MONROE: MJ gets unwanted farewell tour

They knew full well the player they had come to pay homage to would have to sit for the remainder of the period.

Not even gets to stay on the court after he picks up a second foul with seven minutes left in the first period.

Jordan is in the final phase of what is turning into a farewell tour of which he wants no part. He won?t have any part of any official good-byes.

No gifts.

No speeches.

But he can?t stop the fans from showing their respect and admiration with long, standing ovations every time he is introduced, usually after a video retrospective on the Jumbo-Tron.

?It was unexpected,? Jordan said of the rousing tribute from the Indiana fans that lasted more than two full minutes. ?I?ve been really trying to stay away from this farewell tour thing. But the welcoming and the respect the fans paid me, even though we?ve had some heated situations here in the past, I truly, truly appreciate. It shows they welcome good talent and hard work.?

Tuesday night marked the last time Jordan will play a regular season game in Indianapolis, where he had so many great battles with the ? during the first two phases of his NBA career. The most notable came when the took the to a seventh game in the 1998 playoffs, the only Game 7 the faced during their amazing run to six titles in the 1990s.

Of course, there still is a reasonable chance the and could wind up in a first-round matchup in the Eastern Conference playoffs. After their surprising 83-78 win over the suddenly reeling — just Indiana?s fourth loss of the season at home — the remain a single game out of the eighth and final playoff berth in the East.

They could be back in Indianapolis in late April.

Should that happen I doubt a single Hoosier will boo the refs if Jordan gets in early foul trouble in one of those games.

What Jordan is doing in this final season of his great career is more than remarkable. He is rolling back the clock and putting up numbers reminiscent of his salad days in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when his acceptance as the greatest player in the game was unquestioned.

Jordan turned 40 last week, of course, so what he has been able to do in recent weeks is hard to believe.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar may have scored more points than any player in basketball history, but even he didn?t score 40 points after reaching age 40, and he played until he was 42.

Jordan had 43 against the Atlantic Division-leading after hitting the big 4-oh.

Tuesday night against the he had an easy 25 despite that early foul trouble and a bump above his surgically repaired right knee in the fourth period. And that was against one of the toughest defenders in basketball, Indiana?s , who put so much effort into stopping Jordan that he missed 14 of 17 shots himself.

The fans seem to appreciate what Jordan is doing in this final trip around the league.

Neither Doug Collins nor Isiah Thomas, Tuesday?s opposing coaches, think today?s players truly understand it.

?I don?t know how he does it,? Collins said. ?His inner strength and his mind are off the charts, just the way he prepares. There have to be games where his body just doesn?t want to do it but he wills himself to continue to do it and compete.

?The game the other night against New Jersey when he got the 43, and then the game against Dallas we almost pulled out late just on his competitive will ? well.?

Well, indeed.

Of course, Jordan at 40 no doubt is going to be limping around on a puffy knee that may keep him out of Thursday?s game against the .

Thomas chided the media for comparing anyone to Jordan, even the ? , who went into Tuesday night having scored 40 or more in nine straight games.

?Maybe two or three players in this league will have — maybe — 12 to 15 days in their careers that he?s had for years. They may have a good month. This guy has had great years. They?ll have a good month and get compared to him.

?I?m talking about anybody in this league. There isn?t a guy that I?ve seen that?s come along in this league (that compares). They?ll see the numbers but they have no idea of the competitor and the warrior and the man that he was and that he is today.

?They can wear 23 and Jordan shoes and all that stuff ? but you read the stories about Geronimo, but you still have no idea what Geronimo really stood for to the Indians and what that man was all about.

?And that?s kind of what these guys are like with Jordan, I think.?

I?ve been covering the NBA through the entire of Jordan?s career and that is the first time I?ve ever heard him compared to Geronimo.

And with that, I think it truly must be time for him to leave the game.

Senior writer Mike Monroe can be reached at his e-mail address, mmonroe@foxsports.com.