Extra Point
By Mike Fitzgerald
Wednesday, April 10, 1996
With the playoffs right around the corner, is this a sign of trouble for the team with the league's best record?
Well, if you think any other team is going to win the NBA championship this season, I have three words of advice: Forget about it.
Shaquille O'Neal's dramatic pregame entrance Sunday - coming into the arena seconds before tip-off, with everything except the "Rocky" theme song blaring - made for good national TV theatrics.
But the bottom line is that Chicago still won in the second-toughest place to play, despite a late Orlando surge.
The Bulls didn't make any excuses about losing to the Hornets on Monday, so I will.
It was a tough game to get up for after a war in Orlando and a flight back to Chicago to play the next night. The NBA schedule can be brutal and this was an example.
Chicago also had four or five chances to win it just before the buzzer, with plenty of banging underneath and, of course, no foul call since it was the final seconds.
But Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and even the flame-haired Dennis Rodman looked at the positive side of the loss to the Hornets - whom they destroyed last week at Charlotte after a 20-0 opening run.
The Bulls said they were disappointed that the home streak ended, especially so late in the season. But it showed that playing in the United Center isn't an automatic victory, which is a good way to look at it with home advantage coming up in the playoffs.
There are no guarantees against any team, even if you're at home. You always have to be ready to play - regardless of the previous game, the tough travel or even injuries.
I also liked the way Bulls head coach Phil Jackson sat Rodman down after he argued a call in the Charlotte game. Rodman bit his tongue after coming out, which showed - at least for the time being - that he respects Jackson.
And you can bet that Jordan had a little chat with Rodman after his six-game suspension for playing billy goat with a referee.
I'm sure he reminded Rodman that there is a serious plan to win the NBA title this year - and of all the glory and cash that comes with it. Especially since this is Jordan's and Rodman's last season on their contracts.
The Bulls were 5-1 while Rodman was killing time with his hairdresser, but they need him in the lineup, almost as much for his excellent defense as for his outstanding board work.
What hurt the Bulls in last year's loss to Orlando in the playoffs was not having someone to match up against Horace Grant on the boards. Rodman is the missing man this season - and it showed against the Magic.
So now the focus is on 70 victories. Or is it?
It's kind of like the home winning streak to the Bulls: a great accomplishment if it happens - which it will - but not the end of the world if it doesn't.
In fact, what also will help the Bulls in the playoffs is how each team is so psyched up to beat them game after game. When the Raptors knocked off the Bulls, they celebrated like it was the world championship. And it was a big season highlight for Toronto.
There is only one way that the Bulls won't roll through the playoffs, probably losing just a few games along the way. That's a season-ending injury to Jordan, Pippen or maybe Rodman.
The Seattle SuperSonics, now 60-game winners, are quietly having an outstanding season, being overshadowed in a smaller media market by the flashy Bulls.
The Sonics are my pick to win the West. They also are my choice to be runner-up to the Bulls in the final showdown.
Then we can start the debate on whether this year's Chicago team is the greatest ever.