>El (Essence) emailed Sam Smith about it who pretty much said
>that dude quit in order to send a message to Doug Collins. He
>flat out quit on his team but of course you (and most everyone
>else) don't seem to recall that...Wilt also has a similar
>playoff game where he basically quit. One game doesn't define
>a player...if so, MJ and Wilt would be labeled as quitters too
>but they aren't...yet you only wanna apply that standard to
>Kobe huh. I wonder why.


Sam Smith? That ass? lol...Nah...

Oh...u mean the game where he was continually pounded (again) by the Bad Boys? The same game where both I. Thomas and Joe Dumars were benched for much of the 4th, and yet still beat the Bulls? The same game Laimbeer sat for the fourth? The same game Doug Collins asked Jordan to involve his teammates more that game because in his mind they would have a better chance to win?

Listen...chill with involving Jordan in Kobe's embarrassing, me-first bullshit...Kobe is on his own island...Oh...And here is an original write up on that game that really explains what happened....

-----

Working More Magic, Jordan Disappears as Bulls Lose to Pistons
June 01, 1989|MIKE DOWNEY | Times Staff Writer

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Yes, almost anybody might have expected the Detroit Pistons to be successful Wednesday night on their home court, to take a 3-2 advantage over the Chicago Bulls in their ferocious match to see who fights the Lakers for the National Basketball Assn. championship.

Yes, somebody might have even foreseen Vinnie (Microwave) Johnson coming off the bench to score 16 of his 22 points for Detroit in the fourth quarter, breaking open a close game.

However, could anybody have anticipated, before Detroit's 94-85 victory over Chicago in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, that:

--Chicago's Michael Jordan would take only eight shots in 46 minutes?

--Craig Hodges would lead Chicago in shots and points?

--Bill Laimbeer would be benched by Detroit the entire fourth quarter?

--Detroit's Isiah Thomas and Mark Aguirre would be benched almost the entire fourth quarter?

--Detroit's starting five would combine in the fourth quarter for three points?

--Brad Sellers would play 22 minutes for Chicago after not playing in the past three games--and take one less shot than Jordan?

No wonder it was suggested that the Bulls turned Jordan into a $2.5-million-a-year decoy.

"That's a pretty crass thing to say," Jordan's coach, Doug Collins, snapped back. "That's a pretty big shot to take at us.

"Michael scores 46 points, and people say he's not sharing enough of the offense. Now he takes eight shots and you tell him he's the highest-priced decoy in the game.

"Is that fair?"

Jordan sure didn't think so.

He made a conscious effort, he said, to involve his teammates in the offense, what with the Pistons putting everybody but their trainer on him when he touched the ball.

"Why should I take the shots if they're double-teaming me, triple-teaming me, sometimes even putting four guys on me?" Jordan asked. "Didn't we still get good shots?"

Yes, Michael.

"Well, did we hit 'em?"

No, Michael.

"That's the whole story," Jordan said. "We gotta hit 'em."

Held to 18 points--10 on free throws--Jordan was virtually no scoring factor in the game, although he did account for more than half (nine) of Chicago's assists.

Detroit's defense just keeps wearing Air Jordan and the Jordanaires down, bit by bit. The Bulls got only 80 points in Game 4. This time they got only 85, and were outshot by the Pistons by a ridiculously lopsided 80-59--the 59 shots an all-time playoff low by any NBA team.

Meantime, no team has scored 100 points against the Pistons in the 1989 playoffs, in a dozen games.

"Are they wearing us down? Yes," Collins said, answering his own question. "Are we tired? Probably. Is Michael tired? Probably. That's why I tried to use some new people. Detroit just keeps throwing fresh bodies at us. These guys leave Laimbeer, Isiah and Aguirre on the bench and don't even miss them."

If there is more than one reason Jordan's tongue is hanging so far out these days, it might be because the Bulls battled five long nights against Cleveland and six against the Knicks, while the Pistons breezed through Boston and Milwaukee in eight straight.

Even so, Chicago gave a good account of itself Wednesday for a while, in front of a crowd of 21,454 at the Palace, where the Pistons have won 27 of their last 28.

The Bulls must win here Sunday to get a shot at the Lakers and their first NBA title, but first, there's a little matter of Game 6 Friday night at Chicago Stadium.

They led, 31-21, early in the second quarter before running out of gas. Jordan advised his teammates on the bus ride to the arena that they would have to step up and be heard from, since Detroit obviously intended to throw the kitchen sink at him on defense.

Bill Cartwright answered the call, supplying 10 points and 10 rebounds by halftime.

The Pistons whittled away, with their top four reserves getting as much playing time or more than the starters--excluding Joe Dumars, whose principal job is guarding Jordan. Although they trailed, 45-41, at halftime, the Pistons opened the third quarter with a 12-2 run and never trailed again.

The minute one guy cooled off, someone else got hot. Aguirre and Thomas, for example, scored Detroit's last 18 points of the first half--but sat out the final 10 minutes 50 seconds of the game, even though neither player was hurt or in foul trouble.

Vinnie Johnson refused to re-take his seat, firing in jumper after jumper. Someone asked him later how it felt to be on fire, and he said: "On fire? I wasn't on fire. At least I don't think I was on fire."

John Salley begged to differ.

"Vinnie was so hot, I'm thinking of doing a video with just Vinnie and a bunch of fire in the background," Salley said.

Said Jordan, "That's why they call him the Microwave."

Chicago was as cold as the city.