Jordan Has Time to Spare as MVP of East’s Victory

All they had on tap was Mike Lite but this is the NBA, not baseball, and Michael Jordan still rules.

Jordan, making a restrained return to the All-Star game after two years away, arrived late after golfing in Las Vegas, was fined his usual $10,000 for missing an interview session, then played 22 minutes Sunday--nine in the second half--scoring 20 points, leading, or at least helping, the East to a 129-118 victory and winning the most valuable player trophy.

The MVP, chosen by a vote of seven media members, seemed to turn into a popularity contest. Jordan beat Orlando’s Shaquille O’Neal, 4-3, even though Shaq scored a game-high 25 points.

O’Neal attended high school in San Antonio and much of the crowd of 36,037 at the Alamodome booed Jordan’s selection. Jordan, who doesn’t need more trophies, cringed.

“I felt kind of strange with that MVP trophy, with the crowd making their own selection,” Jordan said. “I wish I could have done something about it, but I don’t vote. [O’Neal] should have the trophy. I’ll give it to him if it makes him mad the second half of the season.”

This must not be O’Neal’s event. In his first all-star appearance, he stewed as then-Knick Coach Pat Riley gave his own center, Patrick Ewing, most of the minutes at center. In O’Neal’s second, West veterans swarmed all over him. This was Shaq’s fourth, but despite a succession of rim-rattling dunks, including a monster late in the game over his rival, San Antonio’s David Robinson, it still went wrong for him.

For the record, O’Neal said he wasn’t thinking about winning the trophy. Asked if he was disappointed, he said, “I’m going home to my house, my family and my dog.”

That was how O’Neal reacted in 1992 when the veterans set out to humble him, after which he went on a search-and-destroy mission against the West all-stars in the second half of the season.

Sunday’s game was forgettable enough. The East led by 22 points at the end of three quarters.

What happened to the West?

“We had Charles Barkley on our team,” said Robinson, laughing about his West teammate from Phoenix. “I’m not one to point fingers but--no, it was our whole team. We came out flat. We couldn’t make a jump shot, even a guy like Mitch [Richmond]. When one of the best jump shooters in the game can’t make a shot, you know you don’t have a chance.”

Said Jordan, laughing at Robinson’s analysis: “Well, I think I had a little more sleep than Charles last night. That might have been the difference.”

Barkley, golfing with Jordan, missed the media session and was fined too, although the weekend roared on without them. There were more than 30,000 at All-Star Saturday, and an estimated 100,000 crowded into downtown for the opening of the local Planet Hollywood.

In addition, there was a stock show and a rodeo, which one all-star said he enjoyed more than the game.

“I said, all these high rollers, the last place they would be was at the rodeo,” Utah’s Karl Malone said. “I was right. Those high rollers don’t like to smell that.”

The game actually started out with some intriguing matchups. The East had a lineup that was essentially O’Neal and four guards--Jordan, Chicago’s Scottie Pippen, Miami’s Penny Hardaway and Detroit’s Grant Hill, raising the possibility of some fancy passing and spectacular play. The West had Dallas’ electrifying point guard, Jason Kidd, called the best young playmaker to come into the league since Magic Johnson by Johnson himself.

For a few minutes it even worked. Kidd had five assists in the first nine minutes but after that the West coach, George Karl, subbed in his own Seattle player, Gary Payton. Kidd wound up going only 22 minutes in which he got 10 assists, and the game was never as exciting when he was out of it as was when he was in.

Jordan made little more than a cameo but it was vintage: 22 minutes, 20 points, 11 shots, eight field goals, four rebounds, an assist and a steal.

“He proved it before tonight, he’s all the way back,” Robinson said. “He’s been unbelievable all year long. You can see his game changing. He has become a real pure shooter. I don’t know too many guys who have become pure shooters.”

Said Karl: “I’m just amazed at how intensely he plays basketball. I think he actually plays harder. I don’t know if he’s afraid he’s lost a step or he’ll make a mistake, but his defensive intensity is outstanding. He’s got a jump shot now, he goes in the post. . . .”

However, East Coach Phil Jackson had his own agenda: resting his Bull players. They have had a tough first half of the season running up their 42-5 record and they had been on the road for the 11 days preceding All-Star weekend.

“I think Phil wanted to let some of the young guys play and save my legs, which is what a coach is supposed to do, naturally,” said Jordan, ever diplomatic.

Not that Jordan was busting to get back in there.

“Phil asked me, he said, ‘One of you two has to go back in the game,’ ” Jordan said. “I looked at Scottie. He looked at me. I said, ‘I’m a couple years older than you. You go.’ ”

Pippen went back in. At All-Star weekend, what Jordan wants, Jordan gets, and more.