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AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (Ticker) -- Michael Jordan looked as if he had been away for three years. But he still looked pretty good. Clearly limiting himself in his return to NBA competition, Jordan scored eight points in 17 minutes as the Washington Wizards suffered a 95-85 exhibition loss to the Detroit Pistons. Having teased NBA fans with his comeback for months now, Jordan finally took the court. Perhaps the greatest player of all time, he received a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 22,076 at The Palace of Auburn Hills and did not disappoint anyone who came to see him. "It's a great sense of respect they pay me," Jordan said. "I think they're very loyal to their team. I certainly appreciate it. It inspires me to continue my job as a basketball player." In the opening minutes, Jordan came from the weak side to swat a shot out of bounds and later used a headfake to free himself for a 20-footer over Corliss Williamson. Jordan also converted an alley-oop pass, although he simply laid it in instead of hammering it home as he had done throughout his stellar career. He also had trouble defending Williamson in the post and clearly was not as quick as he was when he left the NBA on top three years ago. "I kind of surprised myself because my energy level was pretty good," Jordan said. "In the first quarter, I thought I was OK. I still have room for improvement in terms of my wind. My legs are coming back. I'm on schedule. It's been three years since I played an exhibition game and obviously it's going to take some time." Jordan did not play in the second half, ignoring chants of "We want Jordan" from the crowd. In the 1998 NBA Finals, Jordan was thought to have completed his career in storybook fashion, sinking the winning jumper in the final seconds to give the Chicago Bulls their sixth championship in eight years. The Bulls won three straight titles from 1991-93 and again from 1996-98 as their dynasty was interrupted only by Jordan's first retirement, which lasted 17 months into February 1995. In January 1999, Jordan joined the Wizards as president and part-owner. The team endured a franchise-worst 19-63 record last season and the 10-time scoring champion began dropping hints of another comeback. However, Jordan's return showed some of the Wizards' greatest fears were realized. One is that his teammates may not be good enough to match his skills or insatiable desire to compete. Improving Richard Hamilton scored 24 points, but Popeye Jones was the only other Washington player in double figures with 10. Top overall pick and starting center Kwame Brown scored six points and battled foul trouble in 22 minutes. Second-year guard Courtney Alexander had four points and fouled out, as did rookie center Brendan Haywood. "I think they feel the energy I want to play at," Jordan said. "I'm not where I want to be, and to get there I'm going to be bringing them along. They don't know what they're in store for. You have to be on key every single night. It's great for the young kids to learn." Another issue is Jordan's position. A natural shooting guard, he started at small forward, where at times he was overmatched by Williamson. If Jordan played shooting guard, he would hinder the progress of Hamilton and Alexander, two of Washington's better players. He also would be forced to match up against the deepest talent pool of any position in the league. One of those shooting guards is Detroit's Jerry Stackhouse, who scored 30 points. Jon Barry added 13 and Chucky Atkins and Dana Barros had 12 each for Detroit (2-0).
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