He was a big-time high school jock in suburban Pittsburgh who later majored in floor burns at North Carolina, a rogue elephant of a football player in basketball shorts who terrorized opponents and teammates alike. George Karl was a star.

"I'm averaging like 28, 29 points a game and my coach tells my dad I'm not working hard enough," Karl recalled. "I was all-state, all-everything, and it was highly offensive that someone who knew me would say I wasn't working hard enough. But it wasn't only that winning was the goal, it was an attitude of committing to being a championship team. That's what we've got to learn.

"Maybe I'm being too anal or demanding. We're 6-1 (best record in the Eastern Conference) and I'm not totally happy."

It was that way once in Chicago. When just winning wasn't good enough, when winning was merely a step toward a championship, when leading the division or having the best record in the conference meant little but a few extra T-shirts to sell. When everything was the ring.

It hasn't happened yet just up Interstate 94 from Chicago, but when the Bulls travel there Wednesday night to meet the Milwaukee Bucks, they'll get a live look at the makings of a title contender. They hear about it from those with good memories at the Berto Center and see the banners and trophies, like ancient medals from famous campaigns. In their journeys thus far, the Bulls haven't faced a team with an eye only on the NBA Finals and perhaps a championship.

Karl, you'll recall, coached the Seattle SuperSonics to the Finals against the Bulls in 1996, losing in six games. He sounds as if he likes this team better.