Michael Jordan vs Dominique Wilkins first game after the 1988 Dunk Contest

redefines the limits of his art Wilkins the runner-up to Jordan in the slam dunk competition there are millions of high wire moves still to be choreographed and the first place Atlanta Hawks are soaring on Wilkins wings and so today a grudge rematch Dominique Wilkins man of the incredible move and Michael Jordan a legend who's becoming larger than life it's the NBA on CBS it's a Monday afternoon a holiday Monday afternoon a basketball on CBS and Central Division battle today the Atlanta Hawks and the Chicago Bulls Good afternoon everybody I'm Burl Unquist and welcome to the NBA on CBS the fifth meeting this year between these two Central Division rivals but there's no question the spotlight today will focus on Dominique and Michael Jordan he's had a knee problem a great deal of this early part of the season but it's he really hasn't seemed to hurt his ability to get up and take it strong to the roof my wife will be late man wait Wilkins who a week ago here finished second in that controversial scoring decision on stand-up competition and as publicly indicated he wants no part of it anymore he sure got a little rankles and I think he's going to take it out on the bulls this afternoon yeah you really expect him to be inspired I really do because he's that type of emotional player that he reaches a peak and he can pump himself up to a plateau that higher than most players can fifth time the two teams have met Chicago won the first two Atlanta won the last two Chicago has had horrid shooting percentages the last four games Rory Sparrow on the break now they set it up in the half-court offense Michael Jordan outside shooting this year has just been terrific Chicago back on top by one Randy Whitman on the said they fell on the floor laughing when they heard Tom Wrightson say Atlanta's got a very aggressive defense they all have quick hands and quick feet Sparrow's shot too strong and here comes Atlanta Doc Rivers ball tipped away by Mike Brown and Jordan here comes Chicago in transition both teams trying to take it to each other fast break style create some openings and that's going to put a lot of pressure on the middleman of each team to create the good openings for easy baskets trying to force him to that shot player tree Rollins doesn't get credit for the offense he does score they don't go to him an awful lot but I'll tell you he is Mr. Defense for the Hawks gets into the corner and when the defense sinks in Whitman will kill you out there in a row does anybody's heart good 805 to go first quarter play hopefully for Chicago is Roy Sparrow now they're being forced more and more to the half-court set offense Jordan tries to get it inside taken away and here comes Atlantis way up in the air for the limping a little bit as he goes back down court get it to the outside shooter and then the defense has to rush it get by and into the defense for some easy shots Randy Whitman leads all scores with six now Chicago three on three Michael Jordan and they'll keep feeding him until proven otherwise he comes off picks he's one of the best if they said good picks for him he's a 20 point a game scorer if he gets enough shots off Michael Jordan has dimensional ballplay he's finding the people when he's supposed to find the people's version of the twin towers Corzine and Brown in there at the same time Kevin Willis Apollo shot is good for Cliff Livingston I'll tell you he is a multi-skilled player a lot of people think he ought to be playing more time than he is but when he's out that range and turns around that's his shot Cliff Livingston that's five baskets from Randy Whitman and are his teammates knocking off the defense with some hard kicks Jordan has Whitman on him and they'll stay that way if you're mustard much of the first half as soon as the double team develops he has a total willingness to find an open man which he did beautifully I think the happiest guy in the league when Muggsy Bogues now he said let Muggsy have all the short man questions that's not his kind of shot on the move like that that's eight points for Jordan Jordan will pick his spots when he's one-on-one and take his shot wherever it may develop as soon as he's doubled he'll get rid of it Chicago back on top Whitman really reflecting that he's afraid of Jordan's speed backs off and that's all the room Jordan needs to get the shot away Horace Grant has come into the Horace Grant of Chicago what a skilled player cars inside outside Randy Whitman five seconds to go first quarter Dominique is back in there to go with Spud Webb's speed by Grant and right on the money by entire car just outside of Chicago Stadium weather a little crisp but inside nice and toasty 34 29 Atlanta leads Vern Lundquist along with Tom Heinsohn Chicago led at 23 22 but then Atlanta stormed back and has a five-point lead as we end a quarter number two Tommy both teams want to emphasize the fast break let's chronicle how well they've done here in the first quarter well Atlanta obviously has been four out of five eight points Chicago one out of three and what I think has really been a problem for Chicago is in their outletting of rebounds defensive rebounds that quick pass off the rebound getting it to somebody that can advance the ball Horace Grant and Dave Corzine as Jordan gets a rest Scottie Pippen cutting back to the left underneath Horace Grant started to come along little things like that that fast break rivers with three points now Michael Jordan stays on the bench really like that Pippen what a multi-skilled player can dribble pass shoot they only move by rivers when rivers