Bulls Must Dodge Bullets

Along with balancing the budget and keeping the latest White House scandal out of the headlines, there is now a third virtual impossibility facing the deep thinkers of official Washington: beating the Chicago Bulls in the NBA playoffs.

“Chicago poses a formidable challenge for anyone, whether you’re the eighth seed or the second,” said Miami Heat Coach Pat Riley of the task facing the Washington Bullets, who open a best-of-five opening-round series against Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and company Friday night at United Center. “They’re too good, they’re too experienced and they especially know how to play to win at this time of the year.”

But unlike last year, when the Bulls ran amok through the league, losing but three postseason games (only one in the Eastern Conference playoffs) en route to their fourth title in the past six seasons, there is hope for those squads intent on dethroning the champions. And according to a number of NBA coaches who took part in a series of telephone conference calls Monday, a list of teams with a realistic chance of scaling the Mt. Everest of pro hoops should include the Bullets.

“Washington has some interesting, good talent,” said Atlanta Coach Lenny Wilkens. “And I don’t think the gap between the Bulls and everyone else is as great as other years. ... If you listen to what’s said or written, you’d think no one wants to play them, but I don’t feel anyone should be intimidated by them or feel that they can’t compete with them.”

“Washington definitely has enough talent to compete with them,” added Riley. “They have size and two forwards (Chris Webber and Juwan Howard) who can score and rebound, and they have a number of good shooters.”

The Bullets finished fourth in the Atlantic Division but have momentum on their side -- they won 16 of their last 21 games to seize the final playoff berth in the East. Minnesota Timberwolves Coach Flip Saunders (who led that franchise to its first playoff berth) said the task facing underdogs like Washington and his team is comparable to “Cassius Clay going against Sonny Liston.”

However, if there were a blueprint for upsetting the Bulls, it would certainly include meeting them in the opening round of play, when a team needs just three victories, instead of four.

“A five-game series evens things a little. ... It gives (the underdog) a chance,” Wilkens said. “No one expects them to do anything; if Washington goes out there and plays its game, plays like they don’t have anything to lose, who knows what will happen?”

Adding to that hope of catching the Bulls off-guard early is the team’s fragile health. Rodman, the league’s leading rebounder, missed the last 13 regular season games after injuring a knee in the closing seconds of a March 25 win over Dallas. Toni Kukoc, Chicago’s sixth man extraordinaire, has missed 20 games since March with a sore foot.

Chicago Coach Phil Jackson said that he expects the duo to play in the series opener, but admitted they may not be 100 percent until Game 3, which is April 30 at USAir Arena here.

And, particularly in the case of Kukoc, who is somewhat of a defensive liability even when healthy, the Bullets would be wise to test that readiness.

“If you have someone who’s not going well, you attack them,” Saunders said.

Riley added that the assorted injuries had a carry-over effect up and down the Chicago roster. The Bulls lost four of their last 10 games to close out the year. The grind even affected the wondrous Jordan, who suffered through a late-season shooting slump. Of course, Washington shouldn’t expect that to continue into the playoffs because, at this time of year, Jordan’s will and desire to win are at least on a par with his physical gifts. But, reiterated Wilkens, that doesn’t mean that the Bullets should just concede that Jordan will score 50 points a night or that they have no chance of winning.

What the Bulls have over other teams, Wilkens said, “is experience. But no matter what Chicago does, they still have to guard them. ... If I’m Bernie, I think you tell the players to let the sky be your limit.”

Riley admits the Heat didn’t take that approach last season, when it used a late-season rush to gain the eighth playoff spot only to be swept by Chicago, losing the three games by an average of 23 points.

“We were just giddy at the thought of just making the playoffs and we got caught in a landslide,” Riley said. “Obviously, the key for Washington is to be in it mentally for 48 minutes and when the game is on the line and hope that they can stop Michael from getting good looks at the basket. ...

“Chicago knows your individual strengths and weaknesses and they know what you want to do as a team offensively and defensively ... but they can be had for a game or two.”