No Ifs, Ands or Butts, Rodman Is Raging Bull

Referee Ted Bernhardt had a headache Saturday night.

For the NBA, it’s a recurring problem.

Claiming he was a victim of a double standard, Chicago forward Dennis Rodman dared the league to suspend him for butting heads with Bernhardt after being ejected from a game against New Jersey.

The Bulls, playing without injured Scottie Pippen and for more than three quarters without Rodman, still had Michael Jordan, who scored 37 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in a 97-93 victory.

After being called for hitting Rick Mahorn on a rebound, Rodman stood still for a couple of seconds and then put both hands down the front of his pants.

Bernhardt saw the gesture and called the technical foul.

Rodman said he was joking with either Paul Mihalak or Hank Armstrong.

“I put my hands in my pants and asked him, ‘What, do you want me to guard him like this?’ ” Rodman said.

Rodman yelled at Bernhardt. Just before he finished, Rodman’s head appeared to clip Bernhardt over the left eye.

Before leaving the floor, Rodman pulled off his shirt and tossed it to the floor and pushed an orange cooler off a cart.

“If I butted, then I butted him, suspend me,” a frustrated Rodman said. “Rod Thorn [the league’s enforcer], [Commissioner] David Stern: Suspend me. You guys are so big, suspend me.”

Rodman insisted he was being singled out by officials.

“Let me ask you,” he said. “If Michael Jordan had put his hands in his pants, would he have been thrown out? Case closed.”

Not necessarily.

“If he feels he is being singled out, he has to walk the line,” Jordan said. “Maybe this was an outburst we needed. Maybe he has to be concerned with focusing on the game rather than how he is being perceived.”

OTHER GAMES

Tim Hardaway had 28 points and 15 assists to lead Miami to a 121-97 victory at Houston. . . . Patrick Ewing scored 26 points for the Knicks in a 94-88 victory over Philadelphia at New York. . . . Gheorghe Muresan had 28 points for Washington in a 120-115 victory over Utah at Landover, Md. . . . Sean Elliott’s 24 points led the Spurs, 119-92, over Atlanta at San Antonio. . . . Latrell Sprewell scored 31 points as Golden State beat Milwaukee, 99-94, at Oakland.