February 1989
2.1.89: vs Atlanta (18-24). It seems like the Bulls always have payback on their minds against the Hawks. That’s probably because they keep losing to them in inane fashion. They got their revenge in this one, as they raced out to a 77-45 lead at the break. The final, 129-94, isn’t even indicative of how dominant Chicago was. Only Jack played more than 29 minutes in this one; he played 32, scoring 39 with 13 boards and seven assists. Joshua Jones and Sheldon Maurer scored 17 each, while Gregory Escalera posted 16, and Eddie Shank 14 and 9 boards. The Bulls shot 61% (49-80) from the field. Jefferey Adam led Atlanta with 26, though he shot just 8-23 from the field.
Record: 34-9
2.3.89: vs LA Clippers (16-28). The league enigma comes to town. The Clippers are very misunderstood, and it’s likely a good book will be written about their dysfunction. They have a very young team, save for 14th-year man Ian Rowland. So, perhaps it is putting it all together. Joseph Tu continues to get better, as does Sebastian Daniels, their young PF. It didn’t help in this one, as the Bulls overcame a 41-point first quarter by the Clips to win, 118-110. Jack went for 42-8-13-7-1. Jones added 21 (on 22 shots), while Escalera offerd 12, and Whitman 11-5-6. Bye Felicien scored nine in eleven minutes. Tu and Rowland scored 20 each for the Clippers, while reserve center John Fleck scored 19. Seb Daniels added 18.
Record: 35-9
2.5.89: vs Washington (26-19). The Bullets held the Bulls to 83 points. That’s great for Washington. What isn’t is that they only scored 73 themselves. Jack’s 20-12-12-2-3, and Josh’s 16-9-2-2-1, were the driving force behind the Bulls’ atypical ten-point win. Shank added 12, while Nicky Lopez showed up for ten. Bye Felicien had the kind of game I thought he’d have when he arrived: 0-1, 1 point, two boards, three assists, one turnover in 12 minutes. Lamont Cioffi led Washington with 21, while Chance McCutchen had 17 and ten boards…but six turnovers. Kelly Williams, the man who landed on Chicago’s radar early in the year, probably wishes he hadn’t. Jack held him to 2-13 shooting; he had three turnovers, and four points.
Record: 36-9
2.8.89: at Cleveland (19-28). Weird to think this team was once 5-5. They are 45-4 since. Jack’s 42-16-11 with five blocks, along with Josh’s 20 and Gayle Cruz’s 16, led Chicago around Cleveland easily, 113-90. The Bulls led 64-37 at the break. Nathanael Langlois and Christopher Blake each scored 16 off the bench to lead the hapless Cavs.
Record: 37-9
2.9.89: vs Detroit (30-17). The Bulls endured 42 from Brian Crawford, but outlasted the Pistons, 112-107, at the Stadium. Jack’s 37-15-13-2-2 were the key, as was Josh’s 24-7-3. Eddie Shank, getting minutes with Gayle Cruz on the bench with foul trouble, scored 14 on 7-9 shooting, along with four of his five rebounds coming on the offensive end. Thomas Henderson scored 18, and Stevie Michaelson 17, to aid Crawford’s big night. Vicente Williams, still adapting to his first year on the bench, scored 12 in 22 minutes. His is more effective in his role than second-year first-time starter, Chance Magana.
In an interesting development, Thomas Jones, back on the bench in Boston, has demanded a trade. He’s averaging 15.3 ppg and 4.3 rpg, shooting 56% from the floor. It’s weird because he was a reserve for the past two seasons. But those eight starts he made when Brian Deese went out gave him the starting bug, I guess.
