nba.513dizel,
-> #475, vpoznanovic>>> Svaka ti cast.Sta bismo mi bez tebe.E,da te pitam,odakle
>>> skidas ove poruke?
>
> Sa nekoliko americkih sportskih mreza.
Pretpostavio sam.Pa,koliki su ti onda racuni za tel?
nba.514lexus,
Po Vladi Oliću, Danilović će zaigrati u PlayOff-u!
To mu je (Vladi) izjavio Pat Rilley u nedavnom
razgovoru.
nba.515vpoznanovic,
SONICS BUILT INJURED LIST ONE BRICK AT A TIME
SEATTLE -- Seattle SuperSonics reserve forward/center Frank Brickowski
will miss the team's final two regular-season games because of
tendinitis in his right shoulder.
Brickowski is eligible to return for the start of the playoffs. When a
player is placed on the injured list with less than five games left in
the season, he is only obligated to miss the remaining games.
Brickowski is averaging 5.4 points in 63 games this season. He missed
the entire 1994-95 season with a dislocated shoulder.
The Sonics activated rookie forward Sherell Ford from the injured list
to replace Brickowski. Ford had missed the previous eight games because
of quadriceps tendinitis in his left leg. He has appeared in 27 games
this season, averaging 3.2 points per game.
nba.516vpoznanovic,
STERN: NBA WILL CRACK DOWN ON LEAGUE VIOLENCE
SCOTTSDALE, Arizona (AP) -- The NBA plans to come down hard on
players like Los Angeles' Magic Johnson and New York's J.R. Reid for
violence on the court, commissioner David Stern said Friday.
"If it keeps occurring, we're prepared to cost games, seasons and
careers over this," Stern said of the two recent incidents.
Speaking at a luncheon sponsored by The Economic Club of Phoenix,
Stern addressed such topics as ethics and marketing trends in
sports.
In February, Reid threw an elbow to the mouth of Phoenix's A.C.
Green during a Suns-Knicks game, knocking out two of his teeth. Reid
was suspended for two games and fined.
On Monday, the league suspended Johnson for three games and fined
him $10,000 for bumping referee Scott Foster during a Lakers-Suns
game the previous day. Johnson had recently criticized several
teammates for aggressive behavior.
"You've got large men in small places running very fast," Stern
said. "As well as we try to police it, there are going to be
outbursts."
Sterns said the public has turned sports into an arena for moral
debate.
"We understand the power of sport to sell sneakers or cereal, but
also the de facto standard for engaging our nation in important
discussions," he said, citing AIDS, law and religious discrimination
as parallels.
"If someone reports that one-third of the nation will be illiterate
by the next century, that's a statistic," he said. "But if someone
reports that Dexter Manley can't read -- now that's a story."
The league has grown from 30 employees in 1984 to 600 in 1996, and
markets $3 billion worth of goods compared to $40 million in 1982,
with 15 percent of its business outside of the United States.
The NBA is pouring more resources into the Internet, he said. There
will be full-motion video of basketball games online, as well as
home shopping for league merchandise. At this point, only 5 percent
of fans actually attend games.
The growing hype over basketball stars has led some to pursue a
professional career without finishing college. Stern said he
disapproved of the trend.
"It would be good for us if players stayed in college. They'd be
more mature and I think it might be better for us, but it's up to
them," he said.
nba.517vpoznanovic,
Boston (112) At New Jersey (106)
Boston
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Fox F 36 8-11 0-0 0 8 8 1 3 1 2 19
Burrough F 21 5-12 0-0 1 1 2 0 2 1 2 10
Lister C 24 2-5 0-2 3 10 13 0 4 0 1 4
Minor G 30 3-11 4-5 2 4 6 1 2 0 0 10
Wesley G 38 7-14 4-6 1 2 3 14 2 0 1 21
Day 32 3-11 0-0 0 2 2 2 3 1 2 7
Barros 25 10-14 2-2 0 3 3 2 1 0 1 27
Hamilton 8 0-1 1-4 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 1
Brown 22 1-3 9-9 0 3 3 0 0 0 1 11
Mundt 4 1-1 0-0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2
Ellison Dnp - Sore Lower Back
Totals 240 40-83 20-28 9 34 43 20 18 3 10 112
(.482) (.714) Team Rebs: 11 Total To: 10(11 Pts)
New Jersey
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Brown F 37 8-14 2-2 3 5 8 4 2 0 1 19
A Gilliam F 33 11-19 4-7 2 6 8 2 1 1 0 26
Bradley C 32 7-18 3-4 5 8 13 0 5 0 3 17
Reeves G 31 1-5 3-4 1 2 3 4 3 1 4 5
Fleming G 44 3-12 1-2 3 5 8 17 2 0 2 7
Graham 30 5-14 0-0 2 1 3 1 4 1 0 14
Williams 18 3-8 0-0 4 3 7 2 1 0 0 6
Mahorn 10 2-4 0-0 0 4 4 1 1 0 0 4
Werdann 5 3-5 2-3 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 8
Childs Dnp - Concussion
Dare Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Obannon Dnp - Sore Left Hand
Totals 240 43-99 15-22 20 35 55 32 21 3 10 106
(.434) (.682) Team Rebs: 5 Total To: 10(18 Pts)
Boston 30 27 26 29 - 112
New Jersey 32 26 18 30 - 106
Blocked Shots: Boston - Lister 3, Fox 2, Day 2, Hamilton 2, Burrough. New
Jersey - Bradley 10, Williams 2, Reeves, Brown.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Boston 12-18 (.667), Fox 3-4, Wesley 3-5, Day 1-3,
Barros 5-5, Brown 0-1. New Jersey 5-19 (.263), Brown 1-1, Bradley 0-1,
Reeves 0-4, Fleming 0-2, Graham 4-11.
Technicals: New Jersey - Graham.
Officials: Bill Oakes, Tom Washington, Mike Callahan.
A - 17,776. T - 2:11.
nba.518vpoznanovic,
Boston 112, New Jersey 106
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Dana Barros scored 27 points and his
3-pointer with 2:29 to play snapped a tie as the Boston Celtics took a
112-106 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Friday.
Nets center Shawn Bradley recorded his second consecutive
triple-double with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 blocked shots. Armon
Gilliam scored 26 points for New Jersey.
David Wesley added 21 points for the Celtics, who salvaged a split of
the season series against New Jersey and improved to 12-11 against
Atlantic Division opponents.
"These guys have played well this year. Unfortunately, we are running
out of games," Boston coach M.L. Carr said. "We are trying to build a
team here and this is a positive start."
Bradley said the Nets also need to build on this season.
"For next year, we need to keep everyone, if possible," he said. "The
less changes the better."
Greg Graham scored the final five points of a 7-0 run to give New
Jersey a 96-95 lead. Greg Minor answered with a layup and Wesley
nailed a 3-pointer to give the Celtics a 100-96 advantage with 4:57
remaining.
Bradley had a reverse dunk and Gilliam added two free throws to tie
the score with 2:53 to go. Barros then hit the key 3-pointer and added
a pair of free throws around a foul shot by Wesley to make it 106-100
with 40 seconds left.
The Nets had a chance to tie the score after Barros' 3-pointer, but
they committed a turnover.
Rick Fox added 19 points for Boston, which shot 48 percent (40 for 82)
from the field.
Vern Fleming, starting in place of the injured Chris Childs, had 17
assists for the Nets, who shot 43 percent (43 for 99) and outrebounded
Boston 55-43. Graham finished with 14 points off the bench.
nba.519vpoznanovic,
Charlotte (115) At New York (108)
Charlotte
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Curry F 37 8-15 4-4 1 4 5 3 3 1 4 22
L Johnson F 45 9-18 9-10 2 16 18 2 3 1 3 28
Parish C 23 1-1 2-2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 4
Rice G 41 9-16 0-0 0 2 2 2 3 2 1 21
Anderson G 31 3-8 5-6 0 3 3 7 2 1 0 12
Goldwire 18 5-6 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 12
Addison 14 2-3 0-0 0 3 3 2 2 0 2 4
Zidek 23 3-5 4-4 2 1 3 1 5 0 1 10
Hancock 8 1-3 0-0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 2
Adams Dnp - Pulled Right Groin
Geiger Dnp - Sprained Left Ankle
Myers Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Totals 240 41-75 24-26 6 29 35 18 21 5 12 115
(.547) (.923) Team Rebs: 3 Total To: 13(15 Pts)
New York
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Mason F 47 11-13 3-4 2 5 7 6 4 0 5 25
Reid F 20 0-2 0-0 2 5 7 1 4 1 2 0
Ewing C 44 10-26 8-9 3 12 15 11 3 0 1 28
Starks G 38 6-14 2-2 0 2 2 5 4 1 1 18
Harper G 42 6-13 2-4 0 2 2 5 3 2 2 16
Davis 20 3-5 0-0 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 7
Ward 6 1-2 0-0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 2
Anderson 10 3-4 0-0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 6
Williams 13 3-4 0-0 2 1 3 1 2 0 0 6
Grandison Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Grant Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Lohaus Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Totals 240 43-83 15-19 9 28 37 31 26 5 13 108
(.518) (.789) Team Rebs: 5 Total To: 13(17 Pts)
Charlotte 27 31 24 33 - 115
New York 33 20 31 24 - 108
Blocked Shots: Charlotte - None. New York - Mason, Ewing, Starks.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Charlotte 9-20 (.450), Curry 2-3, L Johnson 1-2, Rice
3-6, Anderson 1-5, Goldwire 2-3, Addison 0-1. New York 7-22 (.318), Ewing
0-2, Starks 4-10, Harper 2-6, Davis 1-2, Ward 0-1, Anderson 0-1.
Technicals: None.
Officials: Dick Bavetta, Paul Mihalak, Joe Borgia.
A - 19,763. T - 2:07.
nba.520vpoznanovic,
VICTORY IN NEW YORK CAN'T SAVE CHARLOTTE
NEW YORK -- One day after an embarrassing loss to Milwaukee, Larry
Johnson and the Charlotte Hornets regrouped and took a 115-108 victory
over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
The Hornets' reward? They were eliminated from the playoff race.
Charlotte (41-40) needed the Miami Heat to lose to Milwaukee and
finish in a three-way tie with Miami and Washington in order to make
the playoffs. Instead, Miami beat Milwaukee 106-100 and clinched the
final postseason berth in the Eastern Conference.
"We're not a very good team unless all our parts are working,"
Charlotte coach Allan Bristow said. "There's a couple of games we
wished he had back."