gets into the paint that's his territory Doug Collins talking last night about his two young men Horace Grant Scottie Pippen they're still learning how to be pros offensive foul game they get too emotionally up there is rivers in the paint coming down on the left side of your screen gets into the defense and he has a number two guard back in college really has that Jordan getting ready to come five seven and leaps a little higher than six five knocks it down probably the biggest culprit of holding the ball too long on the Chicago Bulls is Charles Oakley the outlet pass that time he got it and he immediately on the catch looks up the court and lets one fly could have been on the money but that wasn't the pass to make shot in the pocket five Jordan his second 9.7 and Jordan at 33.1 Wilkins with six rebounds to five and a field goal percentage so far today Wilkins with five points and Jordan getting into the offense themselves I think Jordan by design to make things happen for his teammates and he's settled in very nicely to that and I think Atlanta's other people have come along and done an excellent job that's why it doesn't start anymore I think we're tied 42 all 655 to go first down he's in double figures he's confusing the Atlanta defense they don't know when to don't go double him went to play him one-on-one and he's starting to read it beautifully for those one-on-one situations underneath from Oakley on Dominique Wilkins down in the low post well I talk about reading the defenses and not taking forced shots and here is a great move by Jordan he's got Dominique on him a little foot fake and he drops down but Dominique hanging on his shooting hand but that great move eludes it and then look at that ability to go get the rebound and then put it back up now people may have thought that was a four shot but he's so used to slicing between double teams that that was practically a layup for him that outside shot it just was a little bit off but this man is outstanding and he's becoming truly one of the great creators of the game in and that's an area of growth for him I guess expected but did you expect him to blossom enough category with his team this quick you could have thought he was a gunner but he's much more than that three on two trailer is Jordan and Pippen doesn't see him boy they had a four on three and Pippen just didn't get rid of the ball a seven point Chicago lead the gold streak for himself Dominique don't count him out I saw him play against the Celtics one night they lost by something like 25 he was still man-to-man pressing with five seconds left to go really assume the scoring lead he's got to make up for a lot of the ills of this ballpark right now he's gonna hide at you folks Randy Whitman no chance to stay with him on the dribble and his glide pattern he tries to get intercepted by a Russian mig but they didn't shoot him down Scottie Pippen down on the court the 22nd timeout has been called here's Scottie Pippen watch it again this part of the no layup rule is don't give a man a layup and tree goes up and he says hey if I'm gonna foul I might as well make sure he doesn't score he takes him down and he kind of got crunched on the knee that's a good building for Wrestlemania right look like Hogan and Andre the Giant who was who uh who Mike Brown Scottie Pippen out of Central Arkansas surprise fifth pick in the first round first 10 games at 10 point average the last 25 he's averaged 4.2 every category has gone down that's a rookie world but the the biggest adjustment I think is dribble with possession of the ball now playing with Jordan I think he's going to have to learn to play more without the ball than with the ball well he's only hitting 58 percent from the free throw line that's why the reaction when he made the first well it should have crammed that one you couldn't have won run the three on two better than that impacts him nice speed inside to be a center he's passing like a guard Kevin Willis comes down with a rebound Rivers forces it left side to Dominique Wilkins that is his third into this ball game Dominique Wilkins is going to get his points he is a prolific scorer is who Michael Jordan yes sir let's watch Michael Jordan put it on the floor and what really sets up his great ability to drive is the fakes and his one step and his dribbling ability and look at that leap he just knows how to find the blue sky and take advantage of it I'll tell you he is some kind of thinking player Jordan 8 and 12 in the field now in the first half Dominique Wilkins a week ago Saturday here the disappointment of that all-star weekend but look what he's done since then he has more or less taken his team on his own shoulders and carried him as each ball player was being reinserted into a new role and trying to establish familiarity with that role Dominique says hey get adjusted I'll take care of business until you really know what you're doing and he did he's done a great job that's if this guy is I think he's a truly great player Chicago has really gotten on a roll here in the second quarter hitting 70 percent and Atlanta falling to close percent Dominique Wilkins again Pippen ended up defending Wilkins that time and Pippen really got lost on trying to defend him now here's Pippen Paul is really coming up with some great passes to make that fast break go two terrific passes Whitman counters for Atlanta it's back to a 10-point margin double team so they go back to the back post into the defense underneath and nice pass to Jordan cutting up the middle by Sellers Horace Grant checks in replaces his fellow rookie Scottie Pippen who gave him some quality time here in the first one