Opening the preseason with two consecutive wins isn't really anything special unless you are the Bulls, whom operations chief Jerry Krause is rebuilding for the second time in three years under coach Tim Floyd.

The Bulls won two in a row only once all last season on the way to a last-place, franchise-worst 15-67 record. They won three straight once and two straight twice the season before and two straight twice in Floyd's first season.

But Saturday night here in Conseco Fieldhouse, starting guards Ron Mercer and A.J. Guyton scored 14 and 11 points respectively to rally the Bulls (2-0) from an early five-point deficit to an 86-81 win just 24 hours after they had beaten the Atlanta Hawks 103-90 in the preseason opener.

''Even though it's preseason, wins are always good and I just want to see us make a habit out of this as we continue to grow and improve,'' said team captain Charles Oakley.

''What we're trying most to do is learn [new offensive and defensive] systems, give a lot of guys some playing time and find out what everybody can do,'' Floyd said. ''So the wins are bonuses. But we'll take them.''