When asked if he was looking at the scoreboard for updates on the Heat
game, Bristow said, "Yes, right from the beginning. I glanced at it
about 50 times."
Johnson scored only two points in 39 minutes Thursday as Charlotte
lost at home to lowly Milwaukee.
Less than 24 hours later, Johnson was sensational against New York. He
played 45 minutes and finished with 28 points and 18 rebounds.
"We've got to stop listening to the media, because we ain't as
talented as everybody thinks," Johnson said of the disappointing
season.
Patrick Ewing recorded his first career triple-double with 28 points,
15 rebounds and 11 assists for New York (46-35), which fell into fifth
place in the East.
The Knicks, who lost the tie-breaker to Cleveland, are only a
half-game ahead of the Detroit Pistons for sixth place in the East.
Anthony Mason pulled New York even at 100-100 with 2:57 remaining.
Charlotte then went on a 7-1 run, as George Zidek completed a
three-point play, Dell Curry added two free throws and Johnson nailed
a turnaround jumper.
Ewing converted a three-point play to halve the deficit before Ewing
and Mason each missed shots before Johnson slammed the door with a
three-point play.
Curry scored 22 points and Kenny Anderson and Anthony Goldwire scored
12 points apiece for Charlotte, which shot 55 percent (41 for 75) from
the field and missed only two free throws in 26 attempts.
Mason made 11 of 13 from the field and scored 25 points for New York,
which shot 52 percent (43 for 83) from the floor.
nba.521vpoznanovic,
Dallas (103) At Phoenix (123)
Dallas
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Mccloud F 36 3-14 4-4 3 4 7 3 1 2 4 10
Jones F 33 2-11 4-6 5 6 11 2 3 1 1 8
Williams C 28 1-2 0-2 3 2 5 1 4 1 1 2
Jackson G 34 8-16 3-4 1 2 3 2 0 0 0 21
Kidd G 40 14-23 5-6 2 6 8 10 1 2 9 37
Meyer 12 3-7 0-0 2 4 6 0 4 0 2 7
Dumas 8 0-4 2-2 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 2
Wood 14 0-3 0-0 1 2 3 1 3 0 0 0
Harris 21 4-11 0-0 1 2 3 2 0 1 2 10
Parks 12 2-3 0-0 1 1 2 1 2 0 0 4
Brooks 2 1-1 0-0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 2
Davis Dnp - Left Knee Injury
Totals 240 38-95 18-24 20 29 49 24 19 8 19 103
(.400) (.750) Team Rebs: 8 Total To: 19(31 Pts)
Phoenix
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Finley F 46 11-15 1-1 3 7 10 9 3 1 5 23
Tisdale F 26 12-19 0-0 2 2 4 2 4 2 1 24
Williams C 31 3-7 4-4 2 8 10 1 2 0 0 10
W Person G 41 9-16 0-0 2 7 9 3 0 1 1 21
Johnson G 40 8-19 4-5 1 5 6 19 3 7 6 21
Green 21 2-4 1-4 1 3 4 0 1 1 0 5
Manning 16 4-10 4-4 1 0 1 2 2 0 0 12
Perry 8 2-2 0-0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 4
Carr 9 1-2 1-2 2 2 4 2 2 1 0 3
Bennett 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Barkley Dnp - Strained Right Calf
Kleine Dnp - Fainting Spells
Totals 240 52-94 15-20 14 34 48 40 17 14 13 123
(.553) (.750) Team Rebs: 5 Total To: 14(16 Pts)
Dallas 24 25 31 23 - 103
Phoenix 34 32 25 32 - 123
Blocked Shots: Dallas - Williams. Phoenix - Williams 3, Tisdale, Manning.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Dallas 9-28 (.321), Mccloud 0-6, Jones 0-1, Jackson
2-7, Kidd 4-5, Meyer 1-1, Dumas 0-1, Wood 0-3, Harris 2-4. Phoenix 4-9
(.444), W Person 3-6, Johnson 1-2, Manning 0-1.
Technicals: Dallas - Illegal Defense 2, Williams, Phoenix - Illegal
Defense 2.
Officials: Lee Jones, Dan Crawford, Kevin Fehr.
A - 19,023. T - 1:59.
nba.522vpoznanovic,
Phoenix 123, Dallas 103
PHOENIX -- Phoenix rookie Michael Finley came within one assist of his
first triple-double as the Suns routed the Dallas Mavericks 123-103 on
Friday and clinched the seventh seed in the Western Conference.
Finley had 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists and Wayman Tisdale
also scored 23 points for Phoenix (41-40), which will play the San
Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs.
"I didn't even know I was that close to a triple-double," Finley said.
"If I had known, I would have got it. I guess that's a rookie
mistake."
Kevin Johnson had 21 points, 19 assists, seven steals and six rebounds
for Phoenix.
Jason Kidd had 37 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds for Dallas,
which lost for the 19th time in the past 23 games.
Phoenix broke the game open with a 13-4 run in the second quarter.
Loren Meyer pulled the Mavericks within 39-29, but Johnson hit a foul
shot and Danny Manning added a layup to make it 42-29 with 9:52 left
in the first half.
Dallas pulled within 91-84 early in the fourth quarter, but Wesley
Person scored eight points during a 19-5 run to put the game away.
Person capped the run with a 3-pointer to give the Suns a 110-89 lead
with 5:52 to play.
Manning finished with 12 points for Phoenix, which shot 55 percent (52
for 94) from the field. Tisdale scored 18 of his points in the second
half and Finley shot 11 for 15 from the floor.
Jim Jackson added 21 points for Dallas, which shot 40 percent
(38-of-95) from the field and nine for 28 from 3-point range.
"We've got one more game and we're trying to keep it together," Dallas
coach Dick Motta said. "In terms of hustle, the game was a lot closer
tonight than the score shows. We just couldn't hit a shot."
nba.523vpoznanovic,
Miami (106) At Milwaukee (100)
Miami
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Thomas F 25 4-5 2-2 1 4 5 0 6 1 0 10
Williams F 22 3-5 0-4 2 3 5 1 4 2 2 8
Mourning C 43 11-16 6-8 3 6 9 3 5 3 2 28
Chapman G 34 5-11 2-4 0 1 1 1 0 0 3 14
Hardaway G 44 6-14 2-5 0 2 2 19 3 2 6 17
Gatling 19 3-6 4-4 1 2 3 1 3 0 2 10
Askins 28 3-7 0-0 2 4 6 1 2 1 1 8
Smith 23 5-10 0-2 1 2 3 2 3 0 1 11
Corbin 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Schayes 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
King Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Lenard Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Totals 240 40-75 16-29 10 24 34 28 26 9 17 106
(.533) (.552) Team Rebs: 14 Total To: 17(0 Pts)
Milwaukee
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Baker F 41 6-13 5-7 4 7 11 1 4 1 2 17
Robinson F 44 9-17 9-9 3 6 9 4 2 0 4 28
Cummings C 14 1-4 1-2 0 5 5 1 5 0 1 3
Douglas G 39 7-10 1-3 0 0 0 10 3 3 5 17
Newman G 33 6-10 0-2 0 1 1 2 1 1 1 12
Benjamin 10 1-4 0-0 1 3 4 0 3 0 1 2
Respert 21 1-6 2-2 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 5
Conlon 23 4-7 8-8 0 4 4 1 2 1 2 16
Mayberry 9 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0
Keys 6 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0
Duckworth Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Peplowski Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Totals 240 35-71 26-33 8 27 35 19 24 12 16 100
(.493) (.788) Team Rebs: 8 Total To: 16(0 Pts)
Miami 31 27 23 25 - 106
Milwaukee 31 25 21 23 - 100
Blocked Shots: Miami - Mourning, Smith. Milwaukee - Baker 2.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Miami 10-23 (.435), Williams 2-4, Chapman 2-3, Hardaway
3-5, Askins 2-6, Smith 1-5. Milwaukee 4-13 (.308), Robinson 1-4, Douglas
2-4, Newman 0-1, Respert 1-3, Conlon 0-1.
Technicals: Miami - Gatling, Milwaukee - Newman.
Officials: Ed T Rush, Derrick Stafford, Tim Donaghy.
A - 18,633. T - 2:10.
nba.524vpoznanovic,
HEAT LANDS EAST'S FINAL PLAYOFF BID
MILWAUKEE -- Alonzo Mourning scored 30 points as the Miami Heat
clinched the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference with a
106-100 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.
Tim Hardaway added 17 points for the Heat (42-39), who will play the
Chicago Bulls in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Miami is in the playoffs for the first time since 1993 and the second
time in franchise history. It will also mark the second time the Heat
plays the Bulls in the playoffs.
"It feels great from the standpoint that this team inherited each
other," said Miami coach Pat Riley of reaching the playoffs. "We made
some drastic changes when we were six games below .500 and it seemed
like we were down and out. Since then, we've been 19-10.
"We had a chance to lay claim to something very positive tonight and
we accomplished that."
The "drastic changes" Riley referred to were the three trades he made
Feb. 22, when he brought Tim Hardaway, Walt Williams, Chris Gatling,
Tyrone Corbon and Tony Smith to the Heat and sent Kevin Willis, Billy
Owens, Bimbo Coles, Kevin Gamble and Terrence Rencher out of Miami.
Glenn Robinson scored 28 points Friday and Vin Baker and Sherman
Douglas added 17 apiece for Milwaukee, which has lost 13 in a row to
the Heat. The Bucks were one day removed from beating Charlotte, which
was Miami's main competition for the final spot playoff spot.
Mourning scored the first six points of an 8-0 run in the third
quarter as Miami opened up a 72-62 lead with 6:54 left. Mourning hit
three consecutive post-up jumpers and Kurt Thomas capped the run with
a 15-footer.
Milwaukee pulled within 81-77 at the end of three quarters and traded
baskets with the Heat on the first three possessions of the fourth
quarter. Miami then hit 3-pointers on its first three shots to open up
a 90-83 lead.
Miami shot 53 percent (40 for 75) from the field and only 55 percent
(16 for 29) from the line. Hardaway also had 19 assists and Rex
Chapman added 14 for the Heat.
"It feels great," Mourning said. "We look back at all the things we've
had to sacrifice and we look at our down moments. But we focused our
concentration on our good moments, and that paid off."
Milwaukee shot 49 percent (35 for 71) from the field and grabbed only
eight offensive rebounds.
A Milwaukee television station reported Thursday that Bucks coach Mike
Dunleavy would be fired Monday. Dunleavy disputed the reports.
"This week we played playoff-intensity basketball," Bucks forward
Johnny Newman said Friday. "We're not focusing on who's coming back.
