ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, April 17, 1996 TAG: 9604170072
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: MILWAUKEE
SOURCE: Associated Press
The Chicago Bulls already have the greatest player. And with victory No. 70, they now have the greatest season.
In their milestone game, though, they didn't put on the kind of show they wanted.
Struggling to get past the lowly Milwaukee Bucks with a 86-80 victory, the Bulls didn't dominate this one the way they have so many in this season of superlatives. And Michael Jordan didn't take over the fourth quarter the way he has so many times in his career.
Still, the victory made Chicago 70-9, breaking the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers' NBA record of 69 victories. (Box score in Scoreboard. B4)
The Bulls shot 39 percent from the field, didn't get a spectacular game from any of their stars - not even Michael Jordan - and needed a scoreless final four minutes from the Bucks to get it done.
``It was a very ugly game, but sometimes ugly is beautiful,'' said Jordan, who had 22 points but shot 9-for-27. ``We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to end this 70 business right here.''
Some of the Bulls already have called themselves the greatest team in NBA history, a boast that's sure to be debated. They'd get a good argument from anyone using this performance to judge.
Chicago was out of sync all night, looking tight in its biggest game of the season.
Jordan missed all of his shots in the final four minutes when the Bulls struggled to pull away. His biggest play, however, was blocking a 3-point attempt by Johnny Newman with 16 seconds left that could have cut the Bucks' deficit to one.
Instead, Steve Kerr was fouled and made two free throws, and the outcome was sealed.
The Bucks didn't even play defense in the final six seconds, allowing the Bulls to walk off their court hugging and high-fiving, their season-long quest finally fulfilled.
``I think relief is the overwhelming emotion,'' said Phil Jackson, Chicago's coach. ``This basketball club has done a great job of finding the clues to solve the puzzles.''
It's been a season almost beyond comparison for the Bulls, a run of success unlike any that's been seen in the NBA's 49-year history. They won their first 37 home games, setting a mark for consecutive victories at the start of a season and most spanning two seasons (44).
The possibility of breaking the Lakers' 24-year-old mark became a near certainty as the victories piled up through the winter. And now, with three games remaining, the Bulls can set a higher standard of regular-season excellence.
``We're not going to be upset any more for the rest of the season,'' said Chicago forward Dennis Rodman, who celebrated by topping his pink hair with one of the cheesehead hats worn by Wisconsin sports fans. ``We're going to go out there and set a standard that this is the way it's going to be done. It's going to be done the Bulls way.''
LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines KEYWORDS: BASKETBALLby CNB