The Chicago Bulls are halfway to a fourth NBA championship. The New York Knicks are headed home to ponder yet another playoff failure.
"Playing well and not getting it done ain't nothing," Knicks forward Charles Oakley said after the Bulls clinched the second-round series by beating New York 94-81 Tuesday night."What we all realize after this series is that we've got to play a lot better," said Michael Jordan, who had 35 points as the Bulls ousted the Knicks from the playoffs for the fifth time in eight years.
The Knicks played the Bulls tough in all five games and threw Chicago's triangle offense into a tizzy several times with their bump-and-grind style of defense.
But they couldn't sustain the offense they needed, they had trouble with turnovers and they couldn't keep the Bulls - mainly Dennis Rodman - off the boards.
And - no surprise here - they couldn't stop Jordan. He averaged 36 points in the series.
"Michael is just Michael. He's the best player in the league today," New York center Patrick Ewing said in an understatement.
The loss meant yet another disappointment for Ewing, still searching for that elusive NBA title after 11 years.
"I feel for him. He's a fierce competitor, he's very deserving of some kind of accolade, but he's always been on the short end," Jordan said of his friend and two-time Olympic teammate.
Even in defeat, Ewing, who led the Knicks with 22 points, wasn't convinced the Bulls - 72-10 during the regular season - are unbeatable.
"I still think we're a better team than the Bulls, but we didn't prove it," he said.
The Bulls' likely opponent in the next round is Orlando, although the Magic still need a victory over Atlanta tonight to advance.
The last three times the Bulls beat New York - 1991, 1992 and 1993 - they went on to championships.
Chicago figures the next round won't be as physical, but should be even more challenging. Beating the Knicks prepared the Bulls for what's ahead.