Lakers’ Road Show Brings Bulls Down to Earth, 102-89 : Pro basketball: With Magic looking on, Jordan misses his last 10 shots, including a double-clutch dunk.

Last spring’s NBA finalists met again, a marquee attraction with a name missing:

Michael Jordan and the Bulls

vs. . . . and the Lakers

In an irony, if not in sympathy, Jordan disappeared, too.

Within hours of being named Sports Illustrated’s sportsman of the year, he missed his last 10 shots including, incredibly, a showtime, double-clutch dunk as the Lakers pulled off their biggest upset of a surprise-filled season Tuesday night, stunning the Bulls, 102-89.

“I liked it,” Laker Coach Mike Dunleavy said of Jordan’s spectacular miss.

“It proves he’s human.”

Not to mention vulnerable.

Since leading the Bulls to the NBA title, Jordan has been criticized for passing up a visit to the White House. He became the subject of an unflattering, best-selling book. On the eve of his SI coronation, he was alleged by the U.S. attorney’s office to have written a $57,000 check to a convicted drug dealer to cover a lost golf bet.

Said Jordan before the game, wryly accepting the magazine award: “It’s been a very good and bad month for me. I’ve gone from un-American and a tyrant . . . (to) sportsman of the year.”

Jordan said he hadn’t been enjoying basketball.

Then Magic Johnson, the retired Laker accompanying the team here as cheerleader, spent his own news conference trying to cheer up his close friend, Jordan, even asking reporters to lighten up.

“You’re going to make him leave the game earlier than he wants to,” Johnson said. “Mark my words. He doesn’t need the money. . . . And then you’ll never see another one like him.”

Jordan’s game was a little like his month, good and bad.

He made five of his first six shots as the Bulls moved effortlessly to an eight-point lead.

Then he missed 13 of his last 14.

The Bulls dominated the first half . . . but wound up leading it only 45-41.

Dunleavy, who watched his tired troops get torn apart by the athletic Bulls last spring, sprung a four-forward lineup on them, allowing the Lakers to switch on the Bulls’ screens without incurring mismatch problems.

Needing all the athletes of his own to match up, Dunleavy put Elden Campbell back into the starting lineup.

Despairing at Campbell’s start, Dunleavy jumped up and down until Campbell got it right.

“Elden was much, much too passive,” Dunleavy said. “When he plays an active game as he can play, he can be a monster.”

The Lakers, playing on even terms, moved into a 73-70 lead after three periods. Everyone who has ever seen a Bull game knew what was coming next.

Jordan, who owns the fourth quarter, started it by shooting an airball from 17 feet. Then he missed another 17-footer. Then a three-pointer.

Then he stole the ball from James Worthy and tore downcourt by himself for a patented slam that would bring the house down and might rally his teammates . . . except he clanked it off the rim.

“It’s the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to me for a while,” said Jordan, who finished with 21 points. “I think I was off with my timing, my double clutch and all that. Just bad timing.”

For good measure, he went on to miss a fancy reverse layup he tried to spin off the board; another three-pointer; an open 10-foot bank and finally a three-pointer which slammed off the backboard like a meteor from space.

Johnson had said before the game he knew that Jordan would hit a shot and look over.

But it didn’t happen.

“I would have if we were winning,” Jordan said, grinning.

“It’s tough to look over there when you’re brickin’ all night.”

For his own part, Johnson said he felt for his friend.

“I understand,” Johnson said. “I’ve been there a lot of times.”

Are Jordan’s problems leaking into his game?

“No question that it’s got to be on his mind,” Johnson said. “Whether it’s bothering him, I don’t know. We’re still human. Michael’s human. I’m human.”

The humans, Johnson and Jordan, went to dinner together.

Once Magic stayed up all night with Isiah Thomas, who had just thrown his famous interception to Larry Bird in the 1987 Eastern Conference finals. For the cheerleader of cheerleaders, this one was going to be easy.

Laker Notes

Mike Dunleavy: “There are a lot of teams out there who are more talented than we are, but when we play this hard on defense, we’re hard to beat.” Elden Campbell, who had a career-high six blocks, on Dunleavy’s displeasure: “He didn’t bawl me out. He just said, ‘Get with it.’ ” . . . Said assistant coach Bill Bertka to Campbell: “See what happens when you shoot jump hooks? You get interviewed.” . . . James Worthy, who had 25 points, on defending Michael Jordan: “Basically, when I guard Michael, I do a lot of praying.”