22pts/4rbds/5assists TONI KUKOC game 3 first round Playoffs 1995 vs Hornets

FG 9/10, 2/2 3pts, FT 2/6
The New York Times Archives
By Mike Wise
May 3, 1995

The shrine across the street was almost gone, disemboweled by cranes and bulldozers and a demolition crew. The new building was rocking, the noise inside reaching a crescendo in the third quarter.

About the time Michael Jordan's old home, Chicago Stadium, was turning to dust, his new playoff address, the United Center, was warming up. And nostalgia or no, nothing changes these nights in Chicago, absolutely nothing.

Buoyed by the re-emergence of Toni Kukoc and Scottie Pippen, Jordan and the Chicago Bulls blew away the Charlotte Hornets tonight, 103-80, in Game 3 of their three-of-five-game, first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.

Before a frolicking throng of 24,114, they made their first playoff game in the United Center resemble a night from their post-season runs past, using a 30-11 binge in the third quarter to move within one game of the second round.
The Bulls play host to the Hornets in Game 4 Thursday night with a 2-1 series lead, and they have no intention of returning to Charlotte for Game 5.

Asked whether his team would wrap up the series on Thursday, Pippen replied, "Definitely."

The Bulls won because Jordan no longer had to dispose of Charlotte by himself. Kukoc scored 14 of his 22 points in the third quarter, Luc Longley kept Alonzo Mourning off the boards and out of the Bulls' psyche in his first start this season at center, and Pippen responded with his most complete performance, scoring 14 points, distributing 9 assists and grabbing 5 rebounds.
Jordan, who averaged 40 points in the first two games of the series, led all scorers with 25 points. But he was more teacher and excited observer than he was superstar tonight as his teammates finally got involved.

Larry Johnson's 22 points led Charlotte, which shot 43.1 percent to Chicago's 58.3 percent.

Part of the reason was Bulls Coach Phil Jackson's decision to shuffle the lineup and the matchups. Longley proved effective against Mourning, and Jordan was assigned the 5-foot-3-inch Muggsy Bogues, which enabled Jordan to double-team in the post.

"One of the suggestions I had at practice was to be on Muggsy," Jordan said. "It gave us a little more rebounding. Muggsy had to go back on the offensive boards, that way I was able to be back on their boards."
Mourning, who was limited to 13 points and 7 rebounds after averaging 27.5 and 19 in the first two games, jawed and elbowed and became ornery in the closing minutes. He talked trash with Jordan and earned a technical foul. Earlier, he exchanged shoves and words with Pippen.
The Bulls had succeeded in doing just what Jackson wanted: getting under the Charlotte behemoth's skin and making Mourning take himself out of the game.

"I thought there were a lot of illegal defenses that weren't called," said Mourning, who chose to blame the officiating. "That technical shouldn't have been called, either. Playing with all the calls going against you, it is easy to get frustrated. It's like playing against eight guys, not just five."

Pippen said: "We've heard this trash-talking all series about how they are going to come at us. Alonzo always tries to show his immaturity. He tries to play a macho game and that is not the way the game is played. The way you beat people in this league is to go out and play them."
While Jordan had been his usual uncanny self the first two games, the other Bulls starters were averaging a combined 18.1 points less than their season averages.

One sequence during the third-quarter run, which began with a Jordan 3-pointer, lifted nearly everyone in the arena out of their seats.

First, Jordan weaved through the Hornets in the open floor and exploded to the basket, dunking left-handed amid a deafening roar. Then Kukoc followed suit on the Bulls' next possession, flying in from the right side and dunking hard over Mourning with 8 minutes 33 seconds remaining. The Bulls led, 64-46, and were on their way to a margin that would reach 80-53 with 2:44 left in the third.
It was bedlam in the United Center. Meanwhile, nearly half of Chicago Stadium was demolished this afternoon. Fans filed by, passing the bronze statue of Jordan while wiping the dust from their eyes.

The Bulls won three championships there. Jordan kissed midcourt in the last event hosted there last September, Scottie Pippen's charity game. So enamored of its lore and history was Jordan that he had his old locker-room chair from the building moved into the United Center.

But if they missed the charm and wonder of that cracker box tonight, it was not evident. The Bulls won for the 19th time in 23 games at the United Center since Jan. 20. Out with the old. In with the new.