Will Jordan's Bulls Live up to the Hype?

Remembering the 29-5 Start
1990-91 Boston Celtics

National publications decreed this was the year Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls would surpass the Pistons as the top team in the East. Now, after an 0-3 start, Jordan conceded his team put too much stock -- and not enough work --into those lofty predictions.

"We listened to what everyone wrote, and we believed it," said Jordan last night, before losing to the Celtics , 110-108, at the buzzer. "It was tough for us to deal with emotionally. We have a lot of players here who have yet to see success on that level. You see a sign that level is reachable, and naturally your head gets a little bigger. We won ballgames before we started. And now we're paying."

Jordan said the team is "totally out of sync" in an offense devised by coach Phil Jackson to spread the wealth. "It's an equal opportunity offense," said Jordan. "Everyone has to respect their roles in order to make the pieces of the puzzle fit, and right now we are having a tough time doing that.

"Myself, I can play within any offensive set, but the other guys have to expand their roles, step up and prove their game to the point where it's beneficial. It's not a difficult offense. It's an instinctive offense, where you react to the defense."

If Jordan was coaching the Bulls, would he stick with the equal opportunity offense?
"No," he answered. "If I was the coach, I'd determine what our weaknesses are, what our strengths are, then utilize that.

Look at Detroit. Their strength is the screen and roll, and they do it over and over because no one can stop them. Bill Laimbeer? When you leave him, he jumps out and hits the shot. Dennis Rodman knows his role -- he rebounds the ball, and makes a lot of money doing it.

"I'm not questioning coach Jackson's ability. It's just we have two good open-court players Jordan and Scottie Pippen that can create a lot. We have a center Bill Cartwright who is not as mobile as most centers, but if you give him the ball inside, he can connect."

Jordan said the biggest factor holding the club back is the lack of confidence among his teammates. "Of all the teams I've played with in Chicago, these are the most talented 12 guys with the same focus in mind," he said.

"The first team I played with had confidence like you couldn't believe. They weren't the best players in the league, a little spacy actually, but if this team had the confidence they did, we'd be a heck of a team."