For a playoff-bound team, the Bulls will be happy with everyvictory they can get so that they can secure home-court advantage inthe first round.
As for winning a fourth consecutive championship, don't holdyour breath. Not by the way the Bulls (47-24) are playing.
The Bulls' 102-95 victory over the lottery-bound DetroitPistons (20-50) Friday left a lot to be desired. You'd expect abigger margin when you consider the Bulls outrebounded the Pistons52-32 and outshot them 48.7 percent to 44.6 percent.
But those edges were offset by 18 turnovers to the Pistons' 11.
"It was an April Fools' Day game, and I guess we were trying toplay the fool," coach Phil Jackson said. "We made some very unusualand irrational choices in the first half.
"We let the game get away from us in the second quarter, and wehad to really display some hustle and defense in the third to getback into it. That's how bad a slide we made. Turnovers and secondshots really hurt us. We just could not control the ball."
In a game that saw 14 lead changes and six ties, the Bulls nevercould pull away from the Pistons. A Scott Williams free throwearly in the fourth quarter gave the Bulls the lead for good, andthey grabbed their biggest lead 94-84 after Steve Kerr's 19-footjumper with 5:30 to play.
The Pistons chipped away, and Sean Elliott's two free throwswith 33.3 seconds left made it a four-point game at 99-95.
The Pistons missed their last three shots, while the Bulls gota free throw from B.J. Armstrong and two from Kerr.
Armstrong led the Bulls with 23 points. Horace Grant had 22points and 10 rebounds. Scottie Pippen, who suffered an eye injuryThursday, finished with 13 points on 5-for-18 shooting but added agame-high 15 rebounds and a team-high seven assists.
Jackson felt the biggest shot was Kerr's three-pointer with6:55 to play after the Pistons had closed within 86-84 on two Elliottfree throws.
Elliott led all scorers with 26 points and Terry Mills added 16.
Bulls reserve guard Jo Jo English left after injuring his leftthigh early in the second quarter and did not return.
Joe Dumars, the Pistons' leading scorer, played only the firstthree minutes of the fourth quarter and left the game. He had sevenpoints on 2-for-10 shooting.
Down the stretch the Pistons used rookie shooting guard AllanHouston with veteran playmaker Isiah Thomas.
"We played good enough to be in a position to make a run and winthe game," Dumars said. "We just could not make the run."
Thomas, a 13-year veteran, probably played his last game inChicago. He missed his last shot, an off-balance, 12-foot baselineeffort with 92 seconds to play.
When the game was over, Thomas asked a ballboy for the balland made a simple layup. Earlier, Thomas was booed whenintroduced.
"The home team always boos the other guys," Thomas said."They're supposed to. I got paid to win championships and I did(two). I just wanted to make my last shot. I have great memories ofthis building."
NOTES: Veteran Bulls starting center Bill Cartwright sat out his 31st game of the season with backspasms.
With the playoffs just about four weeks away, Cartwright said itwas not so urgent for him to be a regular player as far as preparinghim for the playoffs.
"All I really need is three or four games before the playoffs toget ready," Cartwright said. "I should be OK with that."
While Cartwright sat out all of 1984-85 and all but two games of1985-86 with a broken foot, the previous highest number of games hemissed when he was a regular player was 24 in 1986-87. Most of the Bulls and Pistons pick Arkansas to win the NCAAchampionship.
Favoring Arkansas are Horace Grant, Scottie Pippen, Jo JoEnglish, Corie Blount, John Paxson and Scott Williams of the Bulls;Greg Anderson, Charles Jones, Joe Dumars, Lindsey Hunter and AllanHouston of the Pistons.
Favoring Duke are Bill Cartwright, Toni Kukoc, Luc Longley andBill Wennington of the Bulls; Terry Mills and Isiah Thomas of thePistons.
Favoring Arizona are alumni Steve Kerr of the Bulls and SeanElliott of the Pistons.
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