Jordan Teaches a Lesson in Manners

Good Boys 2, Bad Boys 1?

“Good overcomes evil,” Michael Jordan said, laughing his head off, sticking that tongue of his out.

Saturday was a bad day for those self-made “Bad Boys” from Detroit. They thought they had the Chicago Bulls exactly where they wanted them--14 points down with 7 1/2 minutes to play.

Instead, the Bulls had the Pistons exactly where they wanted them. The Bulls had the two things they needed to win a basketball game:

Michael Jordan and a basketball.

Next thing anybody knew, Chicago had come back to win, 99-97, on Jordan’s running bank shot with three seconds to play, to take a 2-1 lead in the National Basketball Assn.’s Eastern Conference finals.

Jordan scored, oh, you know, 46 points, something like that.

So, Los Angeles vs. Chicago for the NBA title? Magic Johnson vs. Michael Jordan, for the heavyweight basketball championship of the world?

“Hey, I love Magic to death,” Detroit forward John Salley said after Saturday’s game here. “But after facing Michael, all I can say is he should be the MVP.

“The man is unstoppable.”

Detroit isn’t done trying. Bouncing back with a Memorial Day victory would put the Pistons in the driver’s seat with three games remaining, two of them at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Besides, stopping the unstoppable Jordan might not matter so much.

Detroit must stop stopping itself.

Twice now, those nasty boys have lost games in this series because they didn’t know when to cut out the rough stuff. The Pistons are like Tina Turner singing “Proud Mary.” They never, ever like doing anything nice and easy.

They blew a shot at taking Game 1 when Rick Mahorn committed a moving pick in the final half-minute. They blew a shot at saving Game 3 when Bill Laimbeer thrust a hip into Jordan with nine seconds remaining, also while trying to set a pick. Two fatal offensive fouls.

Lest we forget, the Pistons also continued to pile up technical fouls because of their bad tempers, Mahorn drawing one early in Saturday’s game, Coach Chuck Daly drawing one late.

Maybe the Pistons would get a break on a call from the officials if they built up some good will once in a while, instead of beefing all game long and instead of promoting themselves as the “bad boys” of basketball.

“I’m not sure if they do themselves any favors,” Jordan said.

What a piece of work Mahorn is, for instance. Four minutes into Saturday’s game, he fouled Jordan in the lane. A foot from the official’s face, Mahorn spat out what is arguably the nastiest word in the English language, as anybody sitting within 50 feet of courtside could plainly hear.

Technical foul, and Mahorn was taken out of the game by his coach.

“I didn’t even say anything,” Mahorn told his coach, like a child fibbing to his father.

Daly, either believing him or backing up his player, immediately stuck index fingers in both ears and called out to the referee that there must be something wrong with his hearing.

Nice way to get the officiating on your side for later in the game.

Remember that foul called on Laimbeer in Game 6 of last year’s NBA finals, which sent Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the line to win the game for the Lakers, costing Detroit the title?

“The call went against the Detroit Pistons, once again,” Laimbeer said about Saturday’s fouls. “Same as Game 6 against the Lakers. Familiar story.”

Anyhow, nothing should be left to chance as long as this Jordan guy is on the premises.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again,” Chicago Coach Doug Collins said. “If there’s the least little chance to win and Michael’s in the game, there’s a good chance you’ll win.”

Jordan scored 10 of the Bulls’ last 14 points this time. When the Bulls got the ball back with nine seconds left, on Laimbeer’s offensive foul, they called a timeout to call a play.

What play?

What a question.

“It’s called ‘Get the Ball to Michael and Everybody Get the . . . Out of the Way,’ ” Collins said, borrowing that multi-purpose Mahorn word.

Jordan said: “It’s a challenge, because everybody in the building knows you’re going to get the ball.”

Dennis Rodman knew it. Arguably the league’s top defensive player, and officially voted 1988-89’s best defensive non-center, Rodman guarded Jordan on that final trip down the floor. (Since he doesn’t start, and since Detroit doesn’t want to put a guard on Chicago forward Scottie Pippen, Rodman does not get to defend against Jordan as much as he would like.)

Jordan tried to drive on him, but Rodman cut him off. Jordan changed directions, but Isiah Thomas helped out.

So, Jordan split the difference. He went between them.

“I just kind of jumped sideways,” Jordan said.

And shot, and scored.

Once again, he had done it, as he had against Cleveland and New York earlier in the playoffs. Once again, Michael rowed the boat ashore, hallelujah.

Michael vs. Magic in the NBA finals?

The team that wins will be whichever one touches the ball last.