MICHAEL JORDAN rarely proved he still can on Wednesday in the Chicago Bulls' 97-85 romp over the Utah Jazz in the second game of the NBA Finals.

Along with his assortment of jump shots from all over the court, Jordan finally let loose with an evocative move late in the game.

He took the ball on the right wing, swooped past league Most Valuable Player Karl Malone along the baseline, double-clutched and spun one of his trademark reverse lay-ups through the hoop - left-handed.

"I've seen that so many times," said a smiling Scottie Pippen, who earlier in the game had dunked a clever Jordan look-away pass on a rare fast-break.

Jordan ended with 38 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, two of them on three-pointers - accounting for 58 points in all.

Playing down his personal heroics, Jordan lamented missing six out of his 21 free throws, and insisted his intent throughout was to keep his teammates involved in the game.

"If I see Scottie (Pippen) limping, I'm not going to take all the responsibility myself. I'm going to ask the team to take some of that responsibility," Jordan said.

Jordan's starring effort was not lost on his opponents.

Jordan's efficiency - he was 11 of 20 from the field - followed his dramatic game-winning shot in the first game on Sunday. But most of his points are no longer scored in spectacular style.