Jordan Airball Allows C's to Escape

2/6/1985

CELTICS ESCAPE BULLS AFTER JORDAN'S AIRBALL, 110-106

CHICAGO

The Second City Hoop Renaissance is making Chicago a dangerous NBA outpost once again.

The Celts escaped from archaic Chicago Stadium with a 110-106 victory over the Bulls last night, but no one enjoys the thought of seven games in May against the NBA's Young and Restless.



Leading by five with 1:18 to play, the Celts watched Flying Wallenda Michael Jordan score two baskets (rebounding a Larry Bird miss in between) to cut it to 107-106. Then Orlando Woolridge rebounded a Kevin McHale miss and the Bulls called time with 18 seconds left. Little did we know Jordan would give the term "Air Jordan" a whole new meaning.

"Air Jordan," is the All-Star rookie's trademark. It's inscribed on those gaudy sneakers which are to footwear what Lou Carnesecca's sweater is to pullovers. It hasn't a remote connection with the dreaded airball, but it was an airball by Air Jordan that scattered the Bulls last night.

After exploding for 41 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals, Jordan went home with goat horns on his head. He dazzled the Celtics and 18,061 for 44 minutes, then heaved an airball when he could have won the game.

Trailing by one with 0:18 showing, Woolridge inbounded to Jordan. Jordan dribbled to the right and hoisted a 15-footer. The shot hit nothing and came down in the soft hands of Larry Bird. Bird was fouled with 13 seconds left and made both. The Bulls called time again. When play resumed Robert Parish rebounded a Quintin Dailey three-point attempt and the Celts moved to 40-9, a game and a half ahead of the Sixers.

Did Jordan rush his potential game winner?

"We wanted to get a shot up quick because if somebody missed we could still foul," said Jordan. "I got the ball, went to the hole, and tried to put it down, but it came up short. I'm hurt about that because it would have been the one to win."

"We wanted to take it as soon as we got a good shot," said Bull coach Kevin Loughery. "They had a foul to give so we couldn't let the clock get down to four or five seconds. It was a pretty good shot, he just didn't make it."

Dennis Johnson was the man with a hand in Jordan's face.

"I knew he was gonna be the one to take the shot," said DJ. "It wasn't very hard to figure out and, being a Phi Beta like myself, it was a drop in the bucket."

Events leading up to Air Jordan's Airball were no less exciting.

The Celts got extraordinary performances from McHale and Danny Ainge. McHale terrorized the Bulls with 29 points, 6 offensive rebounds and 4 blocks.

"We're not able to contain him," said Loughery. "He's been the guy. I feel he's one of the top 10 players in the game and should have definitely been on the All-Star team."

McHale's response: "We're like the American Gigolo. We came to Chicago to break their hearts and we succeeded. The reason I'm doing a better job on the offensive boards is that I had a good lesson from Moses Malone last week."

Ainge hit his first nine floor attempts and finished with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals. Bird struggled at the start, but wound up with 27 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Bird and McHale scored 27 of Boston's 34 fourth-quarter points.

Ainge shot the Celts to a 28-25 lead at the end of one, but the Bulls wrested the lead from Boston early in the second and built a seven-point margin. McHale kept Boston afloat, but Chicago led, 56-51, at intermission.

The third quarter was streaky. Ainge led an 8-0 Celtic run which pushed Boston to a 65-62 lead, but the Celts didn't score in the last three minutes of the period and trailed, 80-76, after three.

The Bulls held the lead for the first four minutes of the fourth. The Celts took over for good on a three-point play by McHale with 7:59 left. McHale and Bird did most of the work as the C's built a six-point lead, but Jordan was just getting warmed up. Nothing was safe on the near west side of Chitown last night.