[Comey]

1988 NBA Playoffs, Eastern Semifinals: vs Washington

The Bulls used the Bullets as their red-headed stepchild, beating them unmercilessly throughout the season. They swept the Bullets, 7-0, in the regular season series. One of the games was a 103-102 nailbiter towards the end of the year, when the Bulls had nothing to play for. Despite having Jon McElroy and Lamont Cioffi, the two venerable stars in Washington, as well as the arrival of Douglas Toscano as a consistent threat on offense (18.1 ppg), there is not enough firepower on the Washington side to keep up with Jack and Jones.

Prediction: Easy. The Bullets couldn’t muster a win against the Bulls this year. They still won’t. Bulls in 4.

Game 1: The Bulls beat up on the Bullets early, outscoring them 29-13 in the first. They then crushed the Bullets, 35-24, in the second quarter. Even though Washington won the third, 25-14, Chicago closed them out, 27-18, to roll, 106-80. Jack’s 33-10-8 was the leading factor for the Bulls, while Jones added 18-11-4, and Chris Henderson 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 blocks. The Bulls hammered the Bullets in their strength, and flexed their muscles easily. McElroy scored 20 on 21 shots, while Cioffi added 17. Glenn Lawlor, who had an unsuccessful stint as the bassist for the Fleetwood Mac knockoff band, Fortuitous Johnson, scored 12 off the bench in 16 minutes. He registered no other stat of note. He was just there to shoot it.
Bulls Lead 1-0

Game 2: Chance McCutchen’s jumper from the free throw line missed at the buzzer, giving the Bulls a 100-98 victory in Game 2, and a 2-0 lead. The Bulls tried to give away a late eleven-point lead, but the Bullets ultimately passed. Jack had a 41-14-12 effort, while Jones was efficient in his 26 points. Henderson added ten, while the rest of the team is still struggling throughout the series. McElroy led Washington with 23-9-4, while Toscano, who hit a three late to bring the Bullets to within two, had 20. Cioffi had 19 and 9 rebounds, and McCutchen added 14-4-5.
Bulls Lead 2-0

Game 3: The series shifts back to Washington, but the song remains the same. This time, the entire starting cast for Chicago added different pieces to Chicago’s 106-101 win. Jack led with 25-8-14 and a pair of steals, while Jones had a solid 22. Gregory Escalera added 16, while Ivory Perez scored 14 with 10 boards…and Chris Henderson had 11-9-4. McElroy (26), Cioffi (20) and Toscano (15) predictably led Washington. Point guard Ahmed Robson had 10 points and 13 assists.
Bulls Lead 3-0

Game 4: The air in Washington went out after the Bulls pushed out a small lead with a 32-19 third quarter. That led to a 108-85 victory, and a sweep of the Bullets. Jack’s 32-15-11 led the way, while Perez stepped up with 20 points. Josh Jones added 16 and seven rebounds, while Eddie Shank added 12 and seven boards off the bench. Toscano scored 19 to lead Washington; Cioffi registered 18, but Jon McElroy had a forgettable night, scoring ten points on just 5-24 shooting.
Bulls Win Series, 4-0

Elsewhere, New Jersey rolled Philly in five, giving everyone the matchup they want (something the Celtics couldn’t do in seasons’ past). Utah outlasted Dallas in six, and will get Cinderella Sacramento, who upended #3 Golden State in seven.

1987-88 NBA Playoffs: Conference Finals

1) Chicago vs 2) New Jersey
1) Utah vs 7) Sacramento