But whoever does, we'll make the most of it.
"As far as coach Dunleavy and whatever was said about him, he always
came in and made sure that we were prepared for each game and focused
on what needed to be done."
nba.525vpoznanovic,
Minnesota (86) At Seattle (94)
Minnesota
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Garnett F 33 4-7 0-0 3 2 5 2 3 0 2 8
Gugliotta F 33 5-10 3-4 0 3 3 2 5 3 2 14
Lang C 32 2-7 0-0 1 6 7 1 4 0 3 4
Rider G 41 8-13 1-1 2 6 8 7 3 1 3 19
Webb G 27 4-11 0-0 0 2 2 5 1 0 1 10
Mitchell 31 9-15 3-5 1 6 7 1 6 0 3 21
West 20 1-4 0-0 1 2 3 0 2 1 1 2
Porter 21 2-4 3-4 1 1 2 7 3 1 4 8
Bragg 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Davis 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Allen Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Riley Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Totals 240 35-71 10-14 9 28 37 25 27 6 19 86
(.493) (.714) Team Rebs: 6 Total To: 24(35 Pts)
Seattle
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Kemp F 39 3-12 7-8 4 7 11 5 3 1 7 13
D Schrempf F 39 6-13 5-6 1 3 4 5 1 0 3 18
Johnson C 25 3-7 0-0 0 6 6 0 2 2 0 6
Hawkins G 35 9-13 0-0 0 4 4 3 3 3 1 23
Payton G 34 6-14 0-0 2 2 4 3 2 2 2 12
Perkins 23 6-14 2-3 3 1 4 1 0 0 0 15
Mcmillan 30 2-3 0-0 0 4 4 2 4 1 2 4
Wingate 15 0-1 3-5 0 0 0 2 4 0 1 3
Askew Dnp - Sprained Right Ankle
Ford Dnp - Coach'S Decision
S Scheffler Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Snow Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Totals 240 35-77 17-22 10 27 37 21 19 9 16 94
(.455) (.773) Team Rebs: 7 Total To: 16(13 Pts)
Minnesota 17 29 23 17 - 86
Seattle 26 16 28 24 - 94
Blocked Shots: Minnesota - Garnett, Gugliotta. Seattle - Perkins 2,
Mcmillan, Johnson.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Minnesota 6-17 (.353), Gugliotta 1-3, Rider 2-3, Webb
2-9, Porter 1-2. Seattle 7-22 (.318), D Schrempf 1-4, Hawkins 5-8, Payton
0-3, Perkins 1-5, Mcmillan 0-1, Wingate 0-1.
Technicals: Minnesota - Gugliotta, Porter, Seattle - Illegal Defense,
Mcmillan.
Officials: Steve Javie, Blane Reichelt, George Toliver.
A - 17,072. T - 2:02.
nba.526vpoznanovic,
Seattle 94, Minnesota 86
The Seattle SuperSonics set a franchise mark with their 64th win as
Hersey Hawkins scored 23 points and Detlef Schrempf scored the last
four points of the game in the 94-86 victory over the Minnesota
Timberwolves.
The SuperSonics beat the Timberwolves for the 22nd consecutive time
and improved to 25-3 all-time against Minnesota. Seattle has not lost
to the Timberwolves since a 100-96 overtime loss at home on March
15th, 1991.
Schrempf scored 16 points and Shawn Kemp added 13 points and 11
rebounds for Seattle, which won its 12th straight at home and was
victorious for the 14th time in the last 16 games. Seattle has already
clinched the Western Conference's top seed.
"I think everyone wants to get on with it (the playoffs)," Sonics
coach George Karl said. "The exciting thing is that I think we're
confident. I know I have never been this confident with a team since
I've been in Seattle. This is the best team I've had. It does a lot of
things well. It can win in a lot of ways. Mentally, it has a toughness
that the Seattle SuperSonics have not had over the last three or four
seasons. I think everyone is anxious. I'm sure a lot of us wish it was
Tuesday or Wednesday."
Sam Mitchell scored 21 points and Isaiah Rider added 17 for Minnesota,
which lost its fifth straight.
"We turned it over a few times and they hit some three-point shots and
we didn't counter," Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders said. "We
probably ran out of gas. We didn't play a lot of guys. We went with a
lot of our veteran-type guys. They just made plays and that's how they
won 64 games this season. They have the ability to make those kind of
plays."
After Mitchell made one free throw to pull Minnesota within 90-86 with
two minutes remaining, Schrempf hit a hook shot from the baseline and
made two free throws to seal the game in the final minute.
Mitchell tied the game at 73-73 with a jumper before Gary Payton made
consecutive layups and Hawkins made consecutive three-point field
goals. Kemp's two free throws gave Seattle an 89-76 lead with four
minutes to go.
"Teams that aren't going to the playoffs can make the game ugly," Kemp
said. "So it's you're job to control the game and try to put some kind
of direction into the game. But often, when you have guys missing
shots, it makes things even worse. Tonight, we just made some mental
errors early, which caused us to put a lot of pressure on ourselves.
But we turned things around late in the third quarter and throughout
the fourth quarter, so it worked out in the end."
Sam Perkins scored 15 points and Gary Payton added 12 for Seattle,
which shot 46 percent (35-of-77) from the field and scored 35 points
off 24 forced turnovers.
nba.527vpoznanovic,
Orlando (112) At Philadelphia (92)
Orlando
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Scott F 28 2-4 1-1 0 3 3 3 0 1 0 6
Grant F 30 6-13 2-2 2 2 4 3 3 0 0 14
Oneal C 32 10-16 3-5 3 7 10 4 3 0 3 23
Hardaway G 25 6-7 3-3 0 1 1 9 1 4 3 15
Anderson G 26 4-7 0-0 0 4 4 3 2 1 1 10
Koncak 8 1-2 0-0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 2
Shaw 21 3-6 2-2 0 3 3 3 1 1 2 9
Royal 18 3-6 1-2 1 2 3 2 1 0 1 7
Bonner 23 4-8 3-5 4 8 12 3 4 1 2 11
Bowie 20 2-3 2-2 0 2 2 4 3 0 1 6
Thompson 9 3-6 0-0 1 0 1 1 1 0 2 9
Wolf Dnp - Concussion
Totals 240 44-78 17-22 11 33 44 35 21 8 15 112
(.564) (.773) Team Rebs: 4 Total To: 15(15 Pts)
Philadelphia
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Alston F 28 1-4 0-0 2 3 5 1 0 0 1 2
Weatherspoon F 34 8-17 2-2 1 8 9 2 3 1 1 18
Thompson C 30 3-6 4-4 4 2 6 0 3 2 2 10
Maxwell G 23 5-14 2-4 0 1 1 4 1 1 2 13
Walters G 44 3-7 5-7 0 2 2 10 3 1 0 13
Sutton 31 5-11 0-2 0 2 2 2 3 2 2 15
Massenburg 19 1-3 4-6 4 1 5 0 1 1 2 6
Pinckney 13 0-2 1-2 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1
Ruffin 18 5-15 1-1 1 2 3 2 2 0 1 14
Dumas Dnp - Fractured Right Foot
Higgins Dnp - Bursitisin Elbow
Stackhouse Dnp - Fractured Right Thumb
Totals 240 31-79 19-28 13 21 34 21 17 9 12 92
(.392) (.679) Team Rebs: 14 Total To: 14(16 Pts)
Orlando 21 28 31 32 - 112
Philadelphia 21 24 21 26 - 92
Blocked Shots: Orlando - Oneal 2, Royal. Philadelphia - Weatherspoon.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Orlando 7-13 (.538), Scott 1-3, Anderson 2-2, Shaw 1-3,
Thompson 3-5. Philadelphia 11-28 (.393), Maxwell 1-6, Walters 2-5, Sutton
5-9, Ruffin 3-8.
Technicals: Orlando - Head Coach Hill, Philadelphia - Maxwell.
Officials: Bernie Fryer, Jack Nies, Monty Mccutchen.
A - 18,168. T - 2:05.
nba.528vpoznanovic,
Orlando 112, Philadelphia 92
PHILADELPHIA -- Shaquille O'Neal had 23 points and 10 rebounds Friday
as the Orlando Magic took a 112-92 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers
in the last game at the Spectrum.
Clarence Weatherspoon scored 18 points for the 76ers, who will move
next door to the new CoreStates Spectrum next season.
LaSalle Thompson made a 13-footer to give the 76ers a 42-41 edge with
3:50 left in the second quarter. Dennis Scott responded with an
18-footer as the Magic took a 43-42 lead that they never lost.
Orlando held a two-point lead and halftime and O'Neal made two free
throws to close a 13-5 spurt and give the Magic a 62-52 cushion with
8:07 left in the third.
"I came out in the third and said I'd take over," O'Neal said. "I put
down a couple of dunks and we were fine."
Thompson made a short jumper to end a 9-2 run as Philadelphia cut the
deficit to 64-61 with 6:16 left in the third. Anthony Bowie's layup
completed a 16-4 burst and gave Orlando an 82-65 advantage with 51
seconds to go in the third.
Philadelphia did not come closer than 11 points in the fourth quarter.
Philadelphia guard Vernon Maxwell suffered a sprained medial
collateral ligament in his left knee in the third quarter and did not
return.
nba.529vpoznanovic,
Portland (95) At Golden State (87)
Portland
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Grant F 37 6-11 0-0 1 6 7 1 5 0 0 12
C Robinson F 42 8-18 14-16 1 6 7 3 3 0 4 32
Sabonis C 20 5-9 0-0 3 4 7 1 3 3 3 11
Mckie G 23 4-8 4-5 1 2 3 3 4 1 4 12
R Robinson G 23 2-3 1-2 1 1 2 6 0 0 5 6
J Robinson 31 1-2 0-0 0 6 6 9 4 2 3 3
Dudley 26 3-4 1-2 2 7 9 1 3 0 1 7
Williams 32 5-8 2-2 3 2 5 2 3 1 4 12
Trent 6 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
Spencer Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Wingfield Dnp - Tendinitis Left Knee
Strickland Dnp - Left Groin Strain
Totals 240 34-63 22-27 12 35 47 26 25 7 24 95
(.540) (.815) Team Rebs: 8 Total To: 25(28 Pts)
Golden State
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Kersey F 37 3-8 4-7 5 0 5 0 6 3 0 10
Smith F 44 5-17 6-8 5 6 11 0 3 2 1 16
Willis C 19 0-6 0-0 3 3 6 2 2 2 0 0
Armstrong G 26 5-14 2-2 1 1 2 5 4 2 3 13
Sprewell G 48 10-27 7-8 0 1 1 5 5 1 2 30
Declercq 26 2-4 1-2 3 1 4 0 4 1 2 5
Coles 29 5-9 0-2 0 1 1 6 1 2 1 13
Marshall 11 0-4 0-0 2 3 5 0 1 0 0 0
Barry Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Churchwell Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Hammink Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Rozier Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Totals 240 30-89 20-29 19 16 35 18 26 13 9 87
(.337) (.690) Team Rebs: 12 Total To: 9(12 Pts)
Portland 27 20 23 25 - 95
Golden State 21 28 18 20 - 87
Blocked Shots: Portland - Dudley, Williams. Golden State - Smith 2,
Kersey, Declercq.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Portland 5-15 (.333), Grant 0-1, C Robinson 2-7,
Sabonis 1-1, Mckie 0-2, R Robinson 1-2, J Robinson 1-2. Golden State 7-20
(.350), Smith 0-2, Armstrong 1-5, Sprewell 3-9, Coles 3-3, Marshall 0-1.
