Bulls Leave the Hornets Stinging

Good defense from the Chicago Bulls? Or just another poor offensive outing from the Charlotte Hornets?

“I think it could be both,” Michael Jordan said Sunday after the Bulls held Charlotte to 32 second-half points to post an 83-70 victory in the opener of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals.

“They had some good looks and missed. The next game could be a little different, but I’d say it was half our defense and half that they were missing easy shots.”

Jordan had 35 points and Scottie Pippen 25, scoring only 10 fewer than the entire Hornet team, as the Bulls pulled away in the fourth quarter to win their fourth consecutive playoff game.

Charlotte, which tied a league playoff low with 64 points in the one game it lost to Atlanta in the opening round, scored only 10 third-quarter points and shot 36% for the game.

The performance left Hornet forward Anthony Mason unhappy--with the loss and the game plan.

Mason, who’d scored a playoff-best 29 in a clincher over Atlanta, managed only six points and five shots as he banged inside with Dennis Rodman and faced double teams.

“I was told to wait for the game to come to me and I can’t do that,” Mason said. “I got to do what I can do, get more kind of different looks inside and outside to get the job done.

“[Coach Dave] Cowens don’t know my game. I don’t have no problem with no defense. There’s always an excuse around here. Always somebody got some reason why this or that.”

Cowens said the Hornets tried to kick the ball to their scorers but they missed.

“We tried to get the ball to Glen Rice and Dell Curry who are our shooters. We did a good job of that but we were not able to make some of those good open looks,” Cowens said.

The Hornets came out quickly and built a 30-15 lead in the second quarter.

Chicago, shaking off a three-day layoff, finally got on track toward the end of the half with 16 points and trailed by one at intermission.

Mason said the Hornets started settling for perimeter shots when earlier in the game they made the extra pass for easier ones.

Rice, who shot poorly against the Bulls in four regular-season games, led the Hornets with 25 points, but he was only nine for 25 from the field.

Game 2 is Wednesday at the United Center, where the Bulls are 23-1 in the last three postseasons.