Bulls Honor Jackson, Lose Game

May 6, 1999 / 1:38 AM EDT / CBS/AP

On a night when the woeful Chicago Bulls honored their past and ended their worst season ever, the Orlando Magic looked ahead to the playoffs.

Thanks to a 103-83 victory on Wednesday night, the Magic earned homecourt advantage at least through the first two rounds.

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"In essence the game didn't mean a whole lot except the second round, you're going to be able to have homecourt advantage," said Orlando coach Chuck Daly.

Orlando (33-17) is the No. 3 seed in the East, but will have homecourt advantage should it meet second-seeded Indiana in the second round. The Pacers finished with the same record as Orlando, but lost the season series to the Magic.

First, though, Orlando has a tough first-round assignment against Philadelphia. Minutes after disposing of the Bulls, Daly was talking about the Sixers.

"We got our work cut out. You got Larry Brown, one of the best coaches in the league, and then you got Allen Iverson, who we've not been able to control," Daly said. "It's a tough go."

It was a tough go all season for the Bulls, who finished their lockout-shortened season at 13-37 (.260). Their worst previous season came in 1975-76 when the Bulls, featuring Jerry Sloan and Bob Love, were 24-58 (.290). That team was 15-35 after 50 games.

The Bulls also finished their 50-game schedule averaging 81.9 points, the lowest scoring average in NBA history since the inception of the shot clock. Entering this season, the lowest average was 87.4 points in 72 games by the Milwaukee Hawks in 1954-55, the season the clock was adopted.

"I don't feel comfortable at all talking about myself, particularly after 13 wins," said rookie coach Tim Floyd, whose predecessor, Phil Jackson, was honored at halftime.

"I would have hoped for more. I went into it hoping we could accomplish more. But there were factors that went into it."

The most telling factor lack of talent showed itselin the second half Wednesday night.

Horace Grant, Matt Harping and Charles Outlaw all scored 14 points for the Magic, who pulled away with a 22-6 second-half run.

Ron Harper, perhaps playing in his final game, led Chicago with 17.

"It was a short year. It was a long year. It was a fun year," insisted Harper, who played on three championship teams.

Jackson was honored at the half with a banner raised in his honor next to Michael Jordan's retired number.

He got a rousing ovation, but owner Jerry Reinsdorf and general manager Jerry Krause both of whom did not participate in the ceremony were booed loudly when Jackson thanked them during his remarks to the crowd.

Jackson watched some of the game from Reinsdorf's mezzanine box.

Notes: The Bulls missed the playoffs for just the ninth time in the team's 33-year history and for the first time since 1983-84, the year before Michael Jordan arrived. ... A listless Penny Hardaway managed just four points in 33 minutes, shooting 1-of-8. He entered the game as the Magic's leading scorer at 16.1 points per game.. ... On its last visit to the United Center in April, Orlando beat the Bulls by 47 Chicago's worst-ever loss.