Technicals: None.
Officials: Jess Kersey, David Jones, Mike Smith.
A - 15,025. T - 2:14.
nba.530vpoznanovic,
BLAZERS ELIMINATE WARRIORS; KINGS REACH PLAYOFFS
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Clifford Robinson scored 32 points to lead the
Portland Trail Blazers to a 95-87 victory over Golden State on Friday
night, eliminating the Warriors from the playoffs.
As a result of Golden State's loss, the Sacramento Kings clinched its
first playoff berth since 1986. That was the team's first season in
Sacramento after moving from Kansas City.
Latrell Sprewell scored 30 points and played all 48 minutes for the
Warriors, who needed a victory Friday and a win over Sacramento on
Sunday to claim the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western
Conference.
"Of course it's disappointing," Sprewell said of missing the
postseason. "That's what we're playing for -- to sneak into the
playoffs. But we just didn't shoot the ball as well as we wanted to."
Aaron McKie, Harvey Grant and Buck Williams each scored 12 points for
the Blazers. Portland took three of four games from Golden State this
season and has won five of its last six games overall.
"We tried to come in and keep our momentum," Grant said. "I think we
turned up our defense in the second half. We showed how we've been
playing for the last couple of months."
Robinson's 3-pointer closed a 7-0 spurt and gave the Blazers a 79-71
lead with 7:34 left in the game. Robinson shot 14 four 16 from the
foul line and scored Portland's last nine points.
"This is a good sign. We played against a team that really needed the
game and we still pulled it out," Robinson said. "We wanted this game,
too. It doesn't mean much to us in the standings, but this can
definitely help us gain some momentum heading into playoffs."
Jerome Kersey's driving layup capped a 10-3 run and gave the Warriors
a 37-36 edge with 4:50 left in the second. Sprewell made a 3-pointer
to give Golden State its biggest lead, 47-42, with 2:12 left in the
second. The Warriors held a two-point lead at halftime.
Joe Smith had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Kersey added 10 points for
the Warriors. Golden State shot just 34 percent (30 for 89) from the
field, including six for 27 in the fourth.
The score was tied five times in the third before Robinson's 13-footer
gave Portland the lead for good, 62-61 with 3:10 left.
nba.531vpoznanovic,
Vancouver (92) At Denver (78)
Vancouver
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
King F 30 4-11 3-5 0 4 4 1 4 1 1 11
B Edwards F 33 6-10 1-2 2 4 6 0 4 1 2 13
Avent C 28 4-7 5-6 0 4 4 2 4 0 6 13
Anthony G 27 3-8 0-1 0 5 5 7 2 3 2 7
Moten G 31 5-9 0-0 1 4 5 1 1 4 3 11
Scott 26 2-8 3-4 1 3 4 0 2 0 5 8
Murdock 33 7-12 0-0 0 2 2 2 1 6 2 14
Wilkins 32 6-11 0-0 0 4 4 2 3 3 1 15
Amaya Dnp - Sprained Ankle
D Edwards Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Martin Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Reeves Dnp - Sore Right Knee
Totals 240 37-76 12-18 4 30 34 15 21 18 22 92
(.487) (.667) Team Rebs: 7 Total To: 22(16 Pts)
Denver
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
L Ellis F 31 5-9 4-7 8 9 17 1 1 2 4 14
Maclean F 26 6-18 1-2 3 1 4 1 0 0 4 13
Mcdyess C 18 2-7 0-0 3 2 5 1 3 0 1 4
Rose G 21 4-7 1-2 1 1 2 0 0 2 3 9
Stith G 32 4-12 2-4 4 5 9 1 3 4 4 10
Grant 25 2-8 0-0 1 2 3 5 0 1 2 4
D Ellis 17 2-9 0-0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 5
Hammonds 14 1-9 2-2 5 2 7 0 0 1 1 4
Williams 13 0-1 0-0 0 5 5 1 3 3 2 0
Fish 19 2-3 2-2 1 2 3 1 4 0 1 6
Overton 24 4-8 1-1 0 3 3 3 2 0 3 9
Mutombo Dnp - Strained Left Hamstring
Totals 240 32-91 13-20 26 33 59 14 17 13 26 78
(.352) (.650) Team Rebs: 11 Total To: 27(31 Pts)
Vancouver 21 26 18 27 - 92
Denver 17 15 24 22 - 78
Blocked Shots: Vancouver - Moten 2, Scott 2, King, Avent, Murdock,
Wilkins. Denver - L Ellis 2, Mcdyess, Williams, Fish.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Vancouver 6-19 (.316), King 0-3, B Edwards 0-1, Anthony
1-4, Moten 1-1, Scott 1-4, Murdock 0-2, Wilkins 3-4. Denver 1-10 (.100),
Rose 0-1, Grant 0-2, D Ellis 1-6, Williams 0-1.
Technicals: Denver - Head Coach Bickerstaff.
Officials: Mike Mathis, Ted Bernhardt, Tony Brothers.
A - 15,119. T - 1:54.
nba.532vpoznanovic,
Vancouver 92, Denver 78
DENVER -- Gerald Wilkins scored 15 points and Blue Edwards sparked a
pair of runs to lead the expansion Vancouver Grizzlies to a 92-78
victory over the Denver Nuggets on Friday.
The 16-point difference represented Vancouver's largest margin of
victory this season.
"I was having fun out there," Wilkins said. "I don't think Denver
necessarily wanted it. Somebody needs to get them motivated."
Eric Murdock scored 14 points and Edwards and Anthony Avent added 13
apiece for Vancouver, which registered its 14th victory on the season.
The Grizzlies, who dressed just eight players, improved to 3-20
against Midwest Division rivals this season.
"It wasn't pretty, but it was a win," Grizzlies coach Brian Winters
said. "I'll take it. I'll take 20 ugly wins. We only had Avent and
King as front-line players, so we had to go with it."
LaPhonso Ellis scored 14 points, Don MacLean added 13 and Bryant Stith
had 10 for Denver, which played without Dikembe Mutombo in losing for
the fourth time in five games.
The Nuggets, who lost to the Grizzlies for the first time in four
meetings, were eliminated from playoff contention on Monday.
"I think it's obvious that we have one group who cares about the team
and winning, and one group that doesn't," Ellis said.
Lawrence Moten hit an 18-footer to give the Grizzlies the lead for
good at 16-15. Vancouver settled for a 21-17 lead entering the second
quarter behind Avent's eight points.
After the Nuggets pulled within 41-32 on Jalen Rose's 11-footer,
Murdock hit a short jumper to ignite a 13-2 run, bridging both halves.
Edwards hit three field goals during the spurt and Moten's 3-pointer
gave Vancouver a 54-34 bulge three minutes into the third quarter.
Denver pulled within 71-64 on Doug Overton's jumper with 8:53 left in
the fourth quarter before Murdock hit a jumper to ignite a 19-8 run
that sealed the game. Edwards scored seven points during the spurt,
including a 3-pointer that gave Vancouver a 90-72 advantage.
Greg Anthony handed out seven assists and Murdock had seven of the
team's 16 steals for Vancouver, which shot 49 percent (37 for 76) from
the field. The Grizzlies registered just their fourth road victory
despite being outrebounded by a 59-34 margin.
Stith was held to four-for-12 shooting and MacLean shot six for 18 for
Denver, which committed 27 turnovers that led to 31 points for the
Grizzlies.
"It looks like the guys are trying to improve their position in the
lottery," Nuggets coach Bernie Bickerstaff said. "Actually, when you
have 19 turnovers in the first half and shoot 35 percent in the game,
you could tell we're not mentally into it.
"My message to the guys is that whatever is said about us is what we
deserve. We have it coming."
nba.533vpoznanovic,
Washington (103) At Toronto (107)
Washington
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Cheaney F 37 4-10 3-4 0 4 4 4 5 1 1 12
Howard F 42 19-29 3-8 3 6 9 4 4 2 5 42
Mcilvaine C 23 0-3 0-2 2 4 6 1 5 1 0 0
B Price G 35 4-14 3-3 1 1 2 11 1 2 2 14
Eackles G 40 4-11 2-4 0 3 3 6 3 2 2 11
Mccann 26 4-6 2-3 5 5 10 1 3 2 2 10
Butler 19 3-10 2-2 2 1 3 0 0 0 1 9
Whitney 13 1-3 3-4 0 2 2 3 3 0 1 5
Thornton 5 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0
Lewis Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Totals 240 39-86 18-30 13 27 40 30 26 10 14 103
(.453) (.600) Team Rebs: 13 Total To: 14(15 Pts)
Toronto
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Murray F 39 8-16 8-8 1 7 8 2 3 1 2 27
Miller F 39 4-9 2-2 2 11 13 9 4 3 6 10
Earl C 41 4-9 6-9 1 4 5 1 5 0 3 14
Robertson G 19 1-3 0-0 0 2 2 4 4 1 0 2
Christie G 42 11-16 5-5 2 5 7 5 4 4 5 30
Lewis 16 1-4 2-2 1 1 2 0 2 1 0 4
Whitfield 16 2-8 1-4 1 2 3 0 2 0 1 5
King 22 4-7 3-4 1 2 3 1 2 1 2 11
Esposito 6 2-3 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Totals 240 37-75 27-34 9 34 43 22 26 11 19 107
(.493) (.794) Team Rebs: 8 Total To: 21(18 Pts)
Washington 32 27 15 29 - 103
Toronto 21 30 30 26 - 107
Blocked Shots: Washington - Mcilvaine 3, Cheaney, Butler. Toronto -
Miller 3, Earl 3, King.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Washington 7-19 (.368), Cheaney 1-2, Howard 1-1, B
Price 3-11, Eackles 1-2, Butler 1-2, Whitney 0-1. Toronto 6-13 (.462),
Murray 3-5, Christie 3-4, Lewis 0-2, King 0-1, Esposito 0-1.