All-Star Break
Here are the rosters for the game:
Code:
League News
NBA All-Star Game Rosters Announced (February 12, 1989)
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The 1988 NBA All-Star Game rosters were named today. The Western Conference
will be lead by Lionel Condon. Jack Dawkins has been the most reliable player
for the Eastern Conference. Royal Bryant has now appeared in the All-Star Game
a total of 8 times. Here is a look at the rosters:
Western Conference Starters:
C Royal Bryant (Utah)
PF Harris Connors (Utah)
SF Domenic Winkler (Dallas)
SG Paul Marshall (Seattle)
PG Lionel Condon (Golden State)
Western Conference Bench:
C Keenan Sweet (Phoenix)
PF Larry Cockrell (Seattle)
SF Gerardo Sand (Sacramento)
SG Charles Hansel (Sacramento)
PG Marco Fortier (San Antonio)
PF Douglas Leduc (Houston)
C Jordan Maus (San Antonio)
Eastern Conference Starters:
C Brian Deese (Boston)
PF Andrew Edmiston (Indiana)
SF Jack Dawkins (Chicago)
SG Albert Scott (Indiana)
PG John Jennings (New Jersey)
Eastern Conference Bench:
C Woodrow Taber (Philadelphia)
PF Luke Black (New Jersey)
SF Thomas Henderson (Detroit)
SG Brian Crawford (Detroit)
PG Richie Russell (Milwaukee)
SF David Lawson (Philadelphia)
PF John Kress (Cleveland)
Rookie-Sophomore Classic: The rookies got the best of the sophomores this year, which hasn’t happened since 1984. Not only that, but the rookies came from 12 down…15 in the final two minutes…to steal the win on Brett Hatch’s shot from beyond half-court at the buzzer. Russell Davidson of the Spurs was named the game MVP, with 23 points. Hatch, the Clipper point man, put up 16-7-7…he would be my MVP. Jimmy Matz, the top overall pick having a quiet season in Houston (19.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.6 apg) scored 12. Knick forward Joshua Shriver led the sophs with 20, while Carl Caro of Dallas scored 14 and added 12 boards.
3-point Contest: Thomas Henderson beat out defending champ John Jennings, and Jack, in the finals of the three-point contest. Henderson won both the first round, and the final, with equal 23s. Jack had 18 in the first round, while Jennings had 16. Phoenix’s Tony Steinmetz, Tom Perez, and Jim Burr were cut after the first round. In the final, Jack had 15, Jennings 18, and Thomas won with 23.
Dunk Contest: Jack, perhaps a little tired from the 3-point contest, finished fourth in the dunk contest. It was, however, a coronation of sorts for Jimmy Matz. The rookie won the Dunk Contest, beating out Domenic Winkler in the final. Winkler won the first round. Gary Fisher of Milwaukee, Joe Anderson of Charlotte (Jack’s former teammate) and Miami’s Tony Marker also participated.
All-Star Game: The East and West played evenly for three of the four quarters. However, it was the third quarter, won 40-34 by the East, that set the difference, as they won, 143-137. Jack won All-Star MVP for his 18 points (8-10 FG) and 13 assists. Lionel Condon of Golden State was every bit Jack’s equal…acutally, probably better, going for 18-5-17, with three steals. But the East won, so it’s Jack’s award. Brian Crawford led all scorers with 23, while Andrew Edmiston had 22 and 8 boards. Paul Marshall, Seattle’s breakout star guard, had 19 with five assists for the West. Evil Harris Connors scored 18.
Code:
East 143, West 137 - 2/12/1989
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East:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a 3pm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF +/- Pts
Brian Deese C 30 4-8 0-1 2-4 2 10 3 0 3 1 0 -4 10
Andrew Edmiston PF 29 10-18 1-1 1-2 3 8 1 0 1 0 1 -6 22
Jack Dawkins SF 29 8-10 0-1 2-2 0 2 13 0 1 1 0 -4 18
