Rodman Gets Points Across

Dennis Rodman dives for loose basketballs, plays flypaper defense, pumps his fists, argues with referees and gives his jersey to fans.

He pierces, tattoos or dyes most body parts you can see . . . and some you can’t.

And, of course, he rebounds. Better than anyone else in the NBA.

What the Chicago Bulls’ flamboyant forward usually doesn’t do is score, yet he has more points than the Magic’s starting small forward, shooting guard and power forwards--combined.

No wonder Orlando is in trouble in the Eastern Conference finals, needing a victory today to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole in the best-of-seven series.

“It’s a surprise to everybody,” the Magic’s Nick Anderson said Friday. “He does the things he does--crash the boards, get putbacks and play solid defense. But he’s also making jump shots and I’m like, ‘Ohhhh, man!’ He’s built his confidence and he’s riding with it.”

Rodman, who averaged 5.5 points and had only five double-digit games all year, scored a season-high 13 points in the series opener and topped that with 15 in Game 2. Meanwhile, Dennis Scott has 13 points, Anderson 11 and Horace Grant none. Jon Koncak, who started for the injured Grant in Game 2, has just three points.

Score through two games: Rodman 28, Scott-Anderson-Grant-Koncak 27.

“I do my job when the time is right,” Rodman said. “And I do what it takes to win.”

Nevertheless, Magic Coach Brian Hill insists, “Rodman’s offense is the least of our concerns.”

And he’s right.

Orlando has plenty of other pressing problems, including the Bulls’ pressing defense.

The Magic must take care of the ball, which they failed to do in blowing an 18-point lead in Game 2. They must get better production from their bench, which has been badly outplayed by Chicago’s. They must get a career game from Joe Wolf, the likely starter at power forward now that Koncak has a knee injury that is expected to sideline him Saturday.

And the Magic must get more from Scott and Anderson, who combined for 32.2 points a game this season.

“We’ve just got to be more aggressive,” said Scott, who is 4-of-12 overall and 1-of-6 from 3-point range.

“There’s no excuse. The shot is not falling,” said Anderson, 3-of-18 overall and 1-of-11 on 3-pointers. “I have a lot of pride. No one has to tell me, ‘Nick you haven’t been playing well.’ I know it. I’m trying to change it. I want to step up and do the things I’m capable of doing.”

The failure of Anderson and Scott is a main reason Orlando is down 2-0. After all, in the battle of Dream Teamers past and future, the Magic’s Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway have outscored Chicago’s Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

Orlando is counting on home cooking Saturday and Monday to solve some of their problems.

“There’s a confidence we have,” Hardaway said. “It’s an arrogance that we can just turn it on at home.”

Added Scott: “They did what they were supposed to do, win two at home. Now we’re home for two and we’re supposed to win.”

Not necessarily.

Orlando was 37-4 here this season, but Chicago set an NBA record with 33 road victories. And while one of the Bulls’ eight road losses came at the Orlando Arena, they avenged that with a late-season victory here.

“We like playing on the road,” Jordan said. “We have the kind of players who are mature, who know how to concentrate. Playing well on the road is a mentality, and I think we are mentally strong.”

Because of Jordan’s universal popularity, the Bulls also seem to have plenty of support in every arena.

“But we had trouble playing them (in Orlando) even when they were an expansion team,” Bulls coach Phil Jackson said. “They generate a lot of energy out of their crowd.”

Playing without Grant and facing a Chicago team hungry to reach the NBA Finals, the Magic will need all the energy their fans can supply.

No team in league history has won a series after an 0-3 start.

“We have to turn things around. Now,” Hardaway said. “Monday would definitely be too late.”