Rare Jordan: Raging Bull Lets Off Steam -- Pistons Triumph; `Air' Kicks Chair

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Michael Jordan, whose nickname is Air, let off some steam after his team fell behind, 2-0, in the NBA Eastern Conference finals.

Make that a lot of steam.

Jordan, the Chicago Bulls' All-Star guard, kicked folding chairs and had harsh words for his teammates at halftime, then rushed to the team bus without speaking to reporters after the Detroit Pistons completed a 102-93 victory over the Bulls last night.

``I don't think I've seen him more upset,'' teammate John Paxson said.

Jordan had a lot to be upset about. An injured left hip limited his movement, and a sprained right wrist made shooting an adventure; he shot 5 for 16 from the floor.

While Jordan was scoring a sub-par 20 points, Piston guard Joe Dumars was making 12 of 19 field-goal attempts and 6 of 7 free throws for a game-high 31 points.

``I think he's disappointed in his efforts tonight,'' Coach Phil Jackson of the Bulls said of Jordan. ``For 14 minutes, he played pretty good basketball. But other than that, he really didn't show the characteristics he's shown all year.

``I've never seen Michael that upset.''

Nothing angered Jordan more than the Bulls' 14 turnovers by halftime. Those - coupled with 35-percent shooting - were primarily responsible for the Pistons' 53-38 lead at intermission.

``He didn't mention names, he was just so disappointed,'' said Horace Grant, Chicago forward. ``I can't blame him. Some guys don't know what the playoffs are all about. The guys know who they are. They've got to step up. They've got to be more physical.''

Jordan's blistering halftime speech resulted in a 24-9 third-quarter run, but the Bulls didn't have anything left after Craig Hodges' jump shot gave Chicago a 67-66 lead at 3:34 of the third quarter. The Pistons gained control by scoring eight of the last 10 points in the quarter.

``We just ran out of gas,'' Jackson said.

Jordan, for one, should have had some energy left. He went on cruise control in the first half, taking just seven shots and scoring only seven points. It certainly wasn't the Jordan the Pistons have been accustomed to seeing in a playoff setting.

``He definitely wasn't the Jordan we're used to,'' said the Pistons' Vinnie Johnson, who had 18 points and eight rebounds in 29 minutes. ``He wasn't aggressive; he

wasn't going after the ball. He seemed like he was trying to get his teammates involved.''

It didn't work.

In the first half, forward Scottie Pippen, who took a 21.6 playoff scoring average into the series against the Pistons, took just two shots and scored six points. Horace Grant, the Bulls' other starting forward, managed just two points on 1-for-2 shooting. And they combined for just four rebounds.

Pippen finished with 17 points and seven rebounds, Grant 17 points and nine rebounds.

``We didn't have any bench play,'' Jackson said. ``We've got to try and regroup and see what we have to do.''

Jordan's tirade didn't serve as motivation for rookie power forward Stacey King, who scored just two of his 10 points after halftime. King was one of the last Bulls to join Jordan on the team bus.

``He really didn't say anything,'' King insisted, ``but you could tell that he was mad. I've been around the guy a year, so I should know. He kicked a chair. That told me he was mad. But all the players are mad.''

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Chicago

vs. Detroit

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EASTERN CONFERENCE

Best-of-seven series

Pistons lead 2-0

1 Detroit 86, Chicago 77

2 Detroit 102, Chicago 93

3 Saturday, at Chicago

4 May 28, at Chicago

5 May 30, at Detroit #

6 June 1, at Chicago #

7 June 3, at Detroit #

# If necessary.