JORDAN PUT STAMP ON CHICAGO'S TITLES WITHOUT SUPERSTAR, BULLS LACKED PRIME INGREDIENT: 'CONFIDENCE'.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

As Michael Jordan commenced his tour of golf courses and minor-league baseball stadiums, his former Chicago Bulls teammates set out, in the autumn of 1993, to go forward without the game's greatest player.

The Bulls won three consecutive NBA titles from 1991-93, then three more from 1996-98, but the Houston Rockets won the two titles in between, when Jordan missed the majority of the seasons.

History will remember the NBA in the 1990s with a clear dividing line, drawn between Jordan's playing and retired years.

Now, as the Lakers look to get back on the championship track, they would be wise to look to those mid-'90s Bulls teams to see what went wrong, and what it takes to get back to the top.

Jordan was the major factor in the Bulls' success or (relative) failure during that run, but certainly not the only factor.

``Certainly in my mind, and in the minds of most people who know basketball, it's a team game,'' said Tex Winter, an assistant coach under then-Bulls coach and current Lakers coach Phil Jackson.

``You can have your superstars, but you also have to have your complementary players that make a big difference. Michael, of course, superstar that he was, was the focal point of that (Chicago) club, and we tried to utilize his individual talents the best we could. But without the team concept, I don't think we could have won the way we did.''

It's not that the Bulls teams without Jordan were the Midwest's equivalent of the Clippers, or even mediocre teams. In the full season without Jordan, the Bulls fell one victory short of the Eastern Conference finals and won 55 games.

Even without Jordan, the Bulls remained talented, led by future Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen and a solid core that included Horace Grant and B.J. Armstrong.

But that team was missing something: not just Jordan's jump shooting and rebounding, but his intense leadership, on and off the court.

``We lacked the confidence,'' said Grant, now in his second stint with the Lakers. ``I wouldn't say we lacked leadership, but it was confidence, because when (Jordan) left, we still won (55) games.

``But without the headpiece, it was different. That's not taking anything away from Scottie, because he was a good leader, but Michael is one of a kind.''

Jordan's timing couldn't have been worse. He announced his retirement Oct. 6, 1993, on the eve of the opening of training camp. It left the Bulls not only unable to acquire a marquee player but reeling over the loss of their leader.

It showed early, as the Bulls started 4-7, but as the team adjusted to life after Michael, it won 14 of its next 15 games.

``My feeling was that, practically to a man, they were anxious to prove that they could do it without Michael,'' Winter said.

``Michael had gotten so much of the credit for our success, and rightfully so, but those guys all had enough ego that they could step forward and feel like they wanted to show people they could do it without Michael.''

The problem was that desire alone couldn't carry those players.

In Jordan's last season, the Bulls averaged 105.2 points a game, but that dipped to 98 in 1993-94. Pippen responded to the challenge and averaged a career-best 22 points a game, but role players such as Grant, Armstrong, Steve Kerr and Luc Longley showed little improvement.

Still, the Bulls came within a Game 7 disputed call of beating the New York Knicks in the second round.

``When Michael and Scottie were playing in tandem, they were 1 and 1A,'' then-assistant coach Jim Cleamons said. ``You're talking about two guys who really knew how to get after it and played very well with each other. Those are the combinations that you need when you talk about winning championships.

``You need people who understand what their roles are and are willing to accept those roles, but the leadership on the team sets the tone. They don't waver, and they keep the team focused on what needs to be done. That's what was missing with Michael gone.''

Those involved insist Jackson never wavered or pushed the Bulls any less without Jordan, and that had Jordan not returned with one month remaining in the 1994-95 season, the Bulls eventually could have rebuilt into championship contenders.

``If we had kept the core group of guys together, I think it would have happened,'' Grant said. ``I think the group of guys we had, we would have at least won one championship.''

The Bulls were 34-31 when Jordan returned on March 19, 1995, and they finished the season 13-4 and lost to the Shaquille O'Neal-led Orlando Magic in the second round.

``I think very definitely we would have been a title contender,'' Winter said. ``Whether or not we would have been able to win some more championships without Michael is questionable, because often times a great player like that does make the difference in so many games, particularly in the playoffs.''

Rich Hammond, [phone]

rich.hammond(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

Michael Jordan's departure in 1993 left the Chicago Bulls without their unquestioned leader for two seasons, but he returned to hold the Lawrence O'Brien trophy three more times.

Morry Gash/Associated Press

Box:

CHARTING THE CHICAGO BULLS