| "Bulls-Pacers Series Recap..." (June 2, 1998)
So it's Utah versus Chicago, part 2. Who would have picked that at the beginning of the year? I know I didn't. I, like everyone else, figured Chicago was a mortal lock and the Lakers would finally show some poise to go along with their talent. I guess I was mistaken. I thought Utah was too old, too untalented, and not as good as the Lakers or Seattle.
The Chicago-Indiana series was one for the ages. It was the first time in the Post-baseball Jordan era that the Bulls were forced to a seven game series. It was a great series. Indiana really showed me something. I think they can do some damage next year. Larry Bird will most likely be back, since he has said that it's up to his players regarding his return. The Pacers I think lack a bit of scoring punch, especially at the small forward position. Chris Mullin is a set shooter and Derrick McKey is a great defender, but neither are really able to score by themselves anymore. Dale Davis and Antonio Davis are great defenders and rebounders and score enough. Rik Smits when healthy and not in foul trouble is one of the better centers in the league. Their back court is well, ok. Mark Jackson has court sense and can make the plays but he's too slow and not that good of a shooter. Travis Best is everything that Mark Jackson is not. Jalen Rose is showing his skills that he displayed at Michigan. I think Jalen Rose will be playing more at point guard next year, once Indiana realizes that their present point guard situation will not lead them to the finals. And then there's Reggie Miller. Reg-gie! Where's Reggie from? UCLA! He's da man. He's got game. You name it, Reggie's got it. He can shoot, drive, and take the pressure shot and make it. What makes him so dangerous is that he wants to take the last shot. And he knows he'll make it. He may not have the huge stats that other players have at the 2-guard but that's because of his team, but he can put them up when needed and he'll take that last second shot without a second thought. Reg-gie, too bad you didn't make it to the finals.
I think Indiana, unlike in other years, will be back next year. I think Larry Bird will not how to deal with his team next year. He'll give Rik Smits more time off, and play Mark Pope more. I think he'll play Jackson and Best each 24 minutes a game to keep Jackson fresh. He'll need some more scoring, but with his team loaded with veterans he doesn't really have much in the way of maneuverability, but maybe Austin Croshere will show us all that he's not a bust. I think Fred Hoiberg is a good shooter as well, so Hoiberg and Croshere might get some more playing time if they can grow over the off-season.
Chicago was once again, the better team. As I've said before, you can't beat Michael Jordan is a seven game series. He will not let anyone beat him in seven games. His will to win is too strong. It's that simple. He's that good. With all the professionals in that team, it's a small wonder they ever lose when they put their mind to it. Scottie Pippen once again proved he is the best player in the NBA not named Michael Jordan. Dennis Rodman was well, Dennis Rodman. He rebounded. He defended. He got under the opponents skins. He's a master. I can't wait to watch him against Karl Malone. Toni Kukoc had a huge game 7 and played well the whole series. If Toni is on, the Bulls romp over the Jazz, if not, then it's a series. Toni is a true talent. He's really playing well. His catch and shoot is as good as I've seen it during his career. He's driving with authority and even playing good defense, except he still gets overwhelmed by opposing power forwards. I think the vaunted triangle offense was stymied a bit by Indiana's aggressive defense, so it'll will be fun to watch if Utah tries to do what Indiana did on offense. As well, it might be interesting to see if Phil Jackson will deploy Scottie Pippen on John Stockton like he did on Mark Jackson. Jackson was a non-factor in the series. If Pippen is defending Stockton, all of a sudden, Stockton has to expend much more energy on offense. Besides, Pippen might cause Utah's offense to slow down or stop under the Pippen pressure. You have to give Phil Jackson credit for his defensive schemes and matchups against Indiana. It's easier to do so when you have 3 guys 6'6" or taller on the perimeter (Pippen, Jordan and Harper). Let me give a shout to Ron Harper, because he's Ron Harper. Once a great scorer, now he scores when needed, he's just a great ball player. I wonder if Luc Longley will pick up his game. He played decent in the Indiana series, but he's much better than that. He needs to be aggressive.
That was the recap from the Chicago Bulls-Indiana Pacers conference finals. Check out the Utah Jazz-L.A. Lakers recap here | in a couple of days.
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