Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 19, 1993 TAG: 9306190186
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHICAGO LENGTH: Medium
The Suns ruined Chicago's early celebration plans Friday night with their second victory in three road games, 108-98. The Bulls still lead the NBA Finals 3-2 after winning the first two games of the series in Phoenix, the site of Game 6 on Sunday night, and Game 7, if necessary, on Wednesday.
"We had a goal when we came to Chicago, and that was to win two games," said Kevin Johnson, who scored 11 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter when Phoenix held Chicago at bay. "No one thought we could do it, but we did it."
Rookie Richard Dumas, who usually scores well in the first quarter but often is benched in favor of experience in the second half, had 11 of his 25 points in the third quarter and made 12 of 14 field-goal attempts.
"We have to get a handle on Dumas," Bulls coach Phil Jackson said. "We can't allow a guy playing 30 minutes to score 25 points."
Charles Barkley added 24 points for the Suns, who avoided elimination for the fifth time in the playoffs.
"It could get hot in the valley, real hot," Barkley said of the return of the series to Phoenix, where daytime temperatures have been 30 degrees warmer than in Chicago.
Michael Jordan, averaging 42.6 points in the finals, scored 41 for the Bulls.
"We're disappointed we could not accomplish our ultimate goal in Chicago of winning the third title," Jordan said. "We wanted to, and the fans wanted us to. We have to get our minds together and gather our energy."
Chicago police took measures to try and ward off problems with a celebration in the streets as there were last year.
"Chicago, you can take all that wood off the windows, there won't be any riots tonight," Barkley said.
Said Suns coach Paul Westphal: "It was our goal to save the city."
Now that they have forced at least a sixth game, the Suns must address another problem - winning at home against Chicago, which has won all three games it has played at America West Arena this season. The Bulls were the first team in NBA Finals history to win the first two games on the road.
Scottie Pippen had 22 points and John Paxson 12, all on 3-pointers, for the Bulls.
The Suns, who led the entire second half, avoided a fourth-quarter collapse like the one the Portland Trail Blazers had last year when Chicago came back from a 15-point deficit to win the final game.
Leading 80-73 going into the final period, Phoenix extended the margin to 94-83 with 5:11 left after two jumpers by Johnson, two free throws by Dan Majerle and a fast-break layup by Danny Ainge.
A 3-pointer by Ainge gave the Suns a 99-88 lead with 3:25 left before Jordan made a final push to give Chicago its third consecutive championship. Jordan hit two free throws and a bank shot to close the Bulls to 99-92 with 2:07 remaining, but a three-point play by Johnson made it 102-92 and ended any realistic hope of a comeback.
Johnson was careful not to make any statement that might motivate Jordan, who scored 55 points in Game 4.
"I'm not going to say anything about Michael to get him upset with me," Johnson said. "But he did say he wasn't coming back to Phoenix. If Michael doesn't come to Phoenix, I think the series is over."
Phoenix, whose only other finals appearance was a loss to Boston in 1976, is seeking to become the first team to rally from a 3-1 deficit to win the finals. It has happened four times in earlier rounds.
Chicago is 14-4 in the postseason, including 8-2 at home. The Suns are 13-10, including 6-5 on the road, after finishing an NBA-best 62-20 in the regular season.
Phoenix, which limited the Bulls to nine free throws in its triple-overtime victory in Game 3, allowed Chicago just two trips to the line in the first half Friday night, but the Bulls went harder to the basket in the last two periods, finishing with 24 free throws.
The Suns made 51 percent of their shots, the first time in the series they made more than half their attempts.
In addition to Friday night, Phoenix also faced elimination in three games against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round and a seventh game against Seattle in the Western Conference finals.
"This was our fifth game, that if we lost it our season was over," Barkley said. "So I'm telling you, it's destiny."
The Suns, after blowing a 16-point first-half lead, recovered to take a five-point lead into the third period. Dumas scored 11 points in the first 7:12 of the second half, lifting Phoenix into a 72-58 lead.
The Bulls then outscored the Suns 15-6, keyed by Jordan's eight points and Paxson's fourth 3-pointer of the game without a miss. The run closed Chicago to 78-73 before Oliver Miller concluded the third quarter with two free throws.
Keywords:
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by CNB