Just Another Night on Michael Jordan’s World Tour

So good of those 18,321 Clipper loyalists to show up at The Pond Saturday night to witness Ron Harper’s long-awaited return to Orange County.

So good of Harper to bring Michael Jordan along with him, too.

For those scoring at home, 18,321 is a record-breaker. A triple-record-breaker. It represents:

1) The largest home crowd in the history of the Clippers.

2) The largest crowd in the history of The Pond.

3) The largest crowd to watch an NBA game in the history of Southern California.

All this, and no Dennis Rodman--unless Dennis Rodman in street clothes counts. And, yes, unlike his appearance in this month’s Playboy, Rodman did show up fully clothed, and dramatically toned down for him: baby blue satin shirt (untucked), black leather pants, no dog collar or leash evident anywhere.

The Chicago Bulls in Orange County was a standing-room-only affair--and according to the Clippers’ publicity department, the team sold 110 SRO tickets, cramming bodies into corners previously unimaginable by the Ducks, but expect Disney to be phoning for a copy of the floor plan any minute.

Billy Crystal was there. Cedric Ceballos was there. Every major and lieutenant in the corps of Clipper-level celebrities was on hand, except for the general, Donald Sterling. The only possible explanation is that Donald T. is afraid of large crowds, which is along the lines of what we’ve long suspected--the reason he keeps his Clips based in the wide open spaces of the L.A. Sports Arena.

So Harper and Jordan combined for 55 points (Jordan had 37) and 12 rebounds (Jordan had 11) and the Bulls defeated the Clippers, 104-98, to the surprise of not one of the 18,321. The big on-the-court news was that the Clips were tied in the fourth quarter and within six points in the final two minutes, before the Bulls regained interest, hit a few free throws and took the victory into the locker room.

Where most of the free world’s press corps seemed to be waiting for Jordan.

After a long shower and some fastidious button-fastening, Jordan emerged before the teeming masses, winked and announced, “It’s hot in here. Y’all can’t come to this corner. Some of you got to go to Pippen.”

Nice try.

Jordan squeezed into his cubicle, found a seat, grabbed a soft drink--Gatorade, of course--and patiently answered every question thrown his way, regardless of unusual dialect.

A German journalist asked, very politely, about Detlef Schrempf--”our only player in the league.”

Jordan said he thought Schrempf was a very fine player and probably deserved to play in the All-Star game.

An Australian writer introduced himself, but Jordan cut him off in mid-sentence with: “Don’t ask me nothing about Luc [Longley].”

Jordan has been through this so many hundreds of times, he sometimes has to toy with reporters, just to keep his mind focused. A wide smile showed the Aussie that this was a display of American humor and it would be safe to proceed with the interview.

“I think he gives us good inside play,” Jordan offered, generously. “He’s a good passer. As long as he’s passing to us.”

Another smile.

More American humor.

“He’s real laid-back,” Jordan continued. “All you Australians are like that, right? We got to light a fire under his butt some times.”

With every query, a basketball, a magazine cover or an 8-by-10 glossy was shoved beneath Jordan’s chin. Occasionally, Jordan would interrupt an answer to ask “Who’s this for?” and then sign, as requested, “To Mike.”

Jordan was asked, several times, about being back on the court after nearly two years in the Chicago White Sox farm system. How did it feel? He could have replied, “How did it look?”--37 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, four steals, 13-for-22 shooting on just another punch-the-clock evening.

Instead, Jordan said he was enjoying himself “more than ever.”

“I’m having fun,” he said. “A lot more fun. Before, there was pressure to try to find something to keep me moving, to motivated me. Now, I don’t have to look for that. The motivation is staring me right in the face.

“After being away for two years, some great young talent has entered the league. I’m eager to see how I stack up. That’s a challenge for me now.

“It’s fun to have a challenge. It’s boring not to have a challenge, when you have nothing to look forward to until the playoffs.”

Now, he has nights like this. Record-breaking nights, and all he needs do is show up.

For the record, Jordan’s first impression of The Pond was: “It seems to be a nice arena. We won, so it’s real nice.”