He wasn't being punished for missing practice after a big birthday celebration or for waltzing into the United Center barely an hour before tipoff.
Dennis Rodman didn't start because the Chicago Bulls wanted a different look to begin the Eastern Conference finals against the Indiana Pacers.Or at least that's what coach Phil Jackson said.
"That's all right. It's great," Rodman said as he made a fast exit Sunday following Chicago's 85-79 victory.
"I'm 37 years old and he wants me to come off the bench and try to give the team a little spark because he knows Toni (Kukoc) can't play defense," he said with a laugh.
Rodman began the game in the locker room staying loose. He finally got in with 4:22 left in the first quarter and immediately gave the Bulls a lift.
He finished the first half with nine points, seven rebounds and a technical foul. He even bumped into Pacers coach Larry Bird while chasing a loose ball.
"Dennis gave them energy. He caused problems. He caused havoc," Bird said. "It's really hard to get a rebound when he's out there."
Rodman didn't start in the second half, either. But before fouling out with 3:32 left, he had 11 points and 10 rebounds in just 23 minutes during Chicago's 85-79 victory.
"I think (official Joey) Crawford had it in for me tonight," Rodman said. "I don't know what his problem was today. I couldn't get a call or anything. Lucky for me I got a couple of easy baskets and I got into the flow of things early."
Rodman was fined for arriving late and missing practice Friday, a day after celebrating his 37th birthday.
During a TV interview played at halftime Sunday, Jackson said Rodman's birthday celebration wasn't confined to a Chicago nightclub but continued with stops in Detroit and St. Louis.
Was Jackson serious or just kidding around?
"A little of both," he said.
TURNOVER TROUBLES: The Pacers had 26 turnovers, including nine in the third quarter.
"They scored on our turnovers and in a matter of a couple of seconds, it seemed like they had the game back," Pacers center Rik Smits said.
The 7-foot-4 Smits scored only nine points, missing six of his 10 shots. Bulls coach Phil Jackson said before the series began that controlling Smits and Mark Jackson was just as important as stopping Reggie Miller.
The Bulls did both Sunday.
"They threw a lot of different stuff at me. They fronted some, they collapsed on me when I did get the ball in the post," Smits said. "They were just scrambling all over the place. They were very effective in what they were doing."
And after being outshot at the free throw line 18-1 in the first half, the Pacers got to the line more in the second. But they were just 16-of-25 for the game and missed six times from the line in 14 fourth-quarter opportunities.
CALL ME WHAT YOU WANT: Earlier this week, Pacers coach Larry Bird said: "I don't want to hear anything more about that Coach of the Year junk."
So how about "Hick From French Lick?" Would that bother him?
"Naw, because I am a hick and always will be, and I'm proud of it," he said.
MORE MICHAEL: Michael Jordan passed Wilt Chamberlain (1,627) for playoff free throws attempted. He also tied Magic Johnson for first in career playoff steals (358) after making five Sunday.