As Usual, Rodman Moves to His Own Beat : Spurs: But he makes the plays on the floor to help San Antonio eliminate the Lakers.

Forward Dennis Rodman of the San Antonio Spurs sat in front of his locker stall with headphones on, bopping his head in time to the music on his CD player. His teammates were in uniform, but Rodman was still wearing his street clothes and a pair of sunglasses an hour before Thursday night’s Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference playoff series against the Lakers.

Held out of Sunday’s 80-71 victory over the Lakers in Game 4 by Coach Bob Hill for insubordination, Rodman regained his starting spot and had 16 rebounds and 12 points as the Spurs beat the Lakers, 100-88, to advance to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 1983.

The first player to leave the locker room, Rodman didn’t talk to the media.

“I’m not speaking tonight, brother,” Rodman told a reporter who chased him down a hallway. “That’s those guys’ victory in there.”

Reserve forward Jack Haley, Rodman’s closest friend on the team, said Rodman took a more active role than he normally does.

“I was happy to see the leadership role he showed tonight,” Haley said. “I thought he actually took control of the game. He was out there directing traffic. He was being a big part of the team vocally and I was real excited to see him be such a big part of the team.”

Guard Avery Johnson thinks Rodman, who won back-to-back NBA titles with the Detroit Pistons in 1989 and 1990, wants to win a third.

“You don’t want to point fingers, but his effort tonight, his commitment to the team, was higher than I’ve ever seen it,” Johnson said. “And that commitment really put us over the hump tonight.

“He’s got a chance to do something special. Ken Norton won two [Super Bowl] championships with Dallas and then he went to San Francisco. Dennis won two with Detroit and he wants to win another one.”

Why did Hill relent and start Rodman?

“I didn’t start him in the last game because he quit in Game 3,” Hill said. “So I sat him for Game 4 and didn’t start him for Game 5, but he played well in Game 5, and we went back to our normal rotation. He played great tonight. I think he wants to start, but I don’t think it motivates him.”

Forward Sean Elliott, who had a playoff career-high 26 points, sensed that Rodman was motivated after regaining his starting spot.

“That’s the most vocal I’ve seen him, ever,” Elliott said of Rodman. “I mean he was 100 times more vocal than I’ve ever seen him out on the court. He didn’t react like he normally does after sitting down a game. He didn’t pout at all. He came back like a man and really helped us out.”

Rodman thinks he has been unfairly treated by Hill, who didn’t play him after he removed his shoes and covered himself in towels as if he were about to enter a sauna.

“I’ve been doing what I’ve been doing for the last four or five years,” Rodman said the other day. “All of a sudden, it’s just wrong. I’m not doing nothing that’s hurting the team. I’m playing basketball, that’s what I get paid to do, and whatever else is my business.

“I can fight any adversity. This is nothing to me. I don’t hate Bob Hill. I don’t hate anybody in this organization. As I’ve said before, I want to win a championship for the city of San Antonio. That’s the only thing on my mind. Nothing else matters.”

And if Rodman keeps playing the way he did Thursday, the Spurs might win their first NBA title.