Is Jackson Trying to Be Bulls’ Ferry Godfather? : NBA playoffs: Coach takes his team for a tour of New York before practice.

Keep thinking, Phil, it’s what you’re good at.

Marooned in Manhattan, besieged by the Knicks, with his own players wondering if they belong in this series, Chicago Bull Coach Phil Jackson scheduled a Monday practice, but told the bus driver to head for the Staten Island Ferry instead.

He and his players then took the tour of the harbor and had little conferences about their roles in the series.

Reporters waiting at the deserted practice site speculated on Jackson’s motives (Getting away from the pressure? Saying farewell to New York, since they might not be back?) and Tuesday’s possible destinations (Empire State Building? Bronx Zoo? Radio City Music Hall?). It turned out to be Madison Square Garden, where the Bulls practiced, as scheduled.

“New York was a great place for me as a young man growing up,” said Jackson, the Knicks’ house hippie in the ‘60s. “And it’s a wonderful experience for my players to participate in.”

“I thought it’d be a good day trip: There was a little bit of the Statue of Liberty, a little bit of Wall Street. . . . It was a nice day on top of it. We had much more to learn about being together in the fresh air, on the ocean, than we did on the basketball court.”

Everyone seemed to have a good time, even if they rolled their eyes a lot. As for the educational aspects, Horace Grant learned the Statue of Liberty was a woman.

For the record, that was Clemson University he attended.

Refreshed, the Bulls return to the larger problem, the Knicks, who lead the series, 1-0, going into tonight’s Game 2. The Bulls stunned them in Game 1, taking a 15-point lead, but couldn’t hold it and are worried about what to do for an encore.

Before leaving Chicago, B.J. Armstrong vowed, “We can’t go down 0-2 like we did last year, with this group of individuals, and get away with it.”

Scottie Pippen was said to be concerned that they had already played as well as they could in the regular season and had no next level to step up to. That might have inspired his comment after Game 1: “Whether the Bulls win a game in this whole series or not, it’s not going to be an easy series for them.”

With two days between games, Coach Pat Riley might have let his Knick players ride a ferry Monday if they had played better, but with thoughts of Pippen slicing down a wide-open lane, he conducted the usual long, hard practice.

After Game 1, Jackson complained about the refereeing, hoping to impress the Game 2 officials.

Riley, in turn, complained about Jackson.

“They blew a 15-point lead with 14 minutes left,” Riley said. “It’s got nothing to do with the officiating.

“If he wants to make some excuses about somebody else helping them at that time, he ought to take a good hard look at his team.”

Jackson said someone read him Riley’s comments over breakfast, but he enjoyed the meal anyway.

“You know,” Jackson said, “another worm had gone on the hook.”

Translation: He thinks Riley is trying to bait him and won’t reply.

Unfortunately for Jackson, who can hold up his end in any exchange, this argument will be settled on the floor, where Riley has an edge. That ferry had to dock sometime, and the Knicks are waiting.