Jordan Gives Olympians a Lesson : But U.S. Team Beats NBA All-Stars Again on Exhibition Tour

And then from out of the blue Carolina sky dropped. . . .

(Sigh) Michael.

Michael Jordan, himself, fashionably late, having come straight from the golf course where he’d just played 18 holes, arrived just before the start of Sunday’s exhibition and tabbed a quick 24 points in 26 minutes. If that was the charisma test, the Olympic team withstood it, beating a team of National Basketball Assn. all-stars, 95-84, to go 3-0 on this tour.

Not that it means much. The pros, whatever their level of virtuousity, have been out of shape and disorganized, and the games have meant more as box-office attractions than as competition.

Said NBC’s Al McGuire, before his network televised this scrimmage: “Our guys aren’t getting anything going by playing the superstars one-on-one.”

How about a real team of pros that wanted to practice together?

The 1984 Olympians asked if they could re-gather to play this team, but the U.S. federation let that proposal die quietly. Why? An official explained he was leery of having this year’s team upstaged.

Said the official: “There’s only one Michael Jordan.”

Said Jordan, laughing: “I’d have played. I don’t think they’d have beaten us, either.”

Who knows? No one has really seen the U.S. team yet. Coach John Thompson is still bringing it along slowly, substituting haphazardly, trying to figure out who his last four cuts will be, rather than trying to look good. Voila! His team has looked ragged, indeed, with only 3 of 16 players--Hersey Hawkins, David Robinson, Jeff Grayer--shooting 50% on the tour.

“I’ve got to make some quick decisions now,” Thompson said

The cuts are expected this week. There may be some surprises coming too, starting with:

Sean Elliott--The pride of the West is expected to get the ax, an amazing development, because he is an all-around player, an early contender for top pick in next year’s NBA draft, and because Jordan has called him the best amateur player around. However, Thompson doesn’t play to the skills of an offensive star, so if one goes into a slump, as Elliott has, he gets few opportunities to try to shoot himself out if it. Elliott didn’t have a basket on this tour until getting one on a goaltending call Sunday.

Mitch Richmond--The No. 5 overall pick in the draft is struggling with his jumper, too. Also, Thompson has reportedly told confidantes, “Some guys are just playing to be starters.” Translation: he doesn’t want anyone around who can’t accept a minor role.

Alonzo Mourning--Just out of high school, the darling of the trials, and Thompson’s very own Georgetown-bound center, he is thought to be history. Thompson reportedly doesn’t want him to miss a month of school just so he can be available to play a few minutes a game as a backup. Besides, he’s already gained a wealth of invaluable experience. Also, against the pro centers who are much bigger than he is (Mourning is only 6 feet 9 inches), he has been overmatched, even if it hasn’t dimmed his enthusiasm.

Vernell Coles--Sherman Douglas, B.J. Armstrong and David Rivers are gone and he’s in the running--probably against Little Charles Smith--for No. 1 point guard. An offensive player, he dove full-out for a loose ball Sunday. Thompson liked that so much, he not only leaped off the bench clapping, he had all his players on the bench leap up and give Coles an ovation.

Stacey Augmon--The Nevada Las Vegas-sophomore-to-be from Pasadena Muir, a defensive hound who can’t shoot a lick, may make the team though he was dropped to the “select” junior varsity team after the trials. Thompson was absolutely lyrical about a dive he took after a loose ball on the European tour. “When I see a kid crawling across the floor on all fours, it makes him awful tough to cut,” Thompson said. Are you getting the drift?

Brian Shaw--The dark horse from UC Santa Barbara came out of the trials hot in the running for No. 1 point guard, but he’s hanging on for dear life now. He may have won his spot on the squad with his game-winning steal and game-winning three-point play against Sleepy Floyd here Friday night.

If everything up to now has been a glorified audition, one man raised it to new heights Sunday--Jordan, the ex-Tar Heel playing once more before his adoring fans.

A headline over the lead sports story in the Sunday Charlotte Observer said: “Jordan Is Coming.” Attendance increased 6,000 over the Friday crowd, to 20,475.

Jordan didn’t make it to the Coliseum for warmups and first went out on the floor--crossing in front of the Olympic bench--while the NBA stars were being introduced, to a crashing standing ovation. When the teams were then allowed to warmup again, waiting for NBC to cue the officials, he and Charles Barkley put on a dunk show which everyone, including the Olympians, gaped at.

He scored 10 points in the first half as the Olympians took a 38-37 lead. He didn’t really start firing in the second half until the Olympians had a 17-point lead, by which time it was too late. So his big dunk on a breakaway, and his great left-handed reverse layup-and-foul-for-three-point-play, were mostly for entertainment.

“A lot of stuff has been written about them, where they don’t have outside shooting or they don’t have the guards,” Jordan said later. “I just think as backers of the United States, we shouldn’t put them down. We should encourage them.”

He came, he saw, he conquered, he praised, he went back to the links.

Notes

Consensus of the press corps: John Thompson will cut Sean Elliott, Todd Lichti, Alonzo Mourning, and one of the trio of Mitch Richmond, Jeff Grayer and Brian Shaw. . . . Most impressive player on the tour so far: Hersey Hawkins. Thompson, who has seen what Hawkins can do, has only played him a little but whenever he gets in, he makes things happen. Next best: Dan Majerle, Danny Manning and Big Charles Smith. David Robinson remains a semi-disappointment.