BULLS RUSTY, TRUSTY : CHICAGO PULLS AWAY IN GAME 1 CHICAGO 107, SEATTLE 90.

Byline: Chris Sheridan Associated Press 

Rusty, yes. Flawed, maybe. Still, the Bulls were unbeatable.

There was nothing too spectacular from Michael Jordan in Game 1, and no flashy stats from the Bulls as a whole. Yet there was nothing Seattle could do to stop them Wednesday night, and Chicago pulled away to a 107-90 victory in the opener of the NBA Finals.

``It was a feel-out game, a game where we were coming to terms with each other,'' coach Phil Jackson said. ``We found our rhythm late in the game and we were able to take over.''

And take over they did, time after time. It was as though the Bulls were testing the Sonics, making them seem worthy for a stretch or two and then blitzing them every time the game got close.

It was the best team in the NBA showing why it is indeed the best. Although it was far from perfect, the Bulls still turned it into a laugher in the final minutes.

``The first game is always the hardest in the sense that I don't think we had a feel for this team,'' Jordan said. ``I think what was missing was our continuity offensively. Defensively, we were all right.''

Toni Kukoc scored 10 straight Chicago points in a 14-5 run to open the fourth quarter, and Jordan's supporting cast had all the points in a subsequent 8-0 run that removed any doubt.

Jordan finished with 28 points but didn't contribute much in the deciding run, Scottie Pippen scored 21 and Kukoc had 18 on a night when the Bulls shot only 43 percent. Chicago outscored Seattle 28-13 in the fourth quarter and attempted 18 more shots than the Western Conference champions.

The Bulls also turned the ball over only seven times and came up with three key steals in the final period.

Game 2 is tonight at the United Center, and in the meantime the Sonics will try to figure out what it'll take to beat the Bulls.

``I liked some of the stuff we did out there,'' Seattle coach George Karl said. ``I think we learned some stuff out there. It's a learning process, and as we get into more of a comfort zone we'll be able to compete better and better.''

The first thing they can try to do is stop Jordan's underlings. Ron Harper had 15 points and seven assists and shot 60 percent, Luc Longley dominated the middle in the first quarter and finished with 14 points and four blocks and Dennis Rodman had 13 rebounds and seven points - all on uncontested layups.

``Ron Harper did a heck of a job on Gary Payton,'' Jordan said. ``He created a lot of breaks for us down the stretch.''

And Rodman created trouble for Frank Brickowski. The Seattle forward was assessed a flagrant foul for pushing Rodman in the neck while battling for a rebound late in the first half. He refused to stop talking to Rodman and Jack Haley, and referee Joe Crawford whistled him for two straight technicals and bounced him from the game.

``I told Haley he's a professional baby-sitter, and he is, isn't he?'' Brickowski said.

Rodman's last two points came with 5:25 left in the game after it appeared the Sonics were ready to make one more run.

Payton had scored on a driving one-hander and a fastbreak layup off a steal by Shawn Kemp, who finished with 32 points. The Bulls quickly called timeout, and Harper then faked a 3-pointer and rifled a pass to Rodman underneath for a layup.

Kukoc followed with a fastbreak layup, Harper had a steal and layup and Longley scored from in close for an 8-0 run. Payton scored once more, but Jordan came back with perhaps his prettiest shot of the night, a high-arching fadeaway from the left side that made it 103-88.

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Photo: (color) Seattle's Frank Brickowski screams his caseas he's ejected by referee Joe Crawford in second quarter.

Associated Press