Technicals: Washington - Head Coach Lynam 2 (Ejected), Toronto - Miller.
Officials: Ed F Rush, Bruce Alexander, Pat Adams.
A - 24,454. T - 2:16.
nba.534vpoznanovic,
Toronto 107, Washington 103
TORONTO -- Doug Christie scored a season-high 30 points as the Toronto
Raptors knocked off the Washington Bullets 107-103 on Friday.
Tracy Murray added 27 points for the Raptors, who won the season
series against Washington, 3-1. Christie helped put the game out of
reach with five unanswered points, including a reverse dunk that made
it 100-91 with 2:25 to play.
Juwan Howard scored a career-high in points for the second consecutive
game, finishing with 42 points. He scored 40 points against Boston in
a 121-106 setback on Wednesday.
"I definitely want to do what it takes to help the team win," Howard
said. "I love to win. I take this seriously. This team should lose to
no one."
The Raptors rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit with a 15-6
run at the outset of the second half. Christie capped the run with two
free throws and a dunk to give Toronto a 66-65 edge with 7:14 left.
Oliver Miller gave the Raptors the lead for good less than four
minutes later when he hit two free throws for a 72-71 lead. Washington
pulled within 105-103 on a 3-pointer by Howard with 14 seconds
remaining, but Toronto center Acie Earl hit two free throws to close
the scoring.
Christie, who was 11 for 16 from the field, finished three points shy
of his career-high of 33, set Dec. 4, 1993, when he played for the Los
Angeles Lakers.
Toronto shot 49 percent (37 for 75) from the field and outscored the
Bullets from the foul line, 27-18. Earl added 14 points and Miller was
one assist shy of a triple-double with 10 points, 13 rebounds and nine
assists.
"They started out like a house on fire, they didn't miss many shots,"
Murray said of the Bullets. "When we picked up the intensity, they
started missing shots.
The expansion Raptors close their first season Sunday with a home game
against Philadelphia.
"We have so much talent. We've got something good here," Murray said.
"We want to end the season on a good note -- that would be a real
positive for the fans, to have them keep the Raptor fever."
Brent Price had 14 points and 11 assists for Washington, which shot 45
percent (39 for 86) from the field. Bob McCann added 10 points and 10
rebounds.
nba.535vpoznanovic,
EVO GA! :)
HEAT'S DANILOVIC TO RETURN FROM DECEMBER INJURY
MIAMI -- The Miami Heat activated rookie guard Sasha Danilovic from
the injured list Saturday, and he will play Sunday against the Atlanta
Hawks.
The Heat placed forward Chris Gatling on the injured list with a
strained left knee to make room for Danilovic. Because it is the last
game of the season, Gatling will only have to sit out Sunday's game
instead of the standard five-game minimum, which means he will be
eligible for the playoffs.
Miami coach Pat Riley said Danilovic will be included on the 12-man
playoff roster, which must be submitted to the league by Monday. The
Heat plays Chicago in the first round of the playoffs.
Danilovic has not played since injuring his right wrist during a
105-80 loss at Golden State on Dec. 12. He had been on the injured
list since Dec. 19.
In January, Danilovic had surgery to repair a bone in his wrist.
Before the surgery, he had been going through a series of unsuccessful
rehabilitation attempts to correct the chronic condition.
Danilovic, a native of Serbia, has played in 18 games for the Heat and
averaged 13.7 points per game.
nba.536vpoznanovic,
Detroit (73) At Cleveland (75)
Detroit
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Hill F 44 4-13 0-0 0 7 7 5 1 1 4 8
Thorpe F 33 5-8 0-0 0 3 3 1 5 1 2 10
Reid C 5 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 2
Houston G 46 9-10 4-4 0 7 7 1 2 1 5 26
Dumars G 44 3-7 7-9 0 3 3 7 1 1 3 14
Curry 23 3-6 2-2 2 2 4 1 3 0 0 8
Hunter 17 0-1 0-0 0 2 2 1 2 0 0 0
Mills 28 2-9 1-2 0 6 6 4 1 0 2 5
Leckner Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Ratliff Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Roe Dnp - Coach'S Decision
West Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Totals 240 27-56 14-17 2 30 32 20 17 4 17 73
(.482) (.824) Team Rebs: 8 Total To: 17(17 Pts)
Cleveland
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Mills F 43 9-15 0-0 3 5 8 2 2 0 1 18
Ferry F 35 5-9 0-0 1 3 4 4 3 2 1 11
Cage C 34 3-5 0-0 4 1 5 1 2 0 1 6
Phills G 43 9-17 2-4 2 5 7 5 4 1 2 21
Brandon G 36 5-16 1-2 0 4 4 8 3 2 0 12
Majerle 22 2-6 0-0 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 5
Hill 14 0-0 0-2 1 1 2 0 2 1 2 0
Sura 13 1-6 0-0 0 1 1 3 0 0 1 2
Amaechi Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Crotty Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Lang Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Marshall Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Totals 240 34-74 3-8 11 21 32 23 17 7 9 75
(.459) (.375) Team Rebs: 5 Total To: 9(11 Pts)
Detroit 22 18 13 20 - 73
Cleveland 23 19 18 15 - 75
Blocked Shots: Detroit - Thorpe, Curry, Mills. Cleveland - Mills 2,
Majerle 2, Ferry, Phills.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Detroit 5-10 (.500), Houston 4-4, Dumars 1-2, Hunter
0-1, Mills 0-3. Cleveland 4-16 (.250), Mills 0-1, Ferry 1-1, Phills 1-4,
Brandon 1-5, Majerle 1-3, Sura 0-2.
Technicals: Cleveland - Illegal Defense.
Officials: Joe Forte, Ron Olesiak, Mark Wunderlich.
A - 20,562. T - 2:08.
nba.537vpoznanovic,
CAVS STOP PISTONS, GAIN HOME COURT IN FIRST ROUND
CLEVELAND -- Winning ugly. That's what the Cleveland Cavaliers do.
Sure, the Cavs aren't the prettiest of teams. In fact it's difficult
to find many NBA teams with less luster, but these guys win. Heck,
they scored just one point in the last 4Ż minutes Saturday but still
beat the Detroit Pistons 75-73 to clinch home-court advantage in the
first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Bobby Phills, who scored 21 points, prevented a potential game-winning
shot by stripping Grant Hill of the ball with 1.1 seconds left to
preserve the victory.
"It was fitting that the game ended on a defensive play," Cleveland
point guard Terrell Brandon said. "That's been our trademark all
year."
Chris Mills added 18 points for Cleveland.
"I'm very, very proud of the effort of everybody on this team this
season," Cavs coach Mike Fratello said. "It was a man's game out there
today. They were after each other."
Both teams finish the regular season Sunday. Cleveland is at Indiana
and Detroit is at home against Milwaukee.
Detroit trailed 74-73 and had a chance to win the game with 10 seconds
left. Grant Hill, who returned to the lineup after missing a game with
a bruised foot, was dribbling when Phills knocked the ball away,
recovered it and then called a timeout with 1.1 seconds left.
"I got lucky, got a hand in there and swiped the ball away from him,"
Phills said. "It was just instinctive to call a timeout."
Brandon, who had 12 points, made the first free throw and purposely
missed the second, allowing time to run out.
Allan Houston finished with 26 points for the Pistons, who are just a
half-game ahead of Atlanta for the sixth playoff spot. Detroit has
dropped two in a row.
"What it comes down to right now at this stage of time is they're a
little tougher a team than we are," Pistons coach Doug Collins said.
"We're tough. They're a little tougher because they have been in the
playoffs wars and we haven't."
Hill finished with eight points and was scoreless in the second half.
The Cavaliers took a 74-68 lead on a dunk by Michael Cage with 4:45 to
play, then didn't score again until Brandon made a free throw with
two-tenths of a second left.
"I don't like that it came down to where we had to get a stop to hold
on to the win," Fratello said. "I wish there was a little more room
than that. But if there was a trademark that we tried to put a stamp
on early in the year, it was that we wanted to be as good as we could
be defensively."
The Pistons did not score a point after Joe Dumars sank a free throw
to close to 74-73 with 2:23 to go.
It was Detroit's ninth consecutive road loss against the Cavaliers.
The Pistons have lost nine of their last 11 road games overall.
Danny Ferry finished with 11 points for Cleveland, which shot 46
percent (34 for 74) from the field. Terry Mills had eight rebounds and
Phills added seven. Brandon handed out eight assists.
Dumars had 14 points and Otis Thorpe 10 for the Pistons. Hill and
Houston had seven rebounds apiece as Detroit shot 48 percent (27 for
56).
"We fought hard," Houston said. "We just didn't make the plays down
the end."
Cleveland trailed 37-34 with 3:40 left in the second quarter, but
began their run as Ferry made a layup. Dumars hit a free throw, but
Phills had a layup and jumper to give the Cavs a 40-38 advantage.
Hill and Mills exchanged baskets just before the half and Cleveland
opened the second half with the first six points on jumpers by Ferry,
Cage and Mills.
nba.538vpoznanovic,
Indiana (100) At Chicago (99)
Indiana
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Mckey F 25 6-8 0-0 0 2 2 1 3 1 4 12
D Davis F 35 6-12 4-10 5 4 9 1 2 3 1 16
Smits C 35 5-11 7-11 1 6 7 1 3 1 4 17
Workman G 13 1-3 0-0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 2
Jackson G 32 4-8 4-4 1 2 3 5 2 4 3 12
Pierce 16 2-5 6-6 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 10
Johnson 12 1-4 1-2 0 4 4 0 0 0 0 3
A Davis 23 2-5 3-6 4 7 11 1 2 1 2 7
Best 21 6-8 1-2 0 1 1 2 2 0 2 13
Ferrell 14 3-9 0-0 0 2 2 0 0 1 0 6
Hoiberg 14 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 2
Caldwell Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Totals 240 37-74 26-41 11 28 39 15 16 14 17 100
(.500) (.634) Team Rebs: 15 Total To: 17(16 Pts)
Chicago
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Rodman F 26 3-4 0-0 7 8 15 3 3 0 4 6
Kukoc F 31 8-13 0-2 2 2 4 5 4 1 1 20
Longley C 24 3-7 0-0 4 2 6 1 4 3 2 6
Pippen G 30 5-11 0-0 2 2 4 3 0 3 5 11
Jordan G 31 9-23 4-5 0 2 2 6 4 1 3 24
Edwards 14 2-5 3-4 2 1 3 2 6 0 0 7
Kerr 22 2-9 0-0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 6
Buechler 19 4-6 0-0 0 4 4 0 1 1 0 10
Brown 21 2-9 1-2 1 1 2 6 3 1 1 5
Salley 17 2-3 0-0 4 3 7 0 2 0 3 4
Simpkins 5 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0
Haley Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Totals 240 40-90 8-13 22 26 48 27 31 10 19 99
(.444) (.615) Team Rebs: 5 Total To: 19(27 Pts)
Indiana 27 25 25 23 - 100
Chicago 30 20 27 22 - 99
Blocked Shots: Indiana - D Davis, Hoiberg, Smits. Chicago - Salley 2,
Longley, Jordan, Edwards, Brown.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Indiana 0-2 (.000), Workman 0-1, Johnson 0-1. Chicago
11-25 (.440), Kukoc 4-7, Pippen 1-4, Jordan 2-5, Kerr 2-5, Buechler 2-2,
Brown 0-2.
