A befuddled coach once was asked after a particularly painful loss what he thought about his team`s execution.
”I think,” he said, ”it would be a good idea.”
So don`t blame Bulls coach Phil Jackson if he`s harboring similar thoughts. But if it were a Bulls firing squad, the target, no doubt, would be safe.
Once again, almost inexplicably, the Bulls failed to convert shots and key opportunities down the stretch, losing the lead and then the game to the Boston Celtics 110-108.
The Bulls, who have lost three straight without a victory this young season, carried an an 11-point lead into the fourth quarter only to have Brian Shaw put in a missed Robert Parish shot at the buzzer.
”We are playing better,” said Jackson, ”but it was disheartening to look at our big lead (13 points) in the third quarter with momentum and let it slide. But we`ll be back.”
On the court, that will be Wednesday in Minneapolis, into which the Bulls will stagger with one of the worst starts in club history, surpassed only by the 0-9 start of the 1967-68 team that went on to lose 53 games.
”We`ve got 79 games to go,” said Michael Jordan, who led the Bulls with 33 points, 12 assists and 8 rebounds. ”We know we`re going to win one. We can`t lose them all. And when we get one, we feel like we`re going to put a streak together. We did last year. We`re very confident on this team.
”Sure, we`re disappointed. No one likes to lose three in a row, especially two at home. We know if we played like we`re capable of playing, we would have won all three. We haven`t been playing like that, but it isn`t the time to start to panic.”
Actually, for a while before 18,676 in the Stadium, it looked like a time to celebrate as the Bulls looked sharp in taking a 90-79 lead into the fourth quarter.
They had received five straight jumpers from John Paxson on his way to 13 points and Scottie Pippen opened with 14 in the first quarter on the way to 23. Stacey King came off the bench for 10 points and 6 rebounds.
But Boston shook up the Bulls with a smaller lineup to start the fourth quarter and, even though Jackson rushed Jordan back into the game, the Celtics drew into a 96-all tie midway through the final period.
The Celtics then took a four-point lead after an ugly stretch when Paxson, Pippen and Bill Cartwright missed badly and Pippen had another shot blocked, the Bulls missing eight of their last 11 field-goal attempts.
Jordan pulled the Bulls into a tie at 108 with a minute left on an 18-foot jumper, but then missed another 18-footer with :18 left, setting up Boston for the last shot.
The Bulls defensed the Celtics well, forcing Parish into a wild jumper. But Jordan said he mis-timed the ball and it floated over his outstretched hand to Shaw, stationed under the basket.
”It was a freaky situation,” said Jordan. ”I thought I was going to get the rebound.”
But then Shaw, who had 20 points, put the ball through as time expired.
Said Shaw: ”I guess I was in the right place at the right time.”
While everything continued to go wrong for the Bulls.
It was not a pretty start for the Bulls. Horace Grant had to leave the game after only :33 after suffering a cut above his right eye, and the Celtics jumped off to a 14-8 lead.
Boston hit six of its first seven shots. And although the Celtics cooled off to 54 percent shooting in the first half, their range was far better than the Bulls`.
Trying to shake a shooting slump, the Bulls hit half their shots in the first quarter, but were down to 48 percent at halftime and just 55 percent-on 11 of 20 attempts-from the free-throw line in the half.
The Bulls started back in the first quarter behind Pippen, who would go on to get 14 in the period.
Pippen hit a bank shot to get the Bulls within 16-13 midway through the period. He then scored 12 points in the last 5 minutes on four free throws, two jumpers and two hard drives.
That run helped the Bulls score 11 straight points to end the quarter ahead 32-24.
Grant returned to the game late in the first quarter and the Bulls maintained an 11-point lead 6 minutes into the second period with Jordan offering a flying reverse dunk to the festivities.
But Boston went on an 11-4 run behind Kevin McHale and Reggie Lewis, who led Boston with 11 in the half, to draw within 43-41 with 5 minutes left in the half.
With King working effectively inside for eight points and five rebounds, the Bulls went ahead 51-44 as they continued to keep the Celtics from running. But Larry Bird, who led the Celtics with 24 points, came through with two late jumpers to get Boston within 53-51 at halftime.
Boston stayed close through the first part of the third quarter as Bird scored eight points and Boston trailed 70-69 with 5:20 left.
The Bulls then scored eight straight with Jordan and Paxson each hitting a pair of jumpers-Paxson connecting on all five of his shots in the quarter-and the Bulls extended their lead to 84-73 in the next 3 minutes and went on lead 90-79 after three.