Albert Scott SG 21 5-9 0-0 1-2 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 -3 11
John Jennings PG 29 6-15 0-0 3-4 1 5 5 1 0 0 3 -4 15
Woodrow Taber C 18 2-7 0-1 0-0 0 3 2 0 1 0 1 12 4
Brian Crawford SG 27 8-13 0-1 7-9 1 4 5 0 0 2 1 11 23
Richie Russell PG 19 3-7 0-1 0-0 1 4 7 2 1 0 1 12 6
David Lawson SF 19 8-10 0-0 0-0 0 4 2 0 0 3 1 12 16
John Kress PF 19 8-10 0-0 2-2 1 5 0 0 4 2 1 14 18
Totals Fgm-a 3pm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF Pts
62-107 1-6 18-25 10 46 39 4 11 9 10 143
57.9% 16.7% 72.0%
West:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a 3pm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF +/- Pts
Royal Bryant C 29 7-16 0-2 0-0 0 9 4 0 1 0 0 4 14
Harris Connors PF 24 9-15 0-0 0-0 1 3 2 0 1 3 3 5 18
Domenic Winkler SF 29 8-12 1-1 0-0 0 2 1 0 0 0 3 4 17
Paul Marshall SG 29 8-10 2-3 1-2 1 3 5 0 0 0 2 5 19
Lionel Condon PG 29 7-10 0-0 4-4 3 5 17 3 0 1 1 4 18
Larry Cockrell PF 5 2-4 0-0 2-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 -1 6
Gerardo Sand SF 19 5-11 0-1 0-0 2 3 1 0 0 0 2 -12 10
Charles Hansel SG 19 7-9 1-1 0-0 1 2 5 1 0 1 0 -13 15
Marco Fortier PG 19 6-14 1-1 1-1 3 5 4 0 0 0 3 -12 14
Douglas Leduc PF 19 0-4 0-0 0-0 1 4 1 0 0 2 2 -12 0
Jordan Maus C 19 3-8 0-0 0-0 0 5 1 0 3 3 2 -12 6
Totals Fgm-a 3pm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF Pts
62-113 5-9 8-9 12 41 41 4 5 10 19 137
54.9% 55.6% 88.9%
Player of the Game: SF Jack Dawkins (CHI)
Game Summary:
Game Stats EAS WES
Halftime Score 70 70
FGM-FGA 62-107 62-113
FG% .579 .549
FTM-FTA 18-25 8-9
FT% .720 .889
3PM-3PA 1-6 5-9
3P% .167 .556
Rebounds 46 41
Assists 39 41
Steals 4 4
Blocks 11 5
Turnovers 9 10
Team Fouls 10 19
2.14.89: at Cleveland (20-29). The Bulls head to Cleveland on Valentine’s Day…because why wouldn’t they want to? It wasn’t quite a massacre…Jack seemed tired in his 6-13 effort, but his 21-12-10-3-3 was plenty for the Bulls, as they beat Cleveland, 114-105. Sheldon Maurer scored 20 in 14 minutes off the bench, while Josh Jones had 16-7-4, despite five fouls. Gayle Cruz found the rest helpful, as he had 16 and 10 boards. Nathanael Langlois destroyed Josh with 30 in 25 minutes off the bench. He was breathtaking. Renato Young scored 14 and registered 14 rebounds. Joe Baker, still trying to push his way out, had 11-4-9.
Record: 39-9 (Definitely did not think the Bulls would be here.)
2.15.89: vs New York (28-22). The Knicks are desperately tring to stay in the thick of the Atlantic, where they are 2.5 back of Boston, but just half a game back of Philly…a game ahead of Washington, and one and a half up on New Jersey. That’s a big difference between the fourth and seventh seed right now. The Knicks walked into Chicago Stadium and shocked the Bulls, 91-81, behind 27 from David Brenneman, and 16 from Gervais Caudron. Robert Withrow had 14 and 12 rebounds. Jack registered 31-13-7, but he got no help outside of Cruz, who had 16 and 12. Josh had just 9-6-4 on 4-15 shooting. He also got into foul trouble again, and got frustrated with the coaching staff. Chalk this up to an off night. This was just the Bulls’ second loss at home this season; they are 24-2.
Record: 39-10
2.17.89: vs Atlanta (20-29). The Hawks are back, and the Bulls took out ever bit of frustration they had on them. Sheldon Maurer led the way with 23 off the bench, adding 11 rebounds, and the Bulls pounded the Hawks, 118-79. Jack added 20-8-11 with four steals, but he’s in a mini-funk. Jones is still in his, scoring 13 and adding six boards. Ron Brehm led the Hakws with 17 off the bench, but on 7-19 shooting. Joe Johnson had 13 with seven boards.