ten to go we'll go to the line and shoot a couple his first first team and Scottie Pippen so far between the two of them 42 minutes a game 14 points and 8.1 rebounds and when they're playing that well this team wins and I think their destiny will for this season anyway will rely really be as important only as to how well they contribute game by game if they're consistent this Bulls team is going to be consistent consistent themselves Horace Grant Chris Washburn Washburn offers great potential rather on the young side had some problems last year Atlanta went out of their way to make a deal because they know he's a multi-talented player offensively he can do it but because he didn't finish college and then as a hardship case defensively he's not to the pro standard yet Randy Whitman counters he said he's really going cold on action and they get surrounded defensive end of the game down much like tree walls at a standing O for the hometown Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls exploded for 40 points in quarter number two and they have a 14 point lead at the half over the Atlanta half talks in the fifth meeting between the two teams this year 69 55 and Tommy Chicago wanted to have an uptempo game they got it in that second quarter Doug Collins really wants to have his team run as much as possible and they're really producing a run game for him in superb fashion I think what has to be done right now by Atlanta is forget about their own run game and emphasize perhaps what they have a little bit more of and a better style of playing is the inside game so I think Atlanta will probably try and change the temple of the game in the second half you know the object of a fast break team is to take over 100 shots a ball game and right now I think what you're talking about is good shooting today because they're getting a lot of easy baskets but their shot attempts are way up near the 50 mark but he took a blow at low because Sellers is a seven footer and he's very quick and really can get down many trouble inside Rivers drives the lane and pays the price for what she's accountable he is a heads-up player and so is uh that other kid Danny Manning yes this is the guy that's really got to come to the floor to get in the paint create something he has been a real thorn in the bull's side in previous games has not done that much today Jordan thought about a one-on-four and then decided well even I couldn't do that came back and set it up you're going to see a pick and roll play the whole defense reacts to the penetration spotted up as nothing but blue sky without a cloud in the area and missed and that's what he hit to the green light to take the shots when he thinks he's got tree didn't like it 57 percent for the game now they have Dominique in a low post against the seven footer and I think uh I thought Sellers perhaps might give him a tougher go down there but Sellers played passive defense that time that might be the place to start to get Atlanta back in it force it Rivers out the best shot by Sellers a seven footer who's got great leaping ability and Wilkins got position a right over the box and when his jumping is able to get over the top of that last basket by Doc Rivers narrows the margin to 12 77 65 timeout game and I think it was a little tired out after that weekend and today they already have posted 77 helped in no small measure by that 40 point outburst in but the lead now shaved to 12 after it was at 18 and Doug Collins said let's talk it over you know one of the great things about speed is if you bring it to play consistently over the entire 48 minutes of a ball game the big guys of the other team start to fall by the wayside and you start to crack it even if you're even Steven for the entire ball game you can virtually count on the big guys of the other team breaking down and ending up with some easy baskets coming select the Miller light player of the game in conjunction with the award light beer will present a check in the amount of five thousand dollars in the player's name to the Thurgood Marshall black education fund that's coming up a little later right now 738 to go in the third quarter and Doc Rivers will be at the free throw line trying to make it a three-point play and I'll tell you Atlanta right now has changed the tempo of this game just the way they take it and I think Chicago right now is falling right into the trap they're willing to go along with this tempo and the momentum could swing very easily to Atlanta right now here's the press defense by in order to avoid that trap you talk about what must Chicago do you really got to push it up the court and still fast break underneath up and Jordan had them all spotted and then started to read the defense now you watch him after the rebound say get in the wing he just took a look to see Oakley in the wing and all of a sudden he spots the Sedale three coming in from the left side now that's reading the defense and making it commit to where you want it to commit that position either that just crossed my mind well I mean what else would you want them to do exactly somebody else has got to do stuff like that 8266 after that uh brief run by Atlanta Rollins and for two beam it's bumping horns Jordan goes to the line now when you advance the ball quickly like the Bulls just did that time even though you don't have a fast break opportunity the other team's defense doesn't get totally set up and Jordan's just smart enough to take advantages of any mismatch situations or any cracks or lack of concentration by the Hawks and that's how he gets into the defense before they totally get set up you know what makes him such a great