ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, June 6, 1996 TAG: 9606060092
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHICAGO
SOURCE: Associated Press
There was nothing too spectacular from Michael Jordan, nothing fantastic statistically. Yet there was nothing Seattle could do to stop the Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls, who last played May 27, toyed with the Sonics and made them seem worthy for a stretch or two Wednesday night. Then Chicago surged every time the game got close, pulling away for a 107-90 victory in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
``We were out of sync a little bit offensively,'' Jordan said. ``That's natural for having eight days off. I think the guys really had the determination to come out and run hard and play hard.''
It was the best team in the NBA showing why they're considered almost unbeatable. Although it was far from a flawless performance, the Bulls still turned it into a laugher in the final minutes.
Toni Kukoc scored 10 straight Chicago points in a 14-5 run to open the fourth quarter, and Jordan's supporting cast had all the points in a subsequent 8-0 run that removed any doubt.
Jordan finished with 28 points but didn't contribute much in the game-deciding run, Scottie Pippen had 21 and Kukoc had 18 on a night when the Bulls shot only 43 percent from the field. Chicago outscored Seattle 28-13 in the fourth quarter, however, and attempted 18 more shots than the Western Conference champions.
The Bulls also committed only seven turnovers and came up with three key steals in the final period.
Game 2 is Friday night at the United Center, and in the meantime the Sonics will try to figure out what it will take to win.
The first thing they can try to do is stop Jordan's underlings. Ron Harper had 15 points and seven assists and shot 60 percent, Luc Longley dominated the middle in the first quarter and finished with 14 points and four blocks, and Dennis Rodman had 13 rebounds and seven points - all on uncontested layups.
``Ron Harper did a heck of a job on Gary Payton,'' Jordan said. ``He created a lot of breaks for us down the stretch.''
Rodman's last two points came with 5:25 left after it appeared the Sonics were ready to make another run.
Payton had scored on a driving one-hander and a fast-break layup off a steal by Shawn Kemp, who finished with 32 points. The Bulls quickly called time out, and Harper then faked a 3-pointer and rifled a pass to Rodman underneath for a layup.
Kukoc followed with a fast-break layup, Harper had a steal and layup, and Longley scored from in close for an 8-0 run. Payton scored once more, but Jordan came back with perhaps his prettiest shot of the night, a high-arching fadeaway from the left side that made it 103-88.
Jordan, who notched 18 points in the first half, added one more basket down the stretch to finish five points short of his postseason average. Kukoc, who was only 3-for-36 from 3-point range in the first three rounds of the playoffs, went 2-for-5 from beyond the arc.
Kemp was backed by Sam Perkins with 14 points and Payton with 13 on 6-of-17 shooting. The Sonics went 31-of-36 from the free-throw line.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Dennis Rodman whoops it up after a technical foul isby CNBcalled on the Seattle SuperSonics. color. KEYWORDS: BASKETBALL