Record: 40-10
2.19.89: at Portland (30-24). The Trailblazers host the Bulls in a rematch of the 1987 NBA Championship. That was, of course, the one won by Chicago. The Bulls continue to haunt the Blazers, beating them 119-112. Jack’s mini-slump is over; he went 18-23 from the field, adding ten boards and eight assists, along with a pair of steals and blocks. Josh had 25-4-6, on 10-15 shooting. Cruz added 14. Robert Ritz (who reminds me of Rick Rude) led Portland with 23, but on 11-28 shooting, as Jack hounded him throughout the night. Saul Jones had 19-8-11. And we need to talk about him.
Record: 41-10
Jones started for Houston in 1985, his second in the league. He scored just 5.3 points a game, but averaged 10.0 rebounds, and just 2.5 turnovers. His reward for that was to be allowed to sign with Golden State, the team who signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Pacific in 1982. He sat behind Lionel Condon for two years, and deservedly so. I mean, Condon is the league’s best overall guard, and probably the second or third-best player in the league, behind Jack and the Evil Harris Connors. He left Golden State, and signed with Portland…and is now averaging nine points a game, as well as 11.6 assists. He’s someone Chicago could have had on the cheap. He’s not a good shooter, but wow, he is a great passer.
Code:
PLAYER DETAILS
#13 PG Saul Jones - Portland
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Height: 6-1
Weight: 199
DOB: 4/10/1960 (28)
College: Pacific
Hometown: Turlock, CA
Exp: 4
Attributes:
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Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
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Current: C- C- C- C+ B- A D+ F+ C C A C- A C- C A-
Potential: C D D B B A D F C D A C
Health: Good
Status: Active Roster
Salary: $326,571
Length: 3
Stat Averages:
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Season LGE TEAM G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
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1988 NBA POR 59 59 35.9 8.9 1.5 3.6 11.7 2.3 5.13 2.4 0.2 1.2
1987 NBA GSW 82 0 10.8 3.0 0.3 1.0 2.8 0.8 3.44 0.7 0.1 0.4
1986 NBA GSW 82 0 10.4 2.2 0.4 1.0 3.1 0.9 3.48 0.8 0.1 0.5
1985 NBA HOU 82 82 35.1 5.3 1.1 2.7 10.0 2.5 3.98 2.0 0.2 1.5
1984 NBA HOU 82 7 11.9 2.4 0.4 1.0 2.8 0.9 3.11 0.8 0.0 0.3
Career 387 148 19.9 4.1 0.7 1.8 5.7 1.4 3.11 1.3 0.1 0.8
Shooting Averages:
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Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% InsM InsA In% JsM JsA Js% 3PM 3PA 3P%
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1988 3.4 9.2 .371 1.2 2.0 .624 1.6 2.6 .596 1.1 3.8 .273 0.8 2.7 .290
1987 1.1 2.7 .401 0.5 0.8 .682 0.5 0.9 .586 0.3 1.0 .282 0.3 0.9 .351
1986 0.8 2.3 .361 0.3 0.7 .481 0.5 0.9 .586 0.1 0.8 .159 0.2 0.7 .310
1985 2.2 5.5 .405 0.5 1.0 .475 1.4 2.1 .678 0.4 2.1 .181 0.4 1.2 .314
1984 0.9 2.0 .440 0.4 0.6 .596 0.5 0.8 .667 0.1 0.7 .207 0.2 0.5 .405
Career 1.6 4.1 .391 0.6 1.0 .577 0.9 1.4 .629 0.4 1.5 .229 0.4 1.1 .320
Stat Totals:
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Season LGE TEAM G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF +/-
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1988 NBA POR 59 59 2121 524 88 212 692 135 143 10 71 115
1987 NBA GSW 82 0 887 249 26 80 227 66 57 8 34 -25
1986 NBA GSW 82 0 853 182 29 85 254 73 67 7 41 -46
1985 NBA HOU 82 82 2875 432 92 225 824 207 161 15 120 -485
1984 NBA HOU 82 7 978 194 33 78 227 73 68 4 26 -254
Career 387 148 7714 1581 268 680 2224 554 496 44 292 -695
Shooting Totals
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Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
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1988 202 545 73 117 47 162
