Jordan Won’t Let Winning or Losing Influence Decision

The first pronouncement of the finals on the future of Michael Jordan has him leaving the door open for a return next season, without attaching Phil Jackson’s future in Chicago as a condition. Whether the Bulls win or lose to the Jazz, he said, also will not have a bearing.

Of course, this pronouncement is sure to be followed by others, maybe even others that contradict.

“It won’t have any impact right now,” Jordan said on the result of this series. “At the end of the season, I’ll be evaluating where the organization is going, some of the decision making they’re going to have to go through, and basing my decision on that.

“I’ve lost at the end of the season before and continued to play and I’ve won at the end of the season and continued to play. So if my hunger and, hopefully, my excitement for the game still continues and I have an appetite for that at the end of the season--win, lose or draw--then I will continue to play.”

So he could live with his last NBA game being a loss?

“Sure,” Jordan said. “I’ve had enough success to know you can’t win every time, and at the end of the season you can lose a game and that’s it.”

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The Bulls took 82 shots, of which Jordan (29) and Scottie Pippen (19) had 48. No, that’s not what you’d call good balance.

“Other guys have to step up and shoot the ball,” Pippen said. “I feel like a lot of good opportunities were there for a lot of our good shooters and they didn’t pull the trigger.”

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Karl Malone, asked if he’d noticed that after missing his first 11 jump shots, he finally made two when he put more arch on them:

“Yeah? I’ll tell you what, I won’t do your job, you don’t do mine. Good observation, though, sir.”

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Jordan scored 20 of his 33 points in the first half. After that, Coach Phil Jackson said, he seemed to tire. After that, Jordan said he did not.

“I’m accustomed to doing that, although I’m 35,” Jordan said.

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This is the 14th year in a row the NBA has used the 2-3-2 format in the finals to cut down on the potential for several lengthy flights that came with the old 2-2-1-1-1 schedule. Only three times since 1985 has the team with the middle three games at home--the Lakers in 1985, the Bulls in ‘93, the Houston Rockets in ‘95--won the series.

“It doesn’t matter,” Chicago’s Dennis Rodman said. “We have been underdogs before, and since we don’t have the home-court advantage, all we need is one or two here and the series will be over.”

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Raymond Ridder, the assistant public relations director for the Lakers the last five years, has been named director of media relations for the Golden State Warriors.