Bulls Make Things Hard on Cavaliers : Eastern Conference: Chicago turns up the defensive pressure and Jordan’s teammates contribute to 104-85 victory over Cleveland.

The soft parade, otherwise known as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ trip here to open the Eastern Conference semifinals, ended in character. Not with a bang but a marshmallow.

Lightly as a maraschino cherry falling into whipped cream, they dropped into Chicago Stadium on Thursday night, were crushed, 104-85, by the Bulls and left, down 2-0 in the series and glad to be going anywhere.

What happened?

“You asking me?” Cavalier Coach Lenny Wilkens said, managing his lone grin of the night.

The Cavaliers, regular-season powers with a string of playoff failures, have come to be derided recently as heartless marshmallows.

They didn’t quite turn it around Thursday.

Their game, and trip, were summed up by the second-quarter play when Brad Daugherty capped a three-on-none break by missing the unopposed layup.

He stomped around, rolling his eyes, though he later denied feeling embarrassed, or humiliated, or anything.

“Just missed it,” he said. “Missed lots of them.”

Daugherty and Mark Price got off 14 shots between them, giving them a total of 32 in the two games.

“Every time Mark gets the ball inbounds, they immediately pressure him,” Daugherty said. “The coaches are constantly yelling at the big guys to get back downcourt and give him some screens.

“They’re just daring us to throw the ball up the court. Once we get past half-court, it becomes a rush-rush situation and that’s not the way we play.

“Every time I get the ball, everybody’s yelling, ‘Shoot, shoot.’ Every shot we take, we got to hit, it seems like. There’s not an abundance of them. That’s tough to do against the defending world champions.

“Usually nobody can stop Mark in the backcourt, but they cover so much area.”

Said Wilkens: “We didn’t shoot the ball well in the first series (against New Jersey) and we’re not shooting well in this series. When you don’t shoot well, you become tentative and they’re taking advantage of it.

“We’re a team out of sync right now.”

The Cavaliers shot 44.4% Thursday night and had 16 turnovers.

Unlike Game 1, in which Michael Jordan scored 43 of his team’s 91 points, his teammates showed up. Horace Grant, questionable until game time because of an ankle sprain, scored 20 points. Scottie Pippen, who says he will have his chronically sprained ankle operated on after the season, had 19. Jordan had 18 in 31 minutes.

Pippen has had playoff games of 11, 25, 10, nine, and 19 points.

Maybe his bad nights are because he’s hurting?

“Only thing I want to do is win,” Pippen said. “I’m not going to lead the NBA in scoring. Why should I go out and try to put up big numbers?”

The game wasn’t even as close as the one-sided final score. The Bulls were ferocious, the Cavaliers apologetic.

The Bulls led by 15 points at the half, by 30 late in the third quarter and led in rebounds at one time, 38-22.

In one second-quarter possession, the Bulls got off six shots before Pippen finally scored.

In the third quarter, with the Bulls ahead by 20, Grant chased a loose ball into the press table while two Cavaliers watched.

Jordan played only three quarters before aggravating his sprained wrist.

Befitting the solemnity of the occasion, he fired up a last free throw left-handed before leaving.

“He’s not sure how he did it,” trainer Chip Schaefer said. “He said the first time he felt it was making a pass.”

Jordan was taken to a nearby hospital for X-rays, which turned out to be negative. He was put on anti-inflammatory medication and placed in an overnight splint but is expected to be back for Saturday’s Game 3.

The Cavaliers flew home, healthier but more miserable.

They had two days to find their missing sync or Jordan might beat them left-handed.