Levingston Gets Key Advice : Bulls: Pistons’ Salley tells Chicago reserve to shoot against Lakers. He does, with team-best 66% accuracy.

After the Chicago Bulls swept the Detroit Pistons out of the NBA Eastern Conference finals, Piston forward John Salley phoned Bull forward Cliff Levingston to offer advice on how to play the Lakers in the NBA finals.

“He told me that I had to look to score more because they were going to sag off me,” Levingston said. “He told me to take the shot when I got it.”

Levingston has followed Salley’s advice.

Although Levingston launched so many bricks that he was nicknamed “House” by his former Hawk teammates in Atlanta, he has emerged as one of Chicago’s most accurate shooters in the finals--making seven consecutive shots over the last two games as the Bulls have taken a 3-1 lead.

After making all five shots he took as the Bulls beat the Lakers, 104-96, in overtime in Game 3, Levingston made his first two as the Bulls defeated the Lakers, 97-82, in Game 4 Sunday at the Forum. Levingston, who made two of three shots, had four points, five rebounds and a blocked shot in 20 minutes off the bench.

“Cliff has given us a big lift in the last couple of games,” Bull forward Scottie Pippen said. “Cliff has put a lot of effort into getting on the boards, knocking down big shots for us and blocking shots.”

Forward Horace Grant agreed.

“Cliff motivates us,” Grant said. “He gets his hand on loose balls and he talks and it just motivates us.”

Seldom used during the regular season, Levingston has blossomed during the NBA finals, scoring 14 points, grabbing nine rebounds and blocking four shots in the last two games.

“I’m getting consistent playing time now,” Levingston said. “When you play in a rhythm, you play a lot better. I’ve stepped my defense up and I’ve been rebounding well. Coach just gave me a chance.”

Bull Coach Phil Jackson isn’t surprised by Levingston’s emergence.

“We knew what Cliff could do,” Jackson said. “He’s a great spot player with great aggression and energy. We’re pleased that he could step up and perform well in the playoffs.”

Although Levingston’s role is to rebound and block shots, he has become the Bulls’ most accurate shooter in the finals, making eight of 12 shots (66%) in four games.

“I’ve been working on my shots and I have confidence in my shooting,” Levingston said. “The guys on the bench have been encouraging me to take my shots because I’d been making them in practice. You have to believe in yourself and I started to take those shots and not worry about coming out if I missed a shot.”

Acquired as a free agent from Atlanta at the start of the season, Levingston spent the entire season adjusting to his new team.

“It was frustrating,” Levingston said. “When you know that you can help a ballclub and they don’t play you, you’re wondering, ‘Did you make the right move?’ But I tried to stay in shape so I could be ready for a chance to play.

“It was a difficult and frustrating season for me. But the playoffs have been sweet. And now that the playoffs are here and I’ve been playing well, it feels good.”

And Levingston, who is playing in the NBA finals for the first time in his nine-year NBA career, is enjoying the glare of the NBA’s biggest event.

After the Bulls overcame a 13-point lead to beat the Lakers in overtime Friday, Levingston playfully taunted TV talk show host Arsenio Hall, who had been leading the crowd in Laker cheers during the game.

“Arsenio was holding his Laker jacket up and the fans were going crazy,” Levingston said. “But after we won I felt so much better and I was waving my jacket at him.”

Expendable in Atlanta, where he played six seasons for the Hawks behind Dominique Wilkins and Kevin Willis, Levingston spurned offers from Minnesota, San Antonio and Detroit because he felt the Bulls had a good shot at winning the NBA title.

“I wanted to play for a championship team,” Levingston said. “You always dream about winning a championship, but I thought my dream went away in 1988 when Atlanta had one of the best teams in the NBA and we got bumped out of the first round of the playoffs. We won 57 games that year and it was just a heartbreaking year.

“Those opportunities are few and far between and I didn’t think I was going to have a chance to be on another championship contending team.”

Now, Levingston is only one victory away from realizing his dream.