The Bulls had complained about the officiating all night but the complaining turned to sulking and on the change of possession Hubert Davis hit a shot that cut the lead to 89-80. Green free throws and a Cederic Ceballos basket later the Bulls’ lead was 11 but the momentum shifted considerably at with 2 minutes to play when the Bulls were mistakenly called for a backcourt violation on a Scottie Pippen cross-court pass to Steve Kerr. It started at about the 3:30 mark after Jud Buechler hit a shot to put the Bulls up 89-74, which sent many in Reunion Arena to the exits. It was the type of game remote controls and breakable coffee table decorations fear the most. Michael Jordan’s 3 pointer that extended the lead to 85-68 with under 6 minutes to play almost washed away the negative thoughts, but Scottie Pippen’s air ball at about the 4 minute mark suddenly reminded me why this game felt so strange.

However, I had a strange feeling I had an overwhelming sense that something bad was going to happen that did not go away as the Bulls built a 79-60 lead with 9 minutes to go in the 4th quarter.

“I can’t believe I didn’t replace this with a McGyver episode,” I thought as the game entered the 4th period. I understood why the 18-year old me recorded this game but what I could not grasp was why the 19-year old me did not record over it as soon as possible. At this point I believed that the Bulls could, to use a Wayne Larrivee term, “sleepwalk” their way through one more quarter and with my thirst for nostalgia quenched, I began fighting the urge to hit the fast forward button to see what other old games awaited me on the other side of this Chicago blowout. Dallas fought back and cut the lead to 6 with less than 3 minutes to play but the quarter ended with Chicago up 71-60. It was 48-40 Chicago at halftime and less than 3 minutes into the 2nd half, Chicago had built a 58-43 lead on a 10-3 run. The Bulls weren’t playing well but maintained a comfortable lead for most of the game. Whether it was Kerr referring to Scottie Pippen as “Pip” or Larrivee’s trademark “ring it up!” when a Bulls player made a 3 pointer, the memories their commentary dredged up kept me from prematurely hitting the eject button on the VCR. As a kid I loved Johnny “Redd” Kerr and Wayne Larrivee’s commentary, two men as much a part of my childhood as Michael Jordan. I watched and recorded this game 16 years ago on WGN. The 18,255 people, the most to ever watch a basketball game in Reunion Arena, represented the Bulls’ popularity in the 1990s. Once the game entered the 3rd quarter, I had resigned myself to not writing about it, but the bizarre (after reading this you might say tragic) ending led to some reflection that changed my mind about this experience and, for me, added some importance to an otherwise meaningless contest. It was a regular season game Dallas was not very good, and, even though they were not playing well, the Bulls spent much of the game cruising comfortably ahead of the Mavericks. The next tape I slid into the VCR began with an ordinary game between Chicago and Dallas in Reunion Arena, and even though I am usually pretty good at remembering Bulls games, I could not remember any significance about the Magame against Dallas in Reunion Arena. The last time I relived an old Bulls game that I had recorded on VHS it was Michael Jordan’s first game back to New York City after his retirement, an event worthy of the record button.

Chicago bulls roster 1987