Utah pries win from the Jazz of defeat

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SALT LAKE CITY -- Fans at the Delta Center were ready for Dennis Rodman.

Outside the arena, two fans carried 5-foot-tall milk cartons adorned with a picture of Rodman and the message, "Have you seen me lately? Call 1-800-MVP-KARL."

Rodman

The joke was, of course, in reference to Rodman's disappearing act in Game 3, when he grabbed three rebounds and was scoreless in 24 minutes.

Fans also received hand-held Rodman masks called "Worm on a Stick," which had the international "no" symbol printed across Rodman's face.

Inside the Bulls locker room, Rodman had his game face on.

He sat right in front of the television, concentrating on a tape of Game 3. If the walls began to fall down around him, there's a good chance he wouldn't have noticed.

Bill Wennington said the world would see a different Rodman in Game 4.

"He'll have a lot more energy tonight," Wennington said. "I don't think he'll be disruptive, but I expect him to have more energy.

Wennington

"In Game 2 he played well, but the other night in Game 3 he was quiet and rather inactive. But we've made some adjustments and we did some things to change that."

Wennington isn't on the playoff roster because of a foot injury that forced him to miss the final month of the regular season.

"It's easy to get bothered by not playing," he said, "but I'm part of the team and I've got to show my support."

Wennington sits with the team during the games, but he spends his free time working as an analyst for a Chicago radio station.

"That keeps my mind in the game," he said.

Rodman vs. Rod

Rodman's rationale? He said the NBA and NBC wanted the series to go as many games as possible.

"They're making something like $15 million or $20 million a game," Rodman said, "so what do you think they want?"

Rod Thorn, the NBA's vice president of operations, responded to Rodman's comments before Game 4.

"It's hogwash. It comes up every year," he said. "It was in the paper in Chicago that Utah would likely win Game 3 because NBC wanted it that way. That's hogwash.

"NBC has nothing to do with it, and they want nothing to do with it. Coaches just say that to try to get an advantage. It happens every year."

Thorn also said the NBA would look into derogatory comments Rodman made about Mormons on Saturday. Rodman's comments were on tape and were broadcast on television, which might prompt a punishment from the league.