Technicals: Chicago - Illegal Defense.
Officials: Hue Hollins, Tommy Nunez, Ken Mauer.
A - 23,784. T - 2:27.
nba.539vpoznanovic,
BULLS IN A FOUL MOOD AFTER HOME LOSS TO PACERS
CHICAGO -- Eddie Johnson converted one of two free throws after
Michael Jordan was whistled for a foul with less than a second left as
the Indiana Pacers beat the Chicago Bulls 100-99 on Saturday.
The loss spoiled the Bulls' bid to tie the 1985-86 Boston Celtics for
the best single-season home record in NBA history (40-1).
The Bulls (71-10), who already became the first team in NBA history to
reach 70 wins in a season, finished 39-2 at home and close their
season Sunday at Washington.
Referee Hue Hollins whistled Jordan for a foul as Johnson was
attempting a jumper with five-tenths of a second left. Johnson hit the
first free throw to snap a 99-99 tie, and intentionally missed the
second.
Chicago grabbed the rebound and called a timeout with two-tenths of a
second remaining, but the Bulls were unable to get a shot off.
"Michael got me on the wrist," Johnson said. "If they didn't call it,
I wouldn't have been theatrical about it. But he did get me. Hue made
a gutsy call."
"He saw what he saw," Jordan said of the foul call.
For years, opponents have claimed Jordan often gets the benefit of
favorable officiating.
"Normally, Michael is invisible" to referees, Indiana coach Larry
Brown said. "So if he fouls, he fouls. Usually, they can't see it."
Hollins whistled Chicago's Scottie Pippen for a controversial foul in
the final seconds of a Bulls' loss to the New York Knicks in Game 5 of
a playoff series in 1994.
In that game, Pippen was called for fouling Hubert Davis on a
3-pointer, and Davis made three foul shots. The Knicks won the game
and eventually took the series, ending the Bulls' run of three
consecutive championships.
"I didn't see the foul at the end, but for some reason I was not
surprised," Bulls coach Phil Jackson said of the call against Jordan.
"It was an interesting call. History repeats itself. At least the ref
gets point for consistency."
The win was the seventh in eight games for the Pacers, who are locked
in the third playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Indiana handed
the Bulls two of their 10 losses this season. The Pacers (51-30)
finish their season Sunday against Cleveland.
Rik Smits led the Pacers with 17 points and Dale Davis added 16. The
Pacers played their third consecutive game without star guard Reggie
Miller, who is recovering from surgery to repair a fractured right
orbital bone around the eye socket.
"I think it will help us as a team because we have lost a great
player," Brown said of winning without Miller. "This will help."
Pippen and Dennis Rodman sat out the entire fourth quarter as Jackson
tried to rest some of his players for the playoffs. Ron Harper and
Bill Wennington were resting injuries and didn't suit up.
"They didn't play their main guys the whole game," Smits said. "It's
nice to be one of two teams to beat them here, but its not the same."
The Bulls' first home loss was to Charlotte, 98-97, on April 8.
Jordan scored 24 points and Toni Kukoc had 20 for the Bulls.
After a 10-foot jumper by James Edwards gave Chicago a 91-90 lead with
5:39 left, the Pacers scored nine unanswered points. Smits converted a
three-point play to start the run. Antonio Davis' free throw with 1:58
left capped the run and increased Indiana's lead to 99-91.
Jordan then sparked a comeback as the Bulls scored eight consecutive
points to tie the score. Jordan and Kukoc hit back-to-back 3-pointers
to pull the Bulls within 99-97. Jordan's 17-foot jumper with 50
seconds left made it 99-99.
Travis Best had 13 points and Derrick McKey and Mark Jackson added 12
points apiece for the Pacers.
nba.540vpoznanovic,
Minnesota (82) At LA Lakers (106)
Minnesota
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Garnett F 37 6-13 2-3 4 7 11 2 1 0 2 14
Gugliotta F 29 5-15 5-6 3 9 12 2 3 1 6 15
Lang C 29 6-11 0-0 1 3 4 0 2 1 2 12
Rider G 17 1-7 1-1 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 4
Webb G 26 3-10 0-0 2 0 2 4 1 0 3 7
West 26 3-7 0-0 0 3 3 2 3 1 2 6
Porter 26 2-10 0-0 1 2 3 5 2 0 0 4
Mitchell 22 5-11 2-2 4 3 7 0 3 0 2 12
Davis 10 1-4 1-2 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 3
Allen 6 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 3
Bragg 6 1-2 0-0 1 2 3 0 1 0 2 2
Riley 6 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0
Totals 240 34-93 11-14 17 31 48 15 20 6 22 82
(.366) (.786) Team Rebs: 10 Total To: 22(24 Pts)
LA Lakers
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Ceballos F 35 14-22 8-9 3 6 9 2 2 1 2 36
Lynch F 25 2-7 2-3 1 6 7 1 1 1 1 6
Campbell C 27 5-8 1-2 1 8 9 2 3 2 2 11
Jones G 36 8-14 1-2 1 4 5 8 2 4 3 19
Threatt G 31 1-4 0-0 0 0 0 4 1 0 1 2
Strong 26 2-10 1-2 5 5 10 2 2 1 0 5
Peeler 29 6-17 1-1 0 2 2 3 0 2 1 16
Roberts 13 3-5 0-0 2 3 5 1 0 0 2 6
Blount 18 2-5 1-2 1 2 3 0 3 3 4 5
Divac Dnp - Strained Lower Back
Johnson Dnp - Suspended By League
Van Exel Dnp - Suspended By League
Totals 240 43-92 15-21 14 36 50 23 14 14 16 106
(.467) (.714) Team Rebs: 9 Total To: 16(8 Pts)
Minnesota 25 24 19 14 - 82
LA Lakers 28 27 23 28 - 106
Blocked Shots: Minnesota - Lang 3, Garnett 2, Gugliotta, Webb, Mitchell,
Riley. LA Lakers - Lynch, Jones.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Minnesota 3-12 (.250), Gugliotta 0-1, Lang 0-1, Rider
1-2, Webb 1-2, Porter 0-4, Allen 1-2. LA Lakers 5-24 (.208), Ceballos 0-4,
Jones 2-6, Threatt 0-2, Strong 0-2, Peeler 3-8, Roberts 0-1, Blount 0-1.
Technicals: LA Lakers - Head Coach Harris.
Officials: Terry Durham, Ed Middleton, Tony Brothers.
A - 17,505. T - 2:00.
nba.541vpoznanovic,
LA Lakers 106, Minnesota 82
Cedric Ceballos scored 22 of his 36 points in the second half as the
undermanned Los Angeles Lakers handed the Minnesota Timberwolves their
season-ending sixth straight loss, 106-82.
Eddie Jones added 19 points and Anthony Peeler chipped in 16 off the
bench for the Lakers, who have won 11 of their last 14 games. Los
Angeles, which visits Portland on Sunday, is the fourth seed in the
Western Conference and will face the two-time defending champion
Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs.
Los Angeles played without guard Nick Van Exel and forward Magic
Johnson, who are both serving suspensions for bumping referees. The
Lakers played just nine players as center Vlade Divac sat out with
lower back strain.
"I was very satisfied with our game tonight," said Del Harris, who
posted his 100th victory as a Laker coach. "I thought it would be a
difficut game for us, because at practice it seemed like our players
had lost interest in the rest of the season. Other then some really
bizarre circumstances, we would have won all of these games to this
point."
Tom Gugliotta had 15 points and 12 rebounds and Kevin Garnett
contributed 14 and 10 for the Timberwolves (26-56), who finished with
their best record since a 29-53 mark in the 1990-91 season.
"It has been a long, sort of confusing, sort of difficult season,"
Garnett said. "Losing, I understood that coming in. It was a fun
season. I learned a lot, on and off the court."
Gugliotta pulled the Wolves within 58-56 with a free throw early in
the third quarter but Ceballos scored 11 points in a 14-2 run as the
Lakers boosted their lead to 72-58 with 3:53 remaining in the period.
Minnesota closed the quarter with a 10-4 spurt and entered the final
period trailing, 78-68. Sam Mitchell had six points in the run and
finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.
But Ceballos scored 11 of the Lakers' first 13 points in the fourth
quarter. His reverse layup off a fast break gave the Lakers a 91-70
lead with 7:12 remaining.
"I really wasn't thinking anything against Minnesota," said Cebellos,
who shot 14-for-22 from the field and 8-of-9 from the free throw line.
"I just wanted to play active. We wanted to have a lot of fun, that
was the first thing and after that, I was getting the opportunity to
score. We got away from that at the end and coasted after that."
Los Angeles took its largest lead at 101-72 when Derek Strong dunked
with 2:41 to go.
