It’s Just Like Old Times For Jordan

His eyes see what they want to see. He can only hope the mind will follow, for the imagination is kind. Sympathetic and generous. Selective.

When Michael Jordan sees himself playing the game of basketball, he sees himself dominating. It is what he knows. It is what he does. Usually, it is what works.

Friday night, playing his first opening-night game in three years, Jordan hoisted the Bulls onto his sturdy shoulders and carried them to a 105-91 victory over a depleted Charlotte team.

He scored 19 points in the decisive 40-18 third quarter. For much of the night, he accounted for more than 50 percent of the Bulls’ scoring. He took 29 shots, connected on 16 for 55 percent, and finished with 42 points, to far outdistance Toni Kukoc’s 15.

Part of that was out of necessity, filling the void left by Scottie Pippen, who played only 10 minutes before departing with a groin pull. Eventually, he is sure to be asked once again to explain why he must take on such a heavy burden, but only when that question becomes convenient. For now, it is not.

Jordan says he’s back, and no one is about to complain. After 17 often-uneasy games last season, the obvious question is how Jordan feels. And premature as it might be, he says he’s much better.

“I feel totally different,” he said. “I can feel the difference in the rhythm of my shot, in the rhythm of my moves, my penetration to the basket. I see a hole now, and I can jump at it instead of really calculating and trying to get my body to move in that direction.

“Mentally and physically, I was not on the same page last year, and this year I’m playing more off instincts instead of the mind.”

Last season, Jordan shot just 41 percent - 48 percent in 10 playoff games. In frustration, he attacked the United Center - the building, the background, the acoustics. In reality, he was out of shape. In the end, he admits, it really got to him.

“You lose your confidence because you start searching for a way to understand what’s happening and I spent a lot of time trying to do that,” he said. “This year I don’t. Just instinctively, it’s happening - my moves and everything.”

“It was such a strange thing last year when he came back because he came back for just 17 games,” said teammate Jud Buechler. “A lot of the guys had never played with him, and so we were all pretty much in awe the whole time. We stood around and watched him play and watched him make his moves, and guys didn’t really get to know him on a personal level. I don’t think many guys except B.J. and Scottie even talked to him off the court. Now guys feel a lot more comfortable around him, like he’s a regular teammate instead of this star, and that makes a huge difference.”

Nevertheless, there’s little question who is going to dominate the Bulls offense. Jordan played 39 minutes against the Hornets. Next closest was the 27 minutes apiece put in by Kukoc and Dennis Rodman. And he returned to the game late despite a comfortable lead.

“He misinterpreted what my message was,” Jordan said of Phil Jackson’s decision to reinsert him into the lineup. “I told him I wanted to play the first 2 minutes of the fourth quarter, and he sat me out the first 2 minutes. And once I did, my legs got a little stiff. I think he just put me in for security reasons, to make sure they didn’t make a big run back.”