Phoenix Running Out of Options : Game 5: Suns haven’t found a way to stop Jordan, who is averaging 43 points and has Bulls on the verge of a third consecutive title.

Who’s next?

Negele Knight?

Jerrod Mustaf?

Joe Proski?

The first two are Phoenix Suns who haven’t guarded Michael Jordan. The third is the Suns’ trainer, but the way things are going, you never know.

Jordan is averaging 43 points in the NBA finals. The Chicago Bulls lead, 3-1, as they go for their third consecutive title tonight, and Sun Coach Paul Westphal, the idea man, is getting punchy.

“I’d like to play a box-and-one, triangle-and-two,” he said Thursday, “but I don’t think we can do that.”

Boxes and triangles are illegal in the NBA, saving Westphal the aggravation of deciding whether the four-man box would play Jordan or the other Bulls.

Once again, Westphal will select a volunteer for the assignment. In the last three games, it has been Dan Majerle, Kevin Johnson and Richard Dumas, so maybe he just draws a name from a hat.

For a change, Westphal wants the other Suns to shut down the lane, by any means necessary.

“I thought our defense was terrible Wednesday night,” Westphal said, sardonically. “Probably because we’re in the West, we got soft. But whatever the reason, we did not plug up the middle well enough and he got to the basket way too many times and I think that’s why they won the game.

“I like blocked shots better than hard fouls. I like drawing charges, but we have to provide more help.

“And we can’t be allowing wimpy three-point plays where you just tick the guy on the wrist and it doesn’t even bother him and he makes the shot and then goes to the free-throw line. That’s not good basketball.”

Defense is a recent Sun concern, so you might not want to expect too much.

On the other hand, their offense has started giving the Bulls fits.

The Suns scored 129 points in the triple-overtime Game 3. With 30 seconds left in Game 4, Jordan had 52 points, but the Suns were still within 106-104 and had the ball.

In Games 1 and 2, the Bulls took away half the Suns’ game: Kevin Johnson’s entire repertoire, Dan Majerle’s three-pointers, Richard Dumas’ run-outs ahead of the pack.

Somehow, perhaps because of Charles Barkley’s injured elbow, the Suns got it all back and have tortured the Bulls all week.

“It’s almost like you don’t want to look,” said Bull assistant John Bach, who runs the team’s defense.

“I looked up the other night, I said, ‘Geez, Michael has 52 points and we’re only two points ahead.’

“It should be like the old days, when Red Auerbach lit up a cigar and let everyone know the game’s over. It isn’t over here until the damn buzzer sounds.”

Added to the Bulls’ woes is that, once again, they are standing around, waiting for Jordan.

He has averaged 40 shots in the last two games.

Scottie Pippen, to pick a name, made five of six shots in Wednesday’s first quarter, took eight after that and made two.

While tiptoeing around, he also made a soft cross-court pass that Barkley picked off, giving the Suns their last chance to tie before Johnson’s key turnover.

Westphal is anything but a stand-pat guy. Chicago Coach Phil Jackson predicts that Phoenix will double-team Jordan everywhere and take its chances.

The other Bulls will have to accept the challenge.

“They’re not stepping up,” said ESPN’s Jack Ramsay. “You’ve got to step up, want the ball and do something with it.

“I saw the other Bull players as very tentative the last two games. You can’t do that. I think Horace (Grant) will take the shot. Scottie seemed reluctant the last two games. I think he was exhausted in Game 3, but last night. . . . “

How can you have all these problems and a 3-1 lead on the way to becoming the first team to win three consecutive titles in 26 years?

Simple.

No. 23.

“He said before Wednesday’s game he wasn’t going to Phoenix, and his summer vacation was starting on Saturday,” teammate Scott Williams said of Jordan.

“He won that game, I would say, almost single-handedly for us, and now, I think, we need to all come out with a strong team effort that we can all be proud of.”