NBA PLAYOFFS : Rodman Is Pistons’ Unique Supersub

From the beginning, there always was one truism about Dennis Rodman: there hadn’t been one like him and there probably won’t be another.

What reserve in the NBA has the total package, emotionally and talentwise, that the 6-foot-7 Detroit Pistons supersub possesses? Who plays better defense? Who rebounds better? Who has a higher capacity to aggravate? To instigate? Who would dare to imply Larry Bird’s many accolades were due primarily to pigmentation?

And who has ever done what Rodman did Wednesday night in the Pistons’ 94-85 victory over the Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals? All he did was grab 10 rebounds (of his total haul of 14) in the fourth quarter. A substantial intake, certainly, but what makes it even more mind-boggling is that no other Piston had a single rebound in the quarter. He had them all.

“That’s a first for me,” Mark Aguirre said. “I’ve never seen that happen.”

Rodman also blocked a shot, though he admitted Thursday that he had fouled the shooter, Michael Jordan, on the play. “I got him. I got him good,” he says. (And who else would admit that?)

And he made himself an enormous presence when the game was on the line--by not scoring a single point. Only one other NBA sub, Manute Bol, can possibly be termed an impact player without a point portfolio. And Bol doesn’t approach Rodman for versatility.

“It just seems like the game changes when I come in and get into the flow,” said Rodman, whose team can eliminate the Bulls with a victory Friday night in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. “I mean, I don’t have to even score one point. You just get this energy. You can feel it. And all of a sudden, the momentum changes.”

Case in point: The Pistons were clinging to an 80-77 lead after Craig Hodges hit a three-point field goal with 6:27 to play in Game 5. The Pistons set up James Edwards for a turnaround, but the shot missed. But Rodman was there for a big rebound. The ball subsequently found its way into the white-hot hands of Vinnie Johnson, who answered Hodges’ three-pointer with one of his own. The Bulls were through for the night.

Rodman is averaging an astonishing 25.2 rebounds per 48 minutes in this series (13.0 a game). He is continuing a regular-season trend in which he has more rebounds than points; in this series he is doubling his scoring with his rebounds.

“Every ball that goes to the rim is mine,” he said. “Even if Bill Laimbeer gets it. I’m so elusive. And I’m always working. When the ball goes up, I think I’m going to get that rebound or tip-in. I just don’t like to disappoint anyone, especially the coaches.”

He rarely does. “I’d hate to even think what our record would be without him,” assistant coach Brendan Suhr said.

Added Coach Chuck Daly: “I’ve seen him do it so many times before. It’s like they say about Superman leaping over tall buildings in a single bound. That’s what we’re seeing. If he’s not the premier offensive rebounder in the league, I don’t know who is. He has a gift for it. A knack. A sense.”

Rodman recognized early that he had to do the so-called dirty work to survive. Although he led the league in field-goal percentage this season, scoring and shooting are not his strengths. Dunks and layups account for about 99.99996% of his baskets, and he averaged only 9.0 points a game.

Defense and rebounding are his calling cards and always have been. The Pistons salivate at the prospect of him adding a reliable offensive dimension to his game, but they’ll gladly settle for what they have now. So will Rodman.

“I enjoy doing the things that people don’t do, like rebounding, playing defense, taking a charge,” he said. “And getting the crowd in the game. The type of things that make me stand out from other people in the league.”

Unfortunately for Rodman, it is only lately that his undeniable talent has begun to overshadow his showboating proclivities. He still waves the finger and pounds the fist and exhorts the fans and his teammates.

And he isn’t going to stop.

“I’ve always been hyper,” he explained. “I just love the game so much and I want people to know that I enjoy my work. The money just isn’t that important to me.

“And the kids relate to that. They relate to the fist-pounding and the finger-waving and the antics. . . . But I’m not trying to show up anyone. A lot of guys have egos and no one has done that to them before. Now, I think, guys are more accustomed to it. They know I love the game.”