The Chicago Bulls were nearly invincible a year ago. If not the greatest team in NBA history, they were certainly the most dominant, with 72 regular-season wins and a fourth title in the '90s.
They won 69 more games this season, but now suddenly and surprisingly they are looking vulnerable - and certainly beatable - as the Atlanta Hawks proved Thursday night with a 103-95 victory that tied their second-round series at 1-1."I think we had confidence when we opened the series. We had beaten the Bulls before and we match up well with them," Atlanta's Christian Laettner said.
"This reiterates the fact that we can do it and we can even do it on their home court."
Atlanta, which came close to winning Game 1, losing by three after blowing a 16-point lead, beat the Bulls at the United Center, where Chicago had won 91 of its previous 95 games and had never lost in 13 previous playoff games.
Scottie Pippen, whose late 3-pointer won the opener, was blunt after the game. Either the Bulls start getting better efforts, or they'll be planning early vacations.
He had some pointed commentsfor bad-boy rebounder Dennis Rodman, who picked up his seventh technical foul in five playoff games. Rodman, who missed the final 13 games with a knee injury, fouled out with just five rebounds and two points.
"I'm trying to help us get over the hump. I can't say that for everyone on the team," Pippen said.
"We've got to have a big effort from Dennis. He's got to avoid the technical fouls. He's just got to play the game.
"There's a lot of other things that Dennis can do on the court. If he's not going to lead us in rebounding, don't lead us in technical fouls, because we don't need those."
The Hawks limited the Bulls to 41 percent shooting. Michael Jordan, tiring after defending Atlanta's Mookie Blaylock, had 27 points and 16 rebounds, and Pippen scored 24.
Steve Smith scored 27 for the Hawks, and Blaylock followed a 31-point game in the opener with 26 more points, going 8-for-9 on 3-pointers. Dikembe Mutombo had 19 and 14 rebounds and Laettner 18 points as Atlanta successfully worked the perimeter and the inside.
"We have to figure out a way of stopping Blaylock from getting so many 3-point attempts," said Pippen, looking ahead to Games 3 and 4 Saturday and Sunday at the Omni.
Pippen also criticized the Bulls' interior play that was weakened further when Brian Williams sat out the second half after hurting his knee in a collision with Toni Kukoc.
" I'm concerned about our big guys. They're not giving us quality time on the court," Pippen said.
"They're not doing the things that's going to make the game easier for us smaller guys. Anytime we have to have Michael come in and get 16 rebounds, that's not called for. Then we ask him to score 30 or 40 points, and he's not going to have that type of energy, especially having to chase Mookie Blaylock around."
The Bulls didn't play well in a three-game sweep of Washington in the first round.
"We've been living on the edge the last four games, and this time we got stung," Jordan said. "But that doesn't mean we can't turn this around. In all the years we won championships, we lost games."