Michael Jordan

Bulls: Michael Jordan has scored 30 or more points in 31 games this season, including his past five.

Not that anyone asked, but I'll admit it anyway. I've lost more gambling at poker and golf than Michael Jordan. There, I have bared my soul, unburdened my conscience.I'm not the only one. Thousands of readers of this paper have lost as much. For that matter, so have some of the journalists who are moralizing and hyperventilating about Jordan's $57,000 in lost golf bets.But let me clarify something. I didn't lose $57,000. I don't bet that kind of money on anything. The reason I don't bet that kind of money is that I don't make the kind of money Jordan does.

CHICAGO -- Michael Jordan is back.Was there any doubt?During a brief meeting in Las Vegas late Tuesday involving Jordan, agent David Falk and Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, Jordan agreed to a new one-year contract.Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Jordan is believed to have been offered at least $36 million -- a 20-percent raise over last season. The contract is to be signed next week when Jordan returns from Las Vegas, where he is conducting a fantasy basketball camp.Both sides remained relatively quiet about the contract yesterday; their brief statements didn't address whether the coming season would be Jordan's final one with the Bulls.

The top single-game individual scoring performances in NBA playoff history. The Chicago Bulls' Michael Jordan scored 56 in a 119-114 victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday night:Pts... .. Player.. .. .. .. .. .. Game.. .. .. .. .. . Year63 Michael Jordan .. .. .. Chicago at Boston, 2OT.. .. 198661 Elgin Baylor.. .. .. .. L.A. Lakers at Boston.. .. 196256 Michael Jordan.. .. .. Chicago at Miami.. .. .. .. 1992 56 Wilt Chamberlain.. .. Philadelphia vs. Syracuse.. ..196255 Rick Barry.. .. .. San Francisco vs. Philadelphia.

DALLAS - Somebody should have asked Michael Jordan. He knew. Throw it to Steve Kerr. No, Kerr isn't retired. But the Dallas Mavericks are for this season ... because of Kerr. The player who hit the shot that clinched the Chicago Bulls' 1996-97 NBA championship came off the bench for a desperate, sagging San Antonio team facing a seventh game in the Western Conference finals last night, and he hit four three-pointers to rally the Spurs to a come-from-behind, 90-78 victory. Kerr had played only 13 minutes in the playoffs before this game.

On Tuesday mornings I visit my chiropractor, Dr. Richard Loebman, who tells me things I do not wish to hear. He explains that, according to his exacting calculations, I am no longer 18. He notes that, despite the fantasies inside my head, my body has reached a point of no return, and it is no longer conceivable that I will one day be like Michael Jordan.Except that now, of course, Michael Jordan will no longer be like Michael Jordan, who says he's quit playing basketball for a living. At 30, he says he no longer has the heart for it. At 48, I find I still have the heart for it, but not precisely the body.

Bulls@Pacers Noon [WGN] Michael Jordan (left) and Scottie Pippen face off against Reggie Miller and Rik Smits as Chicago takes on Indiana in a possible Eastern Conference finals preview - if this were 1997-98. Instead, watch the bottom two teams in the Central Division fight over draft lottery position. Almost as good, right?

NBA games lost yesterday: 8.Total games missed: 187.Earliest estimated date season can start: Jan. 1.Negotiations: A session scheduled for yesterday was canceled.Projected player salary losses (through Jan. 1): $330 million.Today's best canceled game: Chicago at Phoenix. Michael Jordan and the Bulls take on Jason Kidd and the Suns.Pub Date: 11/29/98

The number Rushing yards by Emmitt Smith in return The quote "He's a human highlight reel. He's like Michael Jordan. It's ridiculous." Eric Hicks, Chiefs defensive end, on his teammate Dante Hall.Rushing yards by Emmitt Smith in return to Dallas.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Bulls' Michael Jordan received a telephoned death threat before last night's game against the Washington Bullets and was shadowed by a half-dozen plainclothes policemen throughout the night. They escorted him and his family into and out of Chicago Stadium. The call was placed to the Bulls' office."You can't ignore it," Jordan said after the game, "but I'm not going to let it bother me. I've got a job to do and I came to do it. Right now, I'll just go home and relax.