The Game

["Greg Odegaard" <gmodegaa@longvred.rmc.com>]

First MJ slips, but has to blame it on a phantom foul, this after the Phil
and the entire team won't give the Pacers credit for maybe actually beating
them in even one game, they beat themselves or the refs stole the game, and
now MJ can't be man enough to admit he is to blame for the major mental
mistake he made last night:

"We had our play set and I think Scottie got confused in terms of what the
play was, so we had to start it back over again," Jordan said. "I never
really noticed the clock, and no one really noticed the clock."

How pathetic is that the so called "dynasty" can't even lose with dignity? 
It is one thing to blame the other team, it is almost comical to blame the
refs (at least those words coming out of LB's mouth), but it is a sure sign
of below the belt rude, when you can't except blame for a stupid mistake by
blaming your teammate.  A teammate that carried the team through the first
quarter btw.

Also from the ESPN report

"Bulls' next move
Hope Michael Jordan puts the Fear of Jordan into the rest of the Bulls.
Jordan had that look in his eye at the postgame press conference -- that
look that says "I will not lose again Friday." There are rumblings from
Team Dynasty that some are questioning Phil Jackson's late-game strategies
-- the Zen Master had Steve Kerr on Stockton late in regulation. What about
Ron Harper or Scottie Pippen? And did you see Jordan, um, exchanging
viewpoints with Pippen late in the fourth quarter? Game 2 is pretty much a
must-win for the Bulls -- if the Jazz go up 2-0, that guarantees the series
will be over in Chicago, or the Bulls have to come back and play in Utah.
Not a good scenario for the defending champs."

What a team.

Also how pathetic is Thomas on the mike?  He actually stated that Longley
upset Pippen's rythm by tipping the ball to Pippen at the end of the game. 
Excuse me you horses patut but Pippen likely wouldn't have even got off a
shot without Luc tipping him the ball.  You can't shoot it if you ain't got
it.  Is Zeke an original excuse guy, it must have been Luc's fault Pip
missed the shot, he had to blame something.  I didn't see Pippen even look
Luc's way after the miss, he was just upset with himself for missing the
shot.  

One last note;  other than the great weather, food, people and sports (ala
Fenway and home C's games) it is great living on the Left Coast where a
game like this starts just after dinner and is over at 9:00 PM.  Same goes
for MNF.  Of course I would pass it all up for seeing nearly all the C's
games on a local broadcast and listening to local sports talk.

Later, Go Jazz,
Greg