Elden Campbell had 11 points and nine rebounds and Strong grabbed 10
rebounds for the Lakers, who have beaten the Timberwolves three
straight games, 12 of their last 14, and lead the all-time series
22-6.
nba.542vpoznanovic,
New Jersey (99) At Atlanta (121)
New Jersey
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Brown F 33 2-7 3-3 3 1 4 2 2 2 0 7
Williams F 40 16-25 3-5 1 5 6 0 1 1 2 35
Bradley C 34 3-9 0-2 3 7 10 3 3 0 2 6
Childs G 30 10-16 0-1 2 2 4 3 4 1 7 24
Reeves G 22 2-4 2-3 0 0 0 5 4 1 2 7
Fleming 12 1-3 0-0 0 1 1 3 0 0 4 2
Mahorn 22 1-3 1-2 1 2 3 4 2 2 3 3
Graham 32 4-11 0-0 0 2 2 4 4 2 2 10
Werdann 15 2-4 1-2 1 2 3 0 1 2 2 5
Dare Dnp - Coach'S Decision
A Gilliam Dnp - Sore Foot
Obannon Dnp - Sore Left Hand
Totals 240 41-82 10-18 11 22 33 24 21 11 24 99
(.500) (.556) Team Rebs: 11 Total To: 26(29 Pts)
Atlanta
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Long F 28 4-10 2-2 1 3 4 2 1 1 1 11
Augmon F 34 5-9 0-0 1 2 3 2 1 2 2 10
Laettner C 33 9-11 2-2 4 5 9 3 5 1 1 20
Smith G 27 4-9 11-11 0 3 3 3 4 2 2 19
Blaylock G 28 7-13 2-2 0 5 5 5 0 6 3 20
Ehlo 21 1-6 1-2 1 3 4 2 2 1 1 3
Henderson 15 2-2 1-2 0 1 1 0 2 0 1 5
Rooks 15 5-6 0-0 3 2 5 1 3 1 4 10
Jordan 16 5-7 1-1 0 1 1 3 0 3 2 11
Bullard 11 3-3 0-0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 8
Boyce 7 1-6 0-0 2 1 3 1 0 0 0 2
Norman 5 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2
Totals 240 47-83 20-22 12 27 39 23 19 18 19 121
(.566) (.909) Team Rebs: 4 Total To: 19(23 Pts)
New Jersey 23 32 15 29 - 99
Atlanta 32 26 34 29 - 121
Blocked Shots: New Jersey - Bradley, Werdann. Atlanta - Augmon 3, Rooks,
Jordan.
3-Pt. Field Goals: New Jersey 7-18 (.389), Childs 4-9, Reeves 1-2, Graham
2-7. Atlanta 7-20 (.350), Long 1-3, Smith 0-1, Blaylock 4-10, Ehlo 0-3,
Rooks 0-1, Bullard 2-2.
Technicals: Atlanta - Blaylock.
Officials: Bennett Salvatore, Jim Clark, Luis Grillo.
A - 11,238. T - 1:55.
nba.543vpoznanovic,
VICTORY GIVES HAWKS UPWARD MOBILITY IN EAST RACE
ATLANTA -- Mookie Blaylock and Christian Laettner scored 20 points
apiece as the Atlanta Hawks pounded the New Jersey Nets 121-99 on
Saturday and moved up in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
The Hawks and Detroit Pistons have identical 45-36 records and are one
game behind fifth-place New York. Atlanta visits Miami, Detroit hosts
Milwaukee and New York travels to Boston on Sunday, the final day of
the regular season.
Atlanta holds the tiebreaker edge over Detroit and New York, so the
Hawks are in sixth place ahead of the Pistons and can pass New York
for fifth place with a victory Sunday.
"I think we have a good chance of moving into the fifth playoff
position," Atlanta swingman Stacey Augmon said. "We'll just cross our
fingers and hope for the best."
Jayson Williams scored a career-high 35 points and Chris Childs added
24 for New Jersey, which finished 30-52 and out of the playoffs for
the second consecutive season.
Atlanta broke the game open with a pair of third-quarter runs. The
Hawks opened the second half with a 7-0 run as Blaylock hit a
3-pointer and Grant Long made two jumpers to give Atlanta a 65-55 lead
with 10:29 left.
Atlanta built the advantage to 76-64 and reeled off the next 12 points
to take control. Laettner started the run with a tip-in and Steve
Smith added a layup and two free throws to make it 82-64 with 4:42
remaining.
Augmon converted a layup, Long hit a jumper and Reggie Jordan closed
the run with a dunk for an 88-64 lead.
Atlanta had seven players in double figures. Smith scored 19, Long and
Jordan had 11 points apiece and Augmon and Sean Rooks each scored 10.
The Hawks shot 57 percent (49 for 83) from the field and scored 29
points off 26 New Jersey turnovers.
"It was a good game. The guys played hard," Hawks coach Lenny Wilkens
said. "We moved the ball, our defense was constant and we came out in
the third quarter and got going again. It was a good game for us to
finish at home with.
"We want to take intensity into the playoffs, so it shouldn't be hard
to maintain."
Williams nearly doubled his career high, which was 20 points against
Cleveland on Feb. 25, 1995. Greg Graham scored 10 points and was the
only other player in double figures for New Jersey, which shot 50
percent (41 for 82) from the floor.
"We didn't have the success we would've liked, but we have a good
bunch of guys," Childs said. "It's unfortunate we didn't play up to
expectations, but we're a young team and we have a long ways to go."
nba.544vpoznanovic,
Sacramento (92) At Utah (104)
Sacramento
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Polynice F 26 10-16 1-2 3 2 5 1 3 0 3 21
Grant F 25 4-7 3-4 1 2 3 1 1 1 0 11
Causwell C 17 0-3 0-0 1 2 3 0 1 1 1 0
Richmond G 21 4-7 4-5 0 0 0 1 1 2 3 13
Edney G 21 1-3 4-6 0 2 2 4 1 1 0 6
Hurley 29 1-3 2-2 0 0 0 7 1 1 3 5
Owens 14 2-5 2-2 2 0 2 0 2 1 1 6
Smith 31 3-5 0-2 3 7 10 2 5 2 2 6
C Williamson 8 0-3 0-0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0
Simmons 28 5-10 0-0 1 3 4 3 0 1 2 13
Gamble 20 5-10 0-0 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 11
Marciulionis Dnp - Sick
Totals 240 35-72 16-23 11 20 31 20 18 10 16 92
(.486) (.696) Team Rebs: 8 Total To: 18(21 Pts)
Utah
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Malone F 23 8-9 2-4 1 5 6 3 1 2 3 18
Benoit F 18 4-10 0-0 0 3 3 1 2 0 0 8
Spencer C 9 2-4 0-0 1 1 2 0 4 0 0 4
Stockton G 14 2-2 0-0 0 1 1 4 2 1 1 4
Hornacek G 21 4-7 0-0 1 0 1 3 1 0 0 8
Ostertag 21 6-11 2-2 3 3 6 0 4 0 1 14
Eisley 34 3-9 0-0 0 2 2 7 3 1 2 8
Keefe 21 4-9 0-1 3 1 4 1 0 2 1 8
Foster 22 1-7 0-0 3 6 9 0 0 0 1 2
Carr 21 3-9 2-2 4 3 7 3 0 1 2 8
Morris 17 3-5 4-4 0 2 2 2 0 1 2 11
Russell 19 2-4 5-6 0 0 0 3 3 1 2 11
Totals 240 42-86 15-19 16 27 43 27 20 9 15 104
(.488) (.789) Team Rebs: 10 Total To: 16(15 Pts)
Sacramento 25 23 27 17 - 92
Utah 24 30 30 20 - 104
Blocked Shots: Sacramento - Smith 2, C Williamson, Grant. Utah - Carr,
Foster, Keefe.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Sacramento 6-15 (.400), Richmond 1-3, Edney 0-1, Hurley
1-3, Simmons 3-4, Gamble 1-4. Utah 5-12 (.417), Benoit 0-2, Hornacek 0-1,
Eisley 2-3, Morris 1-3, Russell 2-3.
Technicals: None.
Officials: Jess Kersey, Lee Jones, Mike Smith.
A - 19,911. T - 1:56.
nba.545vpoznanovic,
Utah 104, Sacramento 92
SALT LAKE CITY -- Karl Malone scored 18 points as the Utah Jazz
completed the second-best season in franchise history with a 104-92
victory over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.
Rookie center Greg Ostertag added 12 points for Utah (55-27), which
finished third in the Western Conference and will play the Portland
Trail Blazers -- one of the hottest teams in the league -- in the
first round of the playoffs.
"Portland's probably playing as well as anybody in the league right
now," said Utah coach Jerry Sloan, referring to the Blazers' 18-3 run
to end the regular season. "They have some difficult matchups for us.
I can't have two or three guys try to carry us, or it will be a short
series."
Utah's 55 wins are the second-most in franchise history, exceeded only
by 60 victories last season, when the Jazz also was the third seed.
Olden Polynice scored 21 points and Mitch Richmond added 13 for
Sacramento (38-43), which clinched its first playoff berth in 10 years
when Golden State lost to Portland on Friday. The Kings will face
top-seeded Seattle in the first round.
The Jazz took control of the game with an 11-0 run that bridged the
second and third quarters. Kevin Gamble had pulled Sacramento within
49-48 on a jumper with 1:40 to play in the half, but the Kings went
scoreless for the next 4:43.
Ostertag started the run with a layup and Bryon Russell nailed a
3-pointer to make it 54-48 at halftime. Felton Spencer and Malone made
jumpers before Jeff Hornacek capped the run with a jumper to give Utah
a 60-48 lead with 8:57 left in the third quarter.
"The reserves came in and did real well," Ostertag said. "We executed
well. I think if we can continue to get that effort off the bench for
every game, then we are going to be a tough team to beat because we've
got a good, deep bench."
Utah took its largest lead of the game at 80-62 with three minutes
left in the third quarter on a 15-footer by Ostertag. Sacramento came
no closer than seven points thereafter.
The Jazz shot 49 percent (42 for 86) from the field. Russell and Chris
Morris added 11 points apiece as Utah outrebounded the Kings 43-31 and
scored 21 points off 18 Kings' turnovers.
Lionel Simmons scored 13 points and Gamble and Brian Grant added 11
apiece for Sacramento, which also shot 49 percent (35 for 72) from the
field.
nba.546superhik,
Danilović skinut sa liste povređenih... sada još samo da se
vrati u formu!
nba.547vpoznanovic,
AILING SMITS EXPECTED BACK FOR PLAYOFFS
INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana Pacers center Rik Smits was placed on the
injured list Sunday with a sore right foot.
Smits, who is averaging a career-best 18.5 points and 6.9 rebounds,
missed Sunday's final game of the regular season against the Cleveland
Cavaliers but is expected back for the playoffs.
Usually players placed on injured reserve are required to sit out five
games, but since Sunday is the last game of the regular season it is
the only one Smits is required to miss, the team said.
Center Dwayne Schintzius, who had missed the previous five games with
a sprained left foot, was activated from the injured list.
