After Dishing It Out, Jordan May Take It

If possible, the legend of Michael Jordan continues to grow and with it, so does the Chicago Bulls’ lead in the NBA finals.

On Sunday, Jordan’s hero status was elevated from Bunyanesque to Herculean, courtesy of someone who should know: the Lakers’ Magic Johnson. After watching the Bulls dispose of the Lakers, 97-82, Johnson was reduced to paying homage to the man who made it all possible--the one and only Jordan.

“He’s raised his game up another level,” Johnson said. “I tip my hat to my competitor because he’s doing the job. He’s going great and so is his team.”

Jordan’s 28 points led all scorers (so what else is new?). His five rebounds and two blocks were nice but certainly weren’t career highs. However, check out his assists: 13, which helped explain why four other Bull starters finished in double figures and why the Lakers were suddenly looking very confused, very frustrated and very close to elimination.

As usual, Jordan was partly to blame. He arrived at the Forum with a much-publicized bruised toe but left the court saying that he had found the perfect medicine to ease the pain: another Chicago victory, its third in four tries against the Lakers.

“It feels good,” he said, “but that’s what winning does for you.”

Jordan’s toe was sore enough for him to try some creative footwear alterations. For instance, his high-top shoe included a slit cut to supposedly help relieve the pressure on the injured tootsie. Instead, Jordan said he was “thinking about it too much,” and switched to his uncut shoes shortly thereafter.

“I put a good shoe back on,” he said.

It showed. After scoring five points in the first quarter, Jordan added 11 points in the second quarter, eight in the third and then throttled down to four points in the final 12 minutes, when the outcome was no longer in doubt.

There was an anxious moment or two for Jordan. The first one came with 6:50 gone in the game. That’s when Jordan swept past several Laker defenders and slammed over the outstretched arm of Sam Perkins. Perkins fouled Jordan, causing the Bull guard to land gingerly on his injured toe. Jordan limped for a few seconds and then, magically, resumed play as if he were fine.

The recovery caught the eye of Laker Coach Mike Dunleavy.

“From the very start of the game, it didn’t look like it bothered him to me,” Dunleavy said. “He played a lot of minutes (44) and it didn’t seem to take away from his game.”

When Jordan wasn’t scoring, he was drawing Laker defenders by the pairs. When that happened, Jordan simply found someone else to make the shot. Witness John Paxson’s 15 points, Scottie Pippen’s and Horace Grant’s 14 and Bill Cartwright’s 12.

“I just think he’s really playing smart basketball,” Cartwright said. “Whenever he can draw all that attention and we score, it’s a real killer. A real killer.”

Just ask the Lakers, who have seen enough of Jordan and his self-declared “supporting cast” to know what’s happening. Leave it to Johnson to put it in easy-to-understand terms.

“They’re taking it to the hole and scoring and we’re shooting it from the outside and missing,” Johnson said. “It’s not just a one-man show.”

Maybe not, but even Johnson understands the difference between this series and the one between the Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers. It begins with a J and ends with an N.

“(Chicago’s) got one man nobody else got,” he said.

That would be Mr. Jordan, who is now counting the moments until the Bulls play the Lakers Wednesday night. A victory would give him the championship he craves and put an end to a few of those Magic vs. Michael debates. For years, Jordan has heard the same argument: He wins scoring titles, Johnson wins championship rings.

“I’ve been patient thus far,” Jordan said. “Hopefully, I’ll be patient for two more days . . . or however long it takes.”

Jordan was careful about his postgame comments. He expressed surprise at the Bulls’ 3-1 lead and made sure to mention that the championship hasn’t been won--yet.

“No one could ever think you could dominate a team of Laker stature,” he said.

But that’s what the Bulls have done and with surprising ease, too. Jordan did his part, bad toe and all. In return, he has the satisfaction of seeing the Lakers in pain.