Mcmillan Doubts He Can Continue
After pregame warmups, Sonics swingman Nate McMillan said he will decide soon whether he can continue playing with a painfully inflamed sciatica nerve.
He will not play the rest of the series if he determines that the pain is only getting worse. He also fears the possibility of the irritation extending to his calf. Currently, it radiates from his back to his left hamstring and two cortisone ejections have not eased his pain nor increased his mobility.
“I have to question if I can continue,” he said. “If I try, I might injure myself for life or I can sit down and own up to the fact that it’s an injury that came at the wrong time.”
McMillan stayed loose during the game on a treadmill near the locker room, but was able to play only 6 minutes in the first half. In that time, he took over at point guard for Gary Payton, who moved to small forward, and he grabbed a rebound and made an assist.
At one point, however, he reaggravated the injury while backpedaling and had to be taken out of the game.
“I couldn’t do anything out there,” McMillan said. “I’ll talk to the doctors (today). If it doesn’t feel any better, I don’t think I can continue. I don’t want a situation where 10 years from now I can’t walk. This is a special moment, but not something that could affect the rest of my life. It’s very frustrating, but it happens.”
Rainbow Rodman
Dennis Rodman, the hair apparent of the NBA, didn’t disappoint Wednesday night.
Rodman, who changes the color of his hair whenever he changes his mood, showed up for Game 1 of the NBA Finals with a cornucopia of colors covering his crown.
It was rainbow Rodman, with a green peace sign dyed into the right side of his head, a red sign of infinity on the left side of his head, a little purple, a little red, and little yellow … tough to tell what the designs were supposed to be, but at least they were colorful.
During one timeout, each of the Bulls’ dozen cheerleaders wore a different colored wig and danced to the song “RodMan,” set to “Batman” theme music.
Words on Worm
Veteran backup Frank Brickowski, who will be one of several Sonics responsible for keeping Rodman off the boards, admits it will be a chore.
“I wish he were as confused about his basketball as he is about his sexuality. We’d be in better shape,” Brickowski said.
Media charge
Bulls backup center Bill Wennington recently presented a trophy to teammate Steve Kerr as “Moth Of The Year” for always showing up when the TV lights are turned on.
At the end of Tuesday’s practice, Wennington was the first Chicago player to finish his workout and about 100 media members charged toward him. Wennington called to Kerr for help.
Kerr’s response: “There’s the real media moth,” he said of Wennington.
Outside looking in
In 1989, George Karl was between jobs in the CBA and in Spain. He showed up at the Bulls preseason camp to watch practice one day. The treatment he received from Bulls counterpart Phil Jackson wasn’t what he expected.
“Phil made me sit outside and watch through the glass,” Karl remembers. “That honked me off.”
Barkley done as Sun?
If Charles Barkley plays basketball next season, it likely won’t be in Phoenix.
“More than likely I’ve played my last game for the Suns,” he told NBC sportscaster Bob Costas in a halftime interview.
Sonics to play in Europe
The SuperSonics and Indiana Pacers will represent the NBA in the NBA Europe Tour ‘96, two exhibitions to be played Oct. 18 and 20 in Germany and Spain. It will be the eighth straight year the NBA will play exhibitions in Europe.
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