COMMENTARY : Barkley Rips Through Bulls, Then Attacks Phoenix Fans

It’s not the philosophy.

It’s not the sociology.

It’s not the jokes, the blowups or the headlines that make Charles Barkley, but games like Friday night.

He shot it out with Michael Jordan, scored 42 points and picked up the Suns whenever they threatened to quit, which was frequently.

The Bulls couldn’t stop him, they could only try to outlast him and did, barely. He went 46 minutes and played himself into exhaustion. Jordan went 40 and won the game.

“It was a nightmare out there,” said Horace Grant, the Bull assigned to get walked on by Barkley.

“We knew he was going to come out on one of his binges. That’s the Charles Barkley that millions and millions of people know.”

Of course, being the Charles Barkley that millions of people know, he couldn’t accept his praise and go gently into the night.

Angered by some gentle booing of Kevin Johnson, he told the city of Phoenix where it could get off and dared it to do anything about it.

“First of all,” said Barkley, taking his seat in the interview room, “I want to say something to the Phoenix fans who were getting on Kevin tonight. We wouldn’t be here without him. And if you’re going to boo Kevin Johnson or give him a hard time if he struggles, please don’t bother coming to the . . . game. We don’t need you.

“If you’re not going to be with us through the good times and the bad times, we don’t want you here. If you’re not going to stick with him when things are not going well for him, please don’t come to the game.

“And I’m not really concerned who don’t like it. They know where to find me. If they’re going to boo our team when we’re not playing well, please don’t come to the game ‘cause we all came too far to put up with that type of crap.

“And if anybody don’t like it, I’m easy to find.

“See, that’s why you can’t get close to nobody. These people are not your friends unless you’re doing well. That goes for the media. That goes for the fans.

“Because, when you’re playing well, everybody’s swinging on your jock. But when things go bad, everybody turns against you. That’s why I’m my own man and I ain’t close to nobody. ‘Cause I know these people aren’t my friends unless I’m playing well.”

It’s all right. He’s already said he’s no role model.

In Game 1, in fact, he hadn’t played well, so everyone knew what was coming Friday.

Barkley warmed up with his usual lecture on the meaning of it all, which he insisted was minimal.

“It’s just a basketball game,” he said. “Get realistic. You guys make this stuff life or death.

“I have a life. Basketball’s not my life. That’s the difference between me and most people. This is my job. It’s not my life.”

In case these sound familiar, he’s said them many times before. You try to figure out what’s really on his mind by which of his particular cliches he trots out in a given situation.

The speculation, in this case, was that Barkley realized the Suns were outgunned and was getting ready for the inevitable.

But the Bulls were going to have to come through him.

Barkley was everywhere doing everything Friday. In the second quarter, the Bulls turned the game into a layup line, running up a 12-point lead on Barkley’s wilting teammates.

Barkley then scored the last seven points of the half and cut the deficit in half.

The most wonderful play of all came in the third quarter. Instead of watching B.J. Armstrong go in for a breakaway layup, Barkley made a long run, chased the play and was bumped off course by Scottie Pippen. Referee Jack Madden noticed and blew a foul on Pippen, wiping out Armstrong’s basket.

With 6:02 left, Barkley had 40 points but little oxygen left and faded away.

“Yeah, he was tired,” said Sun Coach Paul Westphal. “He was dying. He gave all he had. I don’t think he could have gone up and down the floor one or two more times. I just respect that guy so much.”

However, the Suns had to trade three starters to acquire Barkley, and one of the two they kept--Johnson--is struggling so what’s left?

A trip to Chicago, some light mop-up duty for the Bulls who have already run off T-shirts celebrating their three-peat.

Of course, as someone suggested to Grant, the fat lady hasn’t sung.

“She’s hummin’,” Grant said.