1987 89 222 45 66 26 74
1986 69 191 26 54 18 58
1985 181 447 38 80 32 102
1984 73 166 31 52 17 42
Career 614 1571 213 369 140 438
Efficiency:
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Season LGE TEAM G TS% PPS AST TO USG ORR DRR RR PER VA EWA +/- OEFF DEFF
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1988 NBA POR 59 .440 0.96 48.6 9.5 18.3 4.4 6.3 5.3 17.2 197.3 6.6 1.9 104.5 101.8
1987 NBA GSW 82 .494 1.12 41.7 12.1 18.0 3.5 6.5 5.1 16.5 73.2 2.4 -0.3 94.4 97.8
1986 NBA GSW 82 .423 0.95 46.9 13.5 17.7 3.8 7.4 5.6 14.9 50.2 1.7 -0.6 93.2 97.6
1985 NBA HOU 82 .448 0.97 54.5 13.7 13.1 3.5 5.5 4.4 12.5 63.9 2.1 -5.9 98.2 106.2
1984 NBA HOU 82 .513 1.17 46.4 14.9 13.9 3.8 5.6 4.7 14.1 44.9 1.5 -3.1 90.8 103.5
Career 387 .456 1.01 49.3 12.3 15.7 3.8 6.1 4.9 14.7 429.6 14.3 -1.8 98.0 102.8
Playoff Averages:
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Season LGE TEAM G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
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1987 NBA GSW 10 0 10.7 4.0 0.4 1.2 2.9 0.8 3.63 0.8 0.0 0.4
1986 NBA GSW 12 0 11.7 2.3 0.2 0.8 2.9 1.1 2.69 1.3 0.2 0.3
Career 22 0 11.2 3.1 0.3 1.0 2.9 1.0 2.69 1.1 0.1 0.4
Playoff Shooting Averages:
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Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% InsM InsA In% JsM JsA Js% 3PM 3PA 3P%
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1987 1.4 3.2 .438 1.2 2.3 .522 1.0 1.7 .588 0.4 1.2 .333 0.0 0.3 .000
1986 1.0 2.0 .500 0.3 0.5 .500 0.8 0.9 .909 0.1 0.7 .125 0.1 0.4 .200
Career 1.2 2.5 .464 0.7 1.3 .517 0.9 1.3 .714 0.2 0.9 .250 0.0 0.4 .125
Playoff Totals:
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Season LGE TEAM G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF +/-
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1987 NBA GSW 10 0 107 40 4 12 29 8 8 0 4 20
1986 NBA GSW 12 0 140 28 2 10 35 13 16 2 4 11
Career 22 0 247 68 6 22 64 21 24 2 8 31
Playoff Shooting Totals
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Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
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1987 14 32 12 23 0 3
1986 12 24 3 6 1 5
Career 26 56 15 29 1 8
Playoff Efficiency:
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Season LGE TEAM G TS% PPS AST TO USG ORR DRR RR PER VA EWA +/- OEFF DEFF
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1987 NBA GSW 10 .476 1.25 36.7 10.1 22.2 4.4 8.2 6.4 15.4 7.0 0.2 2.0 103.2 93.6
1986 NBA GSW 12 .519 1.17 46.7 17.3 14.9 1.9 5.4 4.0 13.3 4.8 0.2 0.9 101.4 97.9
Career 22 .493 1.21 41.6 13.6 18.1 3.1 6.5 5.0 14.2 11.8 0.4 1.4 102.2 96.1
Career Highs:
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Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
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Season 24 7 10 19 8 1 7 8 21 9 11 3 8
Playoff 7 1 5 7 4 1 3 3 7 3 6 1 2
Career 24 7 10 24 8 2 7 8 21 9 11 3 8
Awards & Achievements:
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Season Award
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Total Player of the Game: 7
1985 NBA Rookie Game Participant
1984 NBA All-Rookie Second Team
1981 Conference Player of the Year (Pacific Coast Athletic Association)
1981 1st Team All-Conference (Pacific Coast Athletic Association)
1980 1st Team All-Conference (Pacific Coast Athletic Association)
1979 1st Team All-Conference (Pacific Coast Athletic Association)
1978 Conference Freshman of the Year (Pacific Coast Athletic Association)
1978 Freshman All-Conference (Pacific Coast Athletic Association)
1977 High School: Rated *** and #179 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
Oh, sidenote: Continuing the trend of power forwards destroying Chicago, rookie reserve Virgil Sumner tied his career high with 19 points.