Lakers Are Victims of Jordan Takeover

CHICAGO — The Air apparent pulled into town . . . again. The next Michael Jordan to face the last Michael Jordan.

“I’ve seen a couple,” the original said of having witnessed these so-called successors before.

This one came with the requisite hype and the comparisons, apparently more important than the fact that he is not even a starter yet. And then Kobe Bryant went, victims like all the Lakers of the reminder from Jordan that he’s still king of this hill with a 36-point performance that led the Chicago Bulls to an easy 104-83 victory Wednesday night before 24,119 at the United Center.

Bryant finished with 33, the third time he has established a career high in the last four games, but 16 of those came in the fourth quarter, when the closest the Lakers got was 17. Twelve came in the last four minutes, after the Bulls were up 24 and playing Joe Kleine, Jason Caffey, Scott Burrell, Steve Kerr and Jud Buechler.

This, of course, was only the latest stop where the comparisons have come; only a day before, Coach Flip Saunders of the Minnesota Timberwolves had attached Bryant’s name to you-know-who, noting the similar body control and raw skills that most can only imagine.

This really was the first meeting between the two, Bryant having played only 23 minutes in the two games last season.

Jordan being Jordan--his fires routinely stoked by people trying to write him off or other challenges real and imagined--was just a little bit up for this one. He had 13 points in the first quarter and eight more in the second, and that was the last the Lakers saw of a game or their winning streak, over at three in the same convincing manner in which it had been built.

“When we jumped up, 5-0, I looked over at him,” Nick Van Exel said. “I saw Michael at his bench with the ball and you could see he had taken control. He told everyone just to settle down and play the game with his eyes. From that point on, they took control.”

Added Laker forward Corie Blount, a Bull teammate when Jordan returned for the final 17 games of the 1993-94 regular season: “Definitely. I knew he was going to be ready to play.”

So did Jordan.

“It was a challenge because of the hype,” he said. “But as a challenge, you try not to get carried away with the hype, not try to make it a one-on-one challenge with him. I thought a couple times it got that way, and I had to refrain.”

Besides, Jordan was resting. He played only five minutes in the fourth quarter, which may have been five more than necessary but also the safe move considering the events of one year earlier, when the Lakers had a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter at the United Center and then collapsed. They lost in overtime, a brutal defeat.

No such miracle in ’97. Not even a game, really, as the Lakers registered season lows in scoring and shooting (34.5%) as Eddie Jones went one for 11 from the field, Robert Horry zero for six and Rick Fox two for nine. With no contest in sight, much to the Lakers’ dismay, the sideshow moved to the center ring.

Jordan, 34, and Bryant, 19, weren’t regularly matched up, but they were enough. They stayed close anyway. During one dead ball, with the two near midcourt, Bryant asked for advice on preparing to make a post move--should he keep his legs wide or tight? Feel with your legs where the defender is so you know which way to spin, came the response.

“Actually,” Jordan said later, smiling, “I told him the truth.”

Bryant, of course, appreciated as much. Then again, he appreciated the entire night, the positives that still came with a 21-point loss.

“Michael loves a challenge, loves to answer the bell,” he said. “At the same time, my father taught me when I was growing up don’t back down from any man. He’s fired up, you get fired up. Go blow to blow.

“Whenever I have the chance to guard Michael Jordan, I want to guard him. I want him. The ultimate challenge.”

The ultimate player, still. The original.