Move over, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Take a seat, Dennis Rodman. This time, the Chicago Bulls used Brian Williams and Toni Kukoc to get back on track in the NBA playoffs.
The Bulls regained the upper hand in the Eastern Conference semifinal with a superb effort from their bench Saturday, routing the Atlanta Hawks 100-80 for a 2-1 lead in the series.Williams, bouncing back from a knee injury in Game 2, and Kukoc each scored 10 points in the decisive final period, helping the Bulls break open a close game and cruise to their most decisive victory of the playoffs.
"We can't just rely on Michael and Scottie every game," Kukoc said. "It's hard for them if they don't have good support. Today, we did a good job."
Williams thought his playoffs were over when he injured his right knee during the first half of Game 2. But an MRI showed no serious damage, and the late-season acquisition was a force on Saturday.
"My reaction when I had the injury was, `I just ruined my season,' " Williams said. "When I found out it wasn't as bad and I would just have to deal with the pain, frankly, it gave me some confidence to go out and play harder."
Atlanta led 52-46 at halftime but scored only 28 points in the second half, a franchise low for a playoff game. The Hawks must win Game 4 on Sunday at the Omni to have any chance of upsetting the Bulls, who reclaimed their homecourt advantage.
"We still have a lot of basketball left in us," Atlanta's Tyrone Corbin said. "We still think we can get back in it."
Jordan and Pippen both went 8-of-20 from the field. Jordan finished with a game-high 21 points and Pippen had 17, but they were hardly noticeable in the final period.
"Mike had a mediocre game, but it's good for our team when he doesn't have to take too big a load and we can get contributions from all the guys," Pippen said. "Toni has been unpredictable, but he was deadly when we needed him."
The Hawks pulled off a shocking 103-95 upset at the United Center in Game 2, Chicago's first home playoff loss since 1995. The Bulls were bickering, complaining about Rodman's antics and then refusing en masse to talk to the media after practice Friday.
It wasn't until the third quarter Saturday that Chicago finally began to look like the team that had won four of the last six NBA championships. Jordan scored nine points in the third and the Bulls held a 71-68 lead heading to the final period.
That's when Kukoc and Williams took control, scoring 20 of Chicago's final 29 points. Williams got it started, slamming in a follow after Jordan's shot was blocked by Dikembe Mutombo.
Another reserve, Steve Kerr, followed with a 3-pointer and Kukoc hit back-to-back 3s - the second a desperation shot from 30 feet as the 24-second clock was winding down. That gave the Bulls an 84-72 lead and seemed to totally deflate the Hawks.
Williams finished it off with a couple of dunks in the final minute while a sizable group of Bulls fans drowned out those few Atlanta fans who remained at the Omni. Chicago also dominated the boards, 53-36, after being outrebounded in the first two games.
Kukoc finished with 16 points, five assists and four rebounds, while Williams had 14 points and five rebounds.
Rodman didn't start after reportedly suffering a stomach virus, giving up his spot in the lineup to Jason Caffey. Rodman wound up playing just six minutes, long enough for him to pick up his eighth technical in six playoff games with five seconds left in the first half.