player everything I think starts with his ability to dribble the ball as effectively as he does now that's an interesting point because one doesn't think of him as a great dribbler he puts it out there and he's almost like a snake charmer you know with a flute and a snake a cobra there he gets people taunted and looking at the he's got a great first step if you make just the least little move to the hoop Dominique has it back in his face Dominique when he puts it on the floor he's more of a one dribble drive guy he doesn't go usually more than one dribble here it goes and immediately he turns around good up fake forces the shot a little bit got fouled but I mean once he was up there fouls on sellers and both free throws good for Dominique Jordan had no chance to make that shot Jordan up with the rebound and off he goes and you see him get right into the middle of the defense look the defense off knew he had two men on the wing Michael down in the low post off the offensive glass Washburn has to come in now because tree Rollins has picked up his fifth that shot altered by Corzine comes Michael again sellers with problems hanging on to it that would have been well let's slow it down one of his Dominique had a shot altered by Corzine and now Michael Jordan once again the rebound and a hard push and look at those bulls runs and underneath all alone was sellers but just couldn't hold on that was Jordan and that was Wilkins he may just try and fight the double team Chris Washburn shot clock went off I don't think Washburn was aware how far down it had been Atlanta of course currently leading the central division but Detroit coming on Detroit has beaten both of these teams in the last week take the shot off the catch better this year that's really helped us inside game and Spud Webb Chicago of course in the second year under Doug Collins and they have improved over this same point a year ago by about three wins in the in the win column you know there's still a couple of players away but they have improved as a quality team I'll tell you I think Doug Collins has done a super job here this team in my estimation is one year ahead of where they should be after 49 games last year 25 and 24 now 28 and 21 Spud Webb gets the basket to complete the three-point play so 94 73 now Atlanta of course had the tellers that go to the all-star game and they've had some problems just last week there's Jordan two picks allowed him to sneak into the defense under total control that time put it off the glass I mean he is under control all the time Jordan has 22 points he gets a couple I'm going to need him with Conkac being out of the run Paxson got poked in the eye by Spud Webb inadvertently to remember that John Paxson got poked in the eye inadvertently by Spud Webb Jordan with 22 now Wilkins has 15 you know Paxson's dad used to be a great player with the Cincinnati Royals when I was a player got two of his kids in the NBA Jim Paxson yeah father Jim went to Jason Gene's still in the lineup now I want to tell you if they can get him in the open court to reap the ball off the rebound the outlet pass picking up the Spud Webb he makes big guys 100 to 79 final minute third quarter and Al tries to get going give it a shock and get him in gear from the CBA to take the place of who has the hepatitis problem Wattley did play here in Chicago and a lot of people think you know he should be in the NBA got some good skills but now he's going to have to come up and put the challenge of stopping this man right there old number 23 who now has 27 points along with six rebounds and 11 assists and 11 assists are really the most interesting part because that's the part of his game that's most improved I just misspoke it's eight assists eight assists that's the end of the third quarter with our score Chicago 102 Atlanta succeeded 100 points they do so in three quarters and you want to see a rejected shot watch Michael Jordan against Enos Wattley well he's got that great leaping ability but what he does so well he's not just an offensive player but his defense is exceptional and he got upset that he wasn't named to the all defensive team either first or second team and he's out to prove that he's a good defensive player like most North Carolina University players are when they come into the pro I saw a note in one has blocked more shots this year than 16 NBA centers and he's got some good number of steals to go along with the blocks here's John Paxson now joining Scottie Pippen Sellers Corzine and Horace Grant very young team on the lineup except to Wilkins takes it all the way he'll shoot a couple what has been nothing soft in Dominique's shooting today now former Arkansas player incorporated into their offense bring him back to where he was last season did an outstanding job at the power forward spot and also I think they've got to really bring Washburn along and now that Conkac may be out for the season Sellers gets him to leave his feet and then puts it in they didn't double score anybody that's got a big guy likes to put a big guy on on Dominique take away the outside shot there's not much you can do with him puts it on the floor gets a half of the position up fake Sellers goes for the second one held his ground pretty nicely but not long enough for Dominique 949 remaining in the ball game Chicago propelled by a 40 point outburst in quarter number two has extended that lead now 104 88 Vern Lundquist along with Tom Heinsohn here on a presidential holiday special broadcast of the NBA on CBS Bulls leading at 104 88 and let's check now they've got Michael Jordan John Paxson Horace Grant Oakley and Scotty Pippen on the court right now no center so Oakley more than likely will be there I'm looking at the hand signals over here and I'm totally perfectly close up shoot to the jay it's done it's over God hasting Dominique Wilkins back to Watley good team coming in against Larry Brown's Kansas Jayhawks who have been decimated by injuries this year and uh other ineligibilities he's really truly a great player 30 rebounds a 12 fore edge for Jordan and he's at 13 and 22 from the field to Wilkins 7 or 20. Dominique has not really taken charge as he's done all week long with his Atlanta team he still has scored but it hasn't been a Wilkins game there's Paxson off the dribble the shot too strong here comes Dominique on the run no no call and the crowd didn't like it now Oakley picks up this foul kind of look it's big in the back because he plays like Michael Jordan's got a good dribble great body control and of course when you put a guy at his size that's 11 points off the bench onto the seven minute mark now 111 95 and Cleveland leads Sacramento at the half 50 to 48 how about Mark Price this year for Cleveland he's done a great job coming to his own they had some injuries the Cleveland ball club their injuries really hurt their development you got all that in the injuries hurt them so that they didn't produce the wins but they're starting to get it together now a nice spin move by Dominique Wilkins one seven six oh five one of these teams is going to in this division is going to try and blast the Celtics they're coming down the stretch trying to beat Boston's overall record in the course Atlanta 18 97 5 15 to go doesn't get the shot before that time Oakley got the ball and he was on a glide pattern instead of a leap pattern Corazin sets a beautiful pick here I mean that's a wide body into the defense car did not cut off the penetration there's the laydown pass and you see that inability of Oakley to lift and get the good jump causes him to really not score a lot of hoops underneath he's so strong getting rebounds if he could just jump about he'd be so tough to stop losing the off balance shot Decker heads up literally he just hung there for three seconds until they went by look at all those jerseys around him took that's how fantastic this man is he's getting that leap down where he's making it by the end of this season I mean he is not just a scorer anymore he's a legitimate weapon would you at this point in the year would he be your MVP I have to say probably by the end of the year he would be he's carried this team he's diversified his game but don't sell Dominique Wilkins short too he's carried his team on his shoulders for the last few weeks Washburn comes down with it for Whitman off the pick Jordan with a rebound 13 rebounds for Michael Jordan 3.30 to go Chicago will win this one Washburn and Corazin battling underneath Washburn won the battle well you want a comparative figure Will Chamberlain averaged 42 points per game and Jabbar 31.8 and Jordan's number three that's after three years is really an excellent I mean a superior fast break play to use the initial thrust on a fast break and then hit a trailer and know the trail is coming behind you that's intelligent been a good day for Doug Collins in the Chicago Bulls been a good day for Kathy Collins too she's a gymnast Jimmy all right you know I work with Doug Collins here on CBS and we know what he's like off the broadcast but what about after a game like this Kathy well he'll be very excited because it's nothing better than to win on national TV and to have our team do so well about those rare occasions when he does lose what's he like well he's pretty devastated and he says it's worse the losses don't make up for the wins they're much more devastating you know I remember Chris Collins your son is an exceptional athlete tell me how he's doing he's done great he has hit the last two games in three years so he just loves it he's doing fabulous Chris is a ball boy at the Chicago Bulls home games but today they did hold class so he had to miss this national television appearance yes he did but I'm sure he'll be happy that I made it on TV thank you very much let's go back to Vern and Tommy okay fine Jim thank you Kathy that goes right into what Doug was saying about the things he's learning Tommy about coaching he can't really enjoy the victories what happens is you get so embroiled in a long season that one game doesn't mean an awful lot it's consistency of what you're doing and for you to solve even when you solve them there's something new challenging happening tomorrow in the final one this is the guy that's that's as aggressive a game as I've ever seen Sellers play Antoine Carr fouls out and Doug Collins allows himself a rare smile on the bench he said the one thing he thinks he brings to this team as a young coach is a sense of consistency that he doesn't get too up after a big win nor does he chew them out of the locker room after a particularly woeful loss well if you're going to be a pros pro a player has to understand that you can't get over excited about a particular win or get down in the dumps about a particular loss you have to be even keel and have a work ethic that produces the same type of intensity game in and game out don't let your emotions that's what the two rookies are having a problem with they enjoy the victories too much and sink too low when they lose to really enjoy playing again a strong second quarter propelled them to a 19 point victory 126 107 we'll be back in a moment another typical game for Michael Jordan Miller is proud to present a check of five thousand dollars on behalf of Mike to the Thurgood Marshall Black Education Fund