Jordan jukes Jazz in Game 1

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In a few fleeting seconds Sunday night, it delivered one big answer.

When Scottie Pippen took a touch pass from Michael Jordan on a give-and-go and sprang upward for a two-handed dunk late in the second quarter, any doubts about Pippen's ability to be effective in Game 1 of the NBA Finals were gone.

Scottie Pippen had the hot hand Sunday, going 11 for 19 from the floor. Click here for complete shot charts of Game 1.

The injured forward, who hadn't practiced in three days and was considered questionable because of a soft-tissue problem on his left foot, was his usual All-Star self, helping the Bulls beat the Jazz 84-82.

Most expected Pippen to play Sunday. Few expected him to play like this.

His numbers were terrific: 27 points on 11-for-19 shooting, nine rebounds, two assists, four blocks and three steals. His leadership was even better.

CHICAGO won Game 1 just as much because of Pippen as it did because of Jordan, whose game-winning shot as time expired will go down as the moment everyone remembers.

But Pippen's effort should not be forgotten.

He not only played a game-high 43 minutes, he played a high-energy game on both offense and defense.

"If we didn't have Scottie, we'd probably be sad in here right now," guard Ron Harper said in the postgame locker room.

"We didn't know how long we'd have him for," Harper said. "But I do know (his foot) hurt -- believe me."

Scottie Pippen (33) "gave us a very courageous effort," Michael Jordan said.

Added center Luc Longley, "Having him out there was big. Having him play like that was huge."

Pippen was at his best when the rest of the Bulls were at their worst. He scored 12 of Chicago's 24 points in the third quarter and kept the Jazz from pulling away.

In one seven-minute stretch in the period, Pippen had two steals, sank two 3-pointers and nailed a short hook in the lane. The highlight, however, was his blocked shot on Bryon Russell, which he recovered and converted into an easy dunk on the other end.

"He carried us to some degree," Jordan said. "He gave us a very courageous effort."

Pippen, who had not played any basketball since re-aggravating the injury last Wednesday against the Miami Heat, said he didn't really feel comfortable until the second half.

WARMIN' UP

Scottie Pippen said he didn't feel comfortable until the second half. His statistics back him up:   First half Second half Points 8 19 FG-FGA 3-6 8-13 3-pointers 0-2 3-5 Steals 0 3

"I haven't been on the court," he said. "It took me a little while to feel the game out and realize what I could and couldn't do."

Pippen said he experienced "only some sore spots" throughout the game and should benefit from the two days off before Game 2 on Wednesday night.

"I felt going into this game that I was going to do whatever I could to play (and) deal with any type of pain," he said. "I was able to overcome that throughout the game."

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said he never believed reports that Pippen might sit out the series opener.

"You think I follow that stuff?" Sloan said. "Great players want to play. And they usually do, and they usually play well."

Utah swingman Shandon Anderson even offered his own prognosis on the player with the most talked about foot in Chicago.

When asked if he observed anything wrong with Pippen out on the court, Anderson replied, "Yeah. He was making too many shots."