They stood and cheered for one minute and then two.
Ten more seconds–130 in all–and the ovation ended, the crowd finally settling to sit back and watch Washington’s
107-82 drubbing of the Bulls.
At first, Michael Jordan acknowledged the sellout crowd of 23,049 with a quick, almost embarrassed wave. As the noise grew louder, Jordan started thanking the fans, repeating “thank you” over and over as his teammates teased him to not cry and Bill Cartwright smiled near the Bulls’ bench.
“We just didn’t play hard,” Jay Williams said after one of the Bulls’ flattest efforts this season. “It was like we were in awe.”
Jordan finished with 10 points, five rebounds and five assists in just his second trip to Chicago in a visitor’s uniform. He didn’t play in the fourth quarter despite three chants of “We want Mike!”
Washington led 55-37 at halftime and by as many as 31 in the third. By this time, fans were not only cheering Jordan but also booing the Bulls, who shot 36.3 percent.
