-30 game seemed possible. And when the Bulls come out aggressively, good things usually follow.
“He had more energy than us and when we did have stops, he came up with big offensive rebounds,” said Portland coach and Chicago native Maurice Cheeks, who had several relatives at the game. “He dominated the first half.”
Pippen received a semi-standing ovation from the smallish crowd, with several fans wearing his Bulls jersey. A video tribute was aired on the scoreboard during the game’s first timeout, also drawing applause.
But Pippen said any career retrospectives or honors, including the retiring of his No. 33, should wait.
“I don’t think this will be the last time [in Chicago] unless they stop playing us on the schedule,” Pippen said. “I’m looking forward to playing a few more seasons.”
About the only bad Bulls news was an injury to Donyell Marshall and Eddy Curry’s failure to score.
In his first game since going public with his frustrations over a lack of playing time, Curry didn’t take a shot in 14 minutes. He had three rebounds.
Marshall took a Bonzi Wells elbow to the ribs midway through the third quarter and went to the locker room for X-rays. Those proved negative, but Marshall didn’t return.
When Marshall left, Portland started a run that trimmed a 70-52 deficit to 77-72 by the end of the third quarter.
But the Trail Blazers, playing their fourth game in five nights and led by Pippen’s 15 points, faded in the fourth as Rose heated up and Chandler led an aggressive inside defense.
“They have a good nucleus of players,” Pippen said. “I think the Bulls only have upside.”
