Bulls Drawing Rave Reviews on Road

Dennis Rodman says he wasn’t interested in playing that night, and it just happened to be the only game the Chicago Bulls have lost this season.

Australian center Luc Longley was body surfing in the Pacific Ocean when a wave smashed his shoulder into a sandbar, knocking him off the court for up to two months.

In one game, a fan waved a Bugs Bunny poster at Michael Jordan as he tried to shoot free throws, hoping the sight of his co-star from the “Space Jam” movie would distract him. It didn’t.

It’s all part of the Chicago Bulls’ first extended road swing this season. After a three-day interruption, there are three games left, starting today in Dallas, moving on to San Antonio and then finishing next week in Milwaukee.

“I wouldn’t say [I’m] a movie star. It was a successful adventure the way I look at it,” Jordan said of the recently released “Space Jam.”

The Bulls’ road trip has been as big a success as the movie, despite last Saturday’s loss at Utah that sank the team’s hope of setting the NBA record for consecutive victories (16) to start the season. They settled for 13-1.

Coach Phil Jackson said his team needs to get off to a quicker start in games without having to rely on Jordan, saving his star for those so-far rare occasions when the Bulls are challenged in the final period.

Jordan scored 22 of his 40 points Monday night in the first half of a victory against the Clippers and had 27 of his 44 against the Jazz in the first two quarters.

“It’s been Michael having to do a lot of scoring in the first half and third quarter to keep us in games,” Jackson said. “Or at least the first half and then we find that little burst that breaks the game open.”

One problem has been poor shooting by Scottie Pippen, who’s making only 43% of his shots.

“I’ve been getting out quickly because of the lack of rhythm offensively for some of the other players,” said Jordan, who is averaging 31.4 points and shooting 51%.

“I try to carry the load whenever the teams needs it, that’s part of my leadership role.

“I’d like to see Scottie playing better and shooting better. That makes us a more potent team. But a lot of teams would love to have a situation where they can have a bad night and one guy comes in and more or less carries the load and they still get a win out of it.”

After the loss at Utah, Rodman said he had little interest in the game. He’d been ejected late in the game for shoving Utah’s Jeff Hornacek into the seats, an act that led to his second technical foul and damaged the Bulls’ chances for victory.

Most players would never admit boredom, especially when they are paid millions.

But the season can drag, even for a team that wins most of its games, stays in the best hotels and has its own jet.

“That’s the tough part with a veteran team,” Jackson said. “You look down and you play 12 games and you still got 70 left and you think about, ‘What’s this going to be when March and April comes?’

“The important thing as a coach is to keep them focused and energized. I told our guys not to let their resolve down. We’ve had a good road trip up to this point. We have three left.”