No one said it had to be pretty. The Bulls take Game 2 92-88 and move within two wins of a fourth NBA title. Observations:
A tale of two sets of role players
The Bulls’ secondary contributors stepped up in a big way in this one.
Though Toni Kukoc followed up a slump-buster of an 18-point outing in Game 1 by shooting just 4-for-12 (2-for-7 from 3), his impact was felt once again — both of those 3-pointers (and eight of his 11 points) came in a crucial stretch in the third quarter when the Bulls ballooned a one-point lead to 11 in what felt like a matter of seconds.
Dennis Rodman was active as ever, chipping in 10 points and 20 rebounds (11 offensive). The Bulls’ collective, swarming defense yielded 10 steals and 16 SuperSonics turnovers, which allowed the hosts to get out on the fastbreak frequently and ferociously. It was in those stretches they were the most dominant.
Meanwhile, Seattle has struggled to find a complementary offensive piece alongside Shawn Kemp (averaging 30.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 16 free throw attempts through two games) so far in this series. Gary Payton often played the pest defensively — and whispered plenty of sweet nothings to Michael Jordan throughout, in Marv Albert’s words — but mustered just a 6-for-17 shooting night from the field, Detlef Schrempf continued to incite the ire of NBC color commentator Bill Walton with his lackluster play, and after a couple dominant possessions in the first half, Sam Perkins faded as the game went on.
NBA
The SuperSonics hung in, but Rodman made all the winning plays
Give Seattle credit. We’ve seen teams regularly wilt under the force of Bulls third quarters throughout these playoffs.
But after that aforementioned hurricane in the third, the visitors hung around and refused to let this one be a blowout by holding the Bulls to a paltry 16 points in the fourth quarter. A 13-point lead with nine minutes to play shrunk to three with just seconds left. But some key work on the offensive glass and unrivaled hustle/grifting on a last-second jump ball by Rodman all but sealed the victory.
It wasn’t pretty down the stretch, but the final tally felt familiar. And Rodman was at the heart of the plays that won the game. Never take him for granted.
A dissatisfied Michael Jordan
As we wrote this morning, here are some snippets of what Michael Jordan had to say after seizing a 2-0 series lead over the SuperSonics in Game 2:
“This is a game in which I don’t feel great about how I played.”
“I feel great about the outcome, but I need to play better.”
His line for the night? Twenty-nine points (tied with Kemp to lead all scorers), eight assists, six boards, and two steals, with a couple timely rebounds late. Surely, the 9-for-22 shooting mark (10-for-16 from the charity stripe) was at the heart of that frustration. As was, according to Walton, a bit of tightness that resulted from resuming play after such a long layoff between the Conference Finals and Finals for the Bulls. Price of being on top.
Whatever was perturbing Jordan, we have a feeling he’ll iron it out before Game 3.
Numbers that stood out
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10 assists versus 16 turnovers as a team for the SuperSonics tells you all you need to know about the Bulls’ defense
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These teams committed a combined 57 fouls in this game, 30 by the SuperSonics, 27 by the Bulls. I don’t have any context for that number, but the physicality of this game stood out on the screen and showed up in the stat sheet. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again: 90s basketball
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Scottie Pippen again did it all by posting a number in every box score category: 21 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocks. Funny enough, Luc Longley was the only other Bull to do that with two points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. Big Luc stays underrated, even on his quiet nights
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Rodman’s 11 offensive rebounds tied an NBA Finals single-game record at the time. Rebound magnet
Got a laugher coming on Monday for you in Game 3. Tune in at 7 p.m. CT on NBC Sports Chicago.
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