Michael Jordan ended his media silent act Friday, but did nothing to quell rumors of a rift between he and his fellow Chicago Bulls.
The Pistons hope to keep Jordan quiet in a different way today in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals at Chicago Stadium. The Pistons lead the best-of-seven series, 2-0. Game 4 will be Monday.Jordan made a brief statement Friday that his left hip was still bothering him and added about his teammates, "If they think I can carry them, then they're wrong."
But the Pistons are preparing for another super human display similar to Game 3 in last year's conference finals. Jordan scored 46 points as Chicago rallied from a 14-point deficit to win, 99-97. Jordan won it on a difficult off-balanced jumper with three seconds left.
"Oh yes, I expect we'll see a much different Michael than we did in Game 2," said the Pistons' Joe Dumars. "I'm anticipating his best game of the playoffs, and considering what he's done before this series, that's an awful lot. But he's also had three days to rest his bad hip and wrist and he's steaming about being down 2-0."
In Friday's practice, the Pistons directed much of their focus to Jordan, and even developed new wrinkles to the Jordan Rules. When asked about the variations, Pistons coach Chuck Daly said, "You'll have to wait and see Saturday."
Keeping Jordan to fewer 40 points is a high priority. The Pistons have beaten the Bulls in nine of their last 11 meetings, including playoffs. The losses were the only times Jordan scored 40 or more. Jordan had 40 in the Bulls' 117-114 victory Nov. 7 in Chicago.
"Because of the type of competitor he is, I don't expect him to leave anything behind in this game," Dennis Rodman said. "Injured or not, I expect him to take matters in his own hands more this time rather than rely on others to do the job. They've got to have this game."
The Bulls are already facing incredible odds. Only three teams have won a best-of-seven series after losing the first two. No team has ever won an NBA playoff series after falling behind 0-3.
"They're going to be sky-high as a result of Jordan's outburst," Daly said. "Combine that with the noise level of their crowd and we've got an extremely tough assignment. We've got to find a way to win at least one game there."
Jordan's teammates continue to publicly downplay his tirade and subsequent media freeze-out. But privately, some questioned whether Jordan should have called a players-only meeting.
"You guys must have done something to make Michael act this way," said Bulls center Bill Cartwright. "Did you all take his money or something? This isn't something between Michael Jordan and his teammates, it's between Michael Jordan and the press."
John Paxson, still not 100 percent because of a sprained right ankle, said the media blew Jordan's tantrum out of proportion.
"It's not uncommon for the team captain to express displeasure about how the team is playing," Paxson said.
"It happens all the time. What makes this any different?"
The difference is that the Bulls are two losses away from elimination.