The Pacers must announced a 12-man active roster for the playoffs on
Monday.
nba.548vpoznanovic,
CARR SAYS HE'S PARKED ON CELTICS' BENCH
BOSTON -- Boston Celtics coach/general manager M.L. Carr will return
as coach.
Carr said he made the announcement to end speculation that the team
was searching for a new coach.
"I said last year when I took this position that I would do anything
it took to bring this team back," he said. "I want to end all that
speculation. I'm going to coach the Boston Celtics."
Owner Paul Gaston, who was at Sunday's season-ending game against the
New York Knicks, said he left the decision to Carr.
"It's up to him," Gaston said. "He's earned another shot."
The Celtics lost 122-111 Sunday to end the season with a 33-49 record
-- their third consecutive losing season. The once-proud franchise has
won 16 NBA championships -- but none in the last 10 years, matching
the longest drought in its history.
Speculation had Carr resigning as coach and assistant coach and former
Celtics star Dennis Johnson or Kentucky coach Rick Pitino taking over.
Carr finished 33-49 in his first season as coach.
"There's been a lot of speculation of who will coach this team in the
future," Carr said. "A lot of you have been writing and talking about
Rick Pitino, who I think is a great coach. I think he's done a great
job in Kentucky, but ... I'm going to coach the Boston Celtics."
Carr played nine seasons in the NBA, including six with the Celtics
where he was a member of their 1981 and 1984 NBA championship teams.
Carr served as a Celtics scout from 1985-91 and community relations
director from 1991-94 before being promoted to vice president/director
of basketball operations on June 14, 1994.
Carr then named himself head coach after the 1994-95 season.
In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Carr also is the team's
executive vice president and director of basketball operations.
nba.549vpoznanovic,
RAPTORS COACH MALONE REPORTEDLY TO BE FIRED IN NEXT 48 HOURS
Toronto Raptors coach Brendan Malone, who guided the expansion
team to 21 wins in its first season, reportedly will be fired on
Monday or Tuesday.
Canadian Press is reporting tonight that Malone, who feuded this
season with Raptors general manager Isiah Thomas over the use of
players, will be fired.
"I can't control what's going to happen," Malone said after
today's 109-105 overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. "I did
my best, and I know that. I think Toronto liked the team we put
on the floor."
Apparently, Thomas wasn't happy with the team Malone put on the
floor. The general manager was upset with the minutes given to
better players, such as rookie point guard Damon Stoudamire and
veteran guard Alvin Robertson.
With no hope of making the playoffs, Thomas wanted some of the
team's younger players, such as forward Carlos Rogers, to play
more and develop.
Malone relied on the same core of six or seven players and got
big wins against playoff teams such as Chicago, Cleveland and
Miami. But Stoudamire, who was second in the league in minutes
played at more than 40 per game, went down with a knee injury
earlier this month.
Toronto finished 21-61, better than the 76ers and the expansion
Vancouver Grizzlies. Malone, who celebrated his 54th birthday
today, made no apologies for his coaching style.
"In retrospect, this season was a smashing success for the
Toronto Raptors," he said. "We exceeded all expectations. It
was a great way to kick off an inaugural season. I enjoyed my
opportunity as coach of the Toronto Raptors."
Malone was hired by Thomas on June 2nd, 1995. The two were
friends from their days together with the Detroit Pistons, where
Thomas was a star point guard and Malone was an assistant under
Chuck Daly.
Malone also was a Pistons assistant under Ron Rothstein and Don
Chaney and a college assistant at Syracuse University under Jim
Boeheim. He remained confident about his future.
"Either I'll be a candidate for an assistant coaching job or a
head coaching job," he said. "I will be in the N-B-A."
nba.550vpoznanovic,
Atlanta (104) At Miami (92)
Atlanta
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Augmon F 38 7-11 9-13 1 2 3 3 1 5 0 23
Long F 32 3-9 7-9 1 6 7 2 1 2 6 13
Laettner C 29 4-13 2-2 6 8 14 4 3 3 1 10
Smith G 37 5-12 10-11 2 1 3 4 3 1 6 22
Blaylock G 38 2-11 2-4 0 5 5 5 1 3 2 7
Ehlo 22 3-5 2-2 0 2 2 2 1 2 1 9
Rooks 18 4-6 0-0 1 4 5 2 3 2 3 8
Henderson 16 3-5 0-0 0 2 2 0 2 1 2 6
Jordan 10 3-4 0-0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 6
Boyce Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Bullard Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Norman Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Totals 240 34-76 32-41 11 30 41 24 17 19 21 104
(.447) (.780) Team Rebs: 12 Total To: 21(25 Pts)
Miami
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Thomas F 29 4-7 1-2 2 7 9 1 3 1 3 9
Williams F 17 3-6 1-1 1 3 4 1 3 1 0 8
Mourning C 31 6-10 5-8 5 4 9 2 0 1 6 17
Hardaway G 32 4-12 0-0 0 2 2 6 3 4 6 8
Chapman G 20 3-9 0-0 1 2 3 2 2 1 1 6
Danilovic 25 3-9 2-2 1 1 2 1 4 1 1 8
Corbin 30 3-12 5-5 3 5 8 1 4 2 4 11
Smith 23 4-9 0-0 0 0 0 3 3 1 2 10
King 12 1-5 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2
Schayes 11 2-2 3-3 1 4 5 1 2 1 1 7
Lenard 10 2-7 0-0 2 1 3 2 2 0 1 6
Askins Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Totals 240 35-88 17-21 16 29 45 20 26 14 25 92
(.398) (.810) Team Rebs: 10 Total To: 25(32 Pts)
Atlanta 19 30 26 29 - 104
Miami 24 21 12 35 - 92
Blocked Shots: Atlanta - Laettner 4, Rooks 3, Henderson 2, Blaylock,
Ehlo. Miami - Mourning 5, Schayes 2, Hardaway, Thomas, King.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Atlanta 4-10 (.400), Smith 2-3, Blaylock 1-5, Ehlo 1-2.
Miami 5-21 (.238), Williams 1-2, Hardaway 0-4, Chapman 0-4, Danilovic 0-2,
Smith 2-5, Lenard 2-4.
Technicals: None.
Officials: Ronnie Nunn, Hue Hollins, Tommie Wood.
A - 15,200. T - 2:13.
nba.551vpoznanovic,
HAWKS AVOID ORLANDO BY BEATING THE HEAT
MIAMI -- Steve Smith scored eight of his 22 points during a 16-0 burst
in the third quarter as the Atlanta Hawks secured the sixth seed in
the Eastern Conference with a 104-92 victory over the Miami Heat on
Sunday.
The Hawks (46-36) will face the Indiana Pacers in the first round of
the playoffs. Game One will be Thursday and Game Two Saturday, both in
Indianapolis.
Indiana will be without All-Star guard Reggie Miller, who is
recovering from surgery to repair a fractured eye socket.
If the Hawks had lost Sunday, they would have opened the playoffs
against Shaquille O'Neal, Anfernee Hardaway and the Orlando Magic.
"There is a big difference between playing Orlando and playing Indiana
-- a big difference," Smith said. "Indiana is missing Reggie and that
does take something away from their offense."
Alonzo Mourning scored 17 points and Tyrone Corbin added 11 on Sunday
for the Heat (42-40), who rested all of their starters in the fourth
quarter and will take on the Chicago Bulls in the first round starting
Friday. Game Two is next Sunday.
Stacey Augmon added 23 points for the Hawks, who won six of their last
nine road games and held eight of their final nine opponents to less
than 100 points.
The Hawks held a 53-50 lead two minutes into the second half before
Smith and Augmon keyed the burst that left the Hawks with a 69-50
advantage.
Christian Laettner added 14 rebounds and 10 points for Atlanta, which
shot 45 percent (34 for 76) from the field and made four of their 10
3-pointers.
"I'm looking forward to my first playoff games," said Laettner, who
was a postseason fixture at Duke University but never made it to the
NBA playoffs with the Minnesota Timberwolves. "It's going to be very
interesting to see what I can do. I think we can win the series."
Kurt Thomas had nine points and nine rebounds for Miami, which used
rookie guard Sasha Danilovic for the first time since Dec. 12.
Danilovic, who underwent surgery on his right wrist in January, played
25 minutes and scored eight points. He was three for nine from the
field.
"I needed the playing time, but I'm not 100 percent and I will not be
at least until the Olympics," said Danilovic, who is Serbian. "But I
am ready to help the team now. Playing against the best team will be a
challenge."
nba.552vpoznanovic,
Chicago (103) At Washington (93)
Chicago
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Kukoc F 26 7-14 0-0 3 3 6 2 0 0 2 15
Rodman F 24 2-2 2-2 1 10 11 1 4 0 1 6
Longley C 19 4-8 2-2 1 3 4 1 3 0 1 10
Pippen G 30 7-12 5-6 1 3 4 5 2 1 0 20
Jordan G 24 11-22 3-3 1 3 4 4 0 4 1 26
Kerr 26 3-4 2-2 0 1 1 1 4 0 1 9
Edwards 15 2-5 0-0 1 2 3 1 1 0 0 4
Buechler 30 2-7 0-0 1 4 5 0 2 1 0 4
Brown 27 1-7 1-2 0 1 1 1 3 1 1 3
Salley 4 0-0 0-0 2 1 3 1 1 0 1 0
Haley 7 2-6 1-2 1 1 2 0 2 0 1 5
Simpkins 8 0-2 1-4 0 2 2 0 2 0 0 1
Totals 240 41-89 17-23 12 34 46 17 24 7 9 103
(.461) (.739) Team Rebs: 10 Total To: 9(11 Pts)
Washington
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Cheaney F 37 8-22 0-0 2 1 3 3 5 1 2 17
Howard F 44 11-28 5-5 3 4 7 2 3 1 5 27
Mcilvaine C 35 3-3 0-1 4 7 11 0 3 1 0 6
Eackles G 39 5-12 4-4 1 3 4 0 1 0 0 14
B Price G 36 4-8 3-5 0 5 5 12 4 0 3 14
Butler 17 1-4 0-0 1 3 4 1 2 0 0 2
Mccann 16 3-4 2-5 1 3 4 0 2 1 4 8
Whitney 15 0-3 3-3 0 4 4 1 0 0 0 3
Lewis 1 1-1 0-0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2
Thornton Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Legler Dnp - Injured Right Knee
Muresan Dnp - Injured Right Knee
Totals 240 36-85 17-23 13 30 43 19 20 4 14 93
(.424) (.739) Team Rebs: 10 Total To: 14(22 Pts)
Chicago 31 20 29 23 - 103
Washington 22 30 23 18 - