Tomasson: Old Bulls warily eyeing Pistons

Published January 27, 2006 at midnight

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It's much too early this season for members of the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls to think about chilling the bubbly.

You know the annual drill with players from the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins. After each NFL team with a prolonged unbeaten streak to start a season loses a game, the champagne cork is popped.

Former Dolphins got a bit antsy when the Indianapolis Colts went to 13-0 before losing last month. And so, soon, might those from the Bulls of 10 years ago.

That team went 72-10, the best record in NBA history. But the Detroit Pistons are 35-5 and just about on Chicago's record pace.

"I was talking to Jud Buechler," Steve Kerr said of a recent conversation with his San Diego neighbor and former teammate on the 1995-96 Bulls. "He said, 'Steve, I'm getting nervous.' "

Kerr, a TNT analyst, has seen the Pistons plenty this season. Does he want Chicago's record to be broken?

Heck, no.

"I'm not going to lie," Kerr said. "I love having that record. I'd like to be part of that forever."

That seems to be the consensus among members of the 1995-96 Bulls. Then again, there is at least one dissenter.

That would be Ron Harper, a starter for those Bulls alongside legends Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman and Luc Longley. Harper just happens to be a Pistons assistant coach.

"I'm not rooting for anything," said Harper, indicating the team's primary focus is on winning the title. "But, if we did (break the record), I'd be happy."

Harper, though, isn't making any wagers with former Chicago teammates about Detroit breaking the mark, calling the Bulls the "more focused team" for such a task.

And he didn't hesitate to pick a winner in the event the teams could be matched up.

"The Bulls would win it in five," Harper said of a seven-game series. "That team was just so strong. . . . We had more guys and we had M.J."

The Bulls, with Jordan playing his first full season after his first retirement, stormed the NBA like a machete through Styrofoam. They started out 41-3, including an 18-game winning streak, before losing 105-99 at Denver on Feb. 4, 1996.

Chicago topped the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers' mark of 69-13. The Bulls then went 15-3 in the playoffs, beating George Karl's Seattle SuperSonics in six games in the Finals.

"Very much so," Toni Kukoc, a 1995-96 Bulls forward, said of how proud he is of the record. "For a long time, nobody could get to 69 wins. Then we got to 72."

Kukoc, now with Milwaukee, is the only active player remaining from the record-setting bunch. He could have helped do something about keeping the mark intact, but his Bucks lost to Detroit 106-102 in overtime Wednesday.

"They definitely could do it," Kukoc said of the Pistons having a chance to knock the Bulls out of the record book. "Why not? They're a pretty young team and . . . they know what they're doing on the court. If they don't have any injuries, yeah, they could set the record."

Meanwhile, Buechler is getting antsy in San Diego. But his neighbor insists it's far too early for concern.

"The big difference is Michael saved us about 15 times that season, when he would take over a game," Kerr said. "Detroit doesn't have one guy like that. I think Detroit will win 65 to 70 games, more likely 65 just because of the grind of the season. They haven't had any injuries yet, and they're likely to get one or two."

The Bulls have received a few minor scares in recent years. There was talk about the 2003-04 Lakers, with likely future Hall of Famers Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone and Gary Payton, making a run at the mark, but injuries hit after an 18-3 start and they finished 56-26.

The Phoenix Suns began last season 31-4, putting them on record pace. But then they lost six games in a row, and that was it. Phoenix finished 62-20.

But these Pistons could make a serious run. And those from the 1995-96 Bulls must decide if they will act like players from the 1972 Dolphins, who regularly boast about their record and openly root against all challengers.

"I don't think we're going to be like the Dolphins," Kerr said. "We'll send (the Pistons) a congratulatory note (if they break the mark)."

McMillan's endorsements

Portland coach Nate McMillan once played for Karl in Seattle. Now, he's playing the role of press agent for Karl, who has a pair of hopeful All-Star reserves in Denver - center Marcus Camby and forward Carmelo Anthony.

McMillan plans to cast votes for both for the Feb. 19 All-Star Game. The two will learn their fate Feb. 9, when reserves, voted by coaches, are announced.

McMillan does not have a vote on the Olympic team, that being the domain of USA Basketball selection czar Jerry Colangelo. If he did, though, McMillan would call for Camby's selection.

"In the last couple of games he played against us and Seattle, he dominated," said McMillan, Seattle's coach before this season. "You need a 'big' that can defend the paint and a 'big' that can shoot the ball, and I think he will be young enough (for the 2008 Olympics)."

Colangelo plans to speak soon with Camby, 31, who isn't sure he wants to make the necessary three- summer commitment but wants to hear the pitch. In the meantime, Camby was flattered to hear what McMillan said.

Camby is expected to return tonight after missing 15 games because of a fractured right pinkie. He has missed 19 games overall, but McMillan said that shouldn't keep Camby from being an All-Star.

Like Camby, Anthony also is trying to earn his first All-Star berth. The West is loaded with forwards, but Avery Johnson of Dallas and McMillan are coaches who have thrown support behind Anthony.

"He's been dominant," McMillan said. "I think he should be on the team."

The way McMillan is going, if Karl again becomes a candidate for Coach of the Year, he might want to seek him out for an endorsement.

Will Rose bloom elsewhere?

Anyone want a player averaging 12 points who is making $15.7 million this season and is due $16.9 million next season?

Probably not.

Then again, there is something to be said about clearing cap room. So there remains hope Toronto swingman Jalen Rose, who signed a seven- year, $93 million contract in 2000, can be moved by the Feb. 23 trading deadline.

"It's professional sports," said Rose, 32. "Anything can happen."

Rose, who played for Indiana in its 2000 Finals loss to the Lakers, would love to battle for another title. It doesn't appear that will happen in Toronto any time before the next ice age.

"Every player wants to be in a situation where he feels like his team, when he shows up at the arena, has an opportunity to win it all," Rose said. "I'm no different."

At least Rose will have one advantage come June. He has been able to serve in recent years as a television correspondent during the Finals.

Winning times

• The top single-season winning percentages in NBA history:

Season Team Record Pct. Playoffs

1995-96 Chicago Bulls 72-10 .878 Beat Seattle 4-2 to win title

1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers 69-13 .841 Beat New York 4-1 to win title

1996-97 Chicago Bulls 69-13 .841 Beat Utah 4-2 to win title

1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers 68-13 .840 Beat San Francisco 4-2 to win title

1972-73 Boston Celtics 68-14 .829 Lost to New York 4-3 in Eastern final

tomassonc@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-5125

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