Reviews In For Vegas Vacation

Dennis Rodman, usually a rebounding and defensive standout for the defending champion Chicago Bulls, is desperate to shake his NBA Finals slump.

After his fourth straight subpar game - no points on four shots, four fouls and just six rebounds over 25 minutes in Utah’s series-tying 78-73 victory Sunday night - the rainbow-coiffed forward was predictably unpredictable.

Rodman, with coach Phil Jackson’s permission to take a break, boarded a private jet to Las Vegas for some overnight gambling.

When he returned for practice Monday - 10 minutes early - he declined to say how much money he had won or lost.

“It’s no big deal,” Rodman said. “I was just enjoying myself, trying to get ready for the game (on Wednesday night).”

His teammates wore restrained smiles when asked about Rodman’s excursion.

Michael Jordan, saying the Bulls were “mentally and physically exhausted,” noted he and all his teammates welcomed a couple days to rest and recreate before Game 5.

“If that’s his way of getting away and getting a renewed attitude … I don’t have a problem with it - as long as he comes back ready to play Wednesday.”

Scottie Pippen, though, looked like he might have bitten his tongue.

“You would think he would want to evaluate what’s going on on the court,” he said. “But off the court, as a teammate, we don’t have anything to say about it.”

Bulls general manager Jerry Krause tried to make the best of Rodman’s latest march to the beat of his different drummer.

“He’s been living so purely. He’s got his mother and his sisters with him. He’s been living like a church mouse lately (and) he needs to loosen up,” Krause said.

Jordan senses urgency

Michael Jordan’s plans did not include a flight to Las Vegas, a mountain bike ride or even one round of golf. On the ninth day of the NBA Finals, the basketball god rested.

Jordan’s schedule tells you all there is to know about the current state of the defending world champions and the pesky Utah Jazz. It isn’t every day Jordan has to answer questions about Chicago losing its poise, its confidence and, possibly, its championship.

For once, the Bulls are sweating.

“I’m mentally and physically exhausted,” Jordan said. “Going through things like this takes its toll on you. I’m glad we have two days off because we can get our minds clear.

“There’s a sense of urgency because it’s a three-game series and we can’t give games away like we did on Sunday. We haven’t been put in this position in a long time. And either we’re going to go out and take it or they’re going to take it. And in these situations, I’d rather be aggressive. I don’t want to give nothing. I’d rather take.”

Series a big draw on TV

The series between the Bulls and Jazz is the third-highest rated in NBA Finals history through the first three games.

Games 1-3 averaged a 15.0 rating and 27 share, trailing only the 1993 finals between Chicago and Phoenix, and 1996 with Chicago and Seattle.

Friday night’s Game 3 rating was a 14.2 with a 27 share, below last year’s marks of 15.8/28. The overnight rating for Sunday’s Game 4 was a 19.1 with a 31 share.

Each rating point represents 970,000 households. The share is the percentage of televisions in actual use at the time.

Aging gracefully

For the past five years, Karl Malone - in his 12th NBA season - has heard the pundits hold forth on the perils of his advancing age.

It was inevitable, they said, that he would soon see his skills deteriorate as he entered his 30s. Instead, the 6-foot-9 power forward - he’ll be 34 in July - seems to get better.

This year, at an age when many star athletes consider retirement, Malone was named league MVP and led the Utah Jazz to their first NBA Finals.

He has no plans to quit playing anytime soon. His contract with the Jazz runs through 1998-99, and he’s talked of playing beyond that.

“In this business, people write you off long before you say to yourself ‘It’s time,”’ Malone said after practice, grinning as he recalled some of the league’s newcomers chiding him about his years this season.

“There’s a lot of those new ones at home watching us old ones now.”

Good timing

By now, NBA fans know Utah Jazz owner Larry H. Miller is a devout Mormon who will not attend games played on Sundays.

But thanks to Game 4’s television and other game-lengthening timeouts, Miller and his wife Gail managed to attend church services and make it to the Delta Center to watch the final 18 seconds of the game on a TV monitor.

While Miller makes it a practice not to attend games on his sabbath, he also has made it a point to be at the arena immediately afterward to greet his players in the locker room. As it turned out, he arrived Sunday night during a timeout.

Earlier, Miller had periodically checked the score on radio, growing understandably anxious when the Bulls led 71-66 with 2:23 left. As the couple arrived at the Delta Center, Gail Miller came to the rescue.

“She just looked over at me and said, ‘We’re going to win,”’ Miller said.