70 : Bulls Have to Struggle, but They Finally Get Their One for the Books

Just which one of these teams was supposed to be the greatest in basketball history?

After a day off to proclaim their superiority to the 1972 Lakers, the 1967 Philadelphia 76ers and all the other great NBA teams, the Chicago Bulls became the first team to reach 70 victories, but not before a game-long struggle with the lowly Milwaukee Bucks, 54-game losers, who finally succumbed, 86-80, Tuesday night and let history take its course.

How did it feel to be atop the basketball world, regular-season division?

“I think relief is one of the things that I can say was probably the overwhelming emotion,” Coach Phil Jackson said. “Just that it’s over.”

And its place among their other great accomplishments?

“Depends on what accomplishments you’re talking about,” Michael Jordan said. “I’ve got quite a few.”

They had better hope historians weren’t paying close attention Tuesday, or couldn’t get TNT, because this game was as ugly as historic. Jordan scored 22 points but missed 18 of 27 shots. Scottie Pippen missed 12 of 19 as the Bulls shot 39%.

After rallying from an 11-point deficit to take an 82-78 lead with 4:41 left, the Bulls failed to score in their next seven possessions.

The Bucks cut it to 82-80 on Vin Baker’s short jumper with 4:19 left . . . and didn’t score again. In their final eight possessions, they got off three shots and Jordan blocked one of those.

The Bulls finally put the game away, or out of its misery, when the Bucks had to foul them. Luc Longley made two free throws with 21 seconds left, Steve Kerr added two more with 13 seconds left and the Bulls had the record.

A sellout crowd of 18,633, half of whom seemed to have driven up from Chicago, arrived bearing Bull banners and caps with “Drivin’ to 70” on them. When the Bulls came out to warm up, they got a standing ovation. Buck Coach Mike Dunleavy said it was “a little disheartening.”

It has been a long winter and a longer basketball season in Wisconsin, but the Bulls came out loose to the point of inattentive, letting Sherman Douglas sneak in for two offensive rebound baskets, and the next thing they knew, it was a basketball game.

The Bulls scored 12 points in the second quarter and found themselves down, 49-40, at the half. Jordan missed all his shots in the period and seemed to notice he had gotten only five. Once, after Kerr threw up an uncharacteristic 20-footer on a fastbreak (he missed), Jordan got the ball back, dribbled it to the three-point line, pulled up and fired (he missed too.)

Pippen, who has been in a slump for several weeks, was doing well to graze the rim with a jump shot after the opening minutes. Ron Harper fired a three-point shot off the side of the backboard. You can see what the Bulls were up against.

Early in the third quarter, however, Baker got a technical foul, allowing Jordan a chance to shoot a free throw and reestablish his rhythm.

Jordan made the free throw--and three of his next four shots. The Bulls surged back into the game, finally taking the lead on Kerr’s three-point basket with 7:18 left.

The Bucks scored only six more points and never led again.

Afterward, Jackson, again looking as somber as an undertaker, declared he felt “a lot of joy” and said he would probably smoke one of the cigars the players had given him, even though he doesn’t like cigars. Hopefully it won’t be the one from Dennis Rodman.

Jordan, noting the real mission--a fourth championship in six years--is yet to begin, said the players were “a little reserved” afterward. He was pressed to rank the 70th victory among his favorite achievements. Turned out it made the top 10, but barely.

“My top 10?” he said. “Well, first [NBA] championship, No. 1. You want me to go down the list?

“Then my national championship [at North Carolina]. Then my Olympic in ’84. Then the second NBA championship. Third NBA championship. Then the second [Olympic] gold medal. Then draft day. And then 70 wins.

“When we win the championship this year, I’m pretty sure it’s going to rank right up in the top three.”

Right now, the 70 victories are running an inglorious No. 8. Right now the best thing about the feat is that the pressure is off and the press is going away, for now. However, the season ends Sunday, the playoffs start next week and the press and the pressure will be back.

“At least we get a week, a couple weeks,” Jordan said, “which is the biggest break we’ve had in a while.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

A Month-By-Month Look at The Bulls’ March to History

November: 12-2

December: 13-1

January: 14-0

February: 11-3

March: 12-2

April: 8-1

Big Winners

ALL-TIME NBA WINNING PERCENTAGES

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Year Team W L Pct. 1996 x-Chicago 70 9 .886 1972 Lakers 69 13 .841 1967 Philadelphia 68 13 .840 1973 Boston 68 14 .829 1992 Chicago 67 15 .817 1986 Boston 67 15 .817 1947 Washington 49 11 .817 1971 Milwaukee 66 16 .805 1950 Syracuse 51 13 .797 1983 Philadelphia 65 17 .793 1987 Lakers 65 17 .793 1960 Boston 59 16 .787 1996 x-Seattle 62 17 .785 1965 Boston 62 18 .775

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x-Through April 16

BEST REGULAR SEASONS IN THE OTHER MAJOR SPORTS

NHL

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Year Team Pct. (Record) 1977 Montreal .825 (60-8-12) 1978 Montreal .806 (59-10-11) 1996 Detroit .799 (62-13-7) 1976 Montreal .794 (58-11-11)

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Ties considered half win, half loss

NFL

*--*

Year Team Pct. (Record) 1972 Miami 1.000 (14-0) 1942 Chicago 1.000 (11-0) 1934 Chicago 1.000 (13-0) 1929 Green Bay .962 (12-0-1) 1923 Canton .958 (11-0-1)

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Ties considered half win, half loss

BASEBALL

American League

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Year Team Pct. (Record) 1954 Cleveland .721 (111-43) 1927 N.Y. Yankees .714 (110-44) 1931 Philadelphia A’s .704 (107-45) 1939 N.Y. Yankees .702 (106-45)

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National League

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Year Team Pct. (Record) 1906 Chicago .763 (116-36) 1902 Pittsburgh .741 (103-36) 1909 Pittsburgh .724 (110-42) 1907 Chicago .704 (107-45)

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