Jordan gives Rockets last dose of wizardry
Overtime heroics cap 35-point performance
WASHINGTON -- The Rockets were living their childhood dreams. Fantasies were becoming real.
For all the times they had imagined themselves going against Michael Jordan, measuring themselves against him at his most jaw-dropping, they were there, living it, matching him and pushing him and themselves to more.
And Jordan still has more. After all the times he has been there -- "thousands of times," Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said -- Jordan has not exhausted his ability to amaze. In the final game the Rockets expect to play against him, Jordan would not allow them to win.
Playing 50 minutes on a day when his right thigh was thought to be too badly bruised to allow him to suit up at all, Jordan scored 10 of his 35 points in overtime to carry the Wizards to a 100-98 win over the Rockets on Thursday.
"It was ridiculous," said Rockets forward Maurice Taylor, who found himself matched with Jordan in the overtime duel of his dreams. "He did what Michael Jordan does.
"You see games like this, and you wonder how the guy can keep going. He's just carrying the team. He's taking every shot; he's playing defense; he's taking the ball up. His drive is ridiculous. He was determined. He was to the point he didn't think anybody could stop him. And he kept going, kept pushing."
Jordan's shot to win the game at the regulation buzzer rimmed out. But with that, he seemed to find another level, tormenting Juaquin Hawkins with every variety of vintage move as if taping both parts of the Jordan vs. Jordan television commercial.
In overtime, Jordan scored on an up-and-under move, nailed a turnaround jumper, and caught Hawkins leaning to fly past him for a slam. Fighting for low-post position, Hawkins fell in the lane, allowing Jordan to hit another jumper. With the basket, Jordan had 35 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
"I just felt once we got (in overtime), I didn't want to lose the effort we gave all game," Jordan said. "I kind of exerted myself a little bit, and ... I gave myself some energy, and I made some big shots. I was going against a young kid that really didn't know how to play, tried a couple of flops that I kind of expected but didn't fall for and the referees didn't fall for."
Hawkins said he did not intentionally fall but merely lost his balance in the low-post fight for position.
I tried to make it harder for him to catch the ball, not let him catch the ball near the basket. He comes across the lane, and he's so strong. He gets a lot of respect right now.
"The guy can go left; he can go right; he can pull up in your face; he can pump-fake. He can do it all. You have to try to make it a little more difficult to catch it in his comfort zone and make him think a little more. With that and a lot of luck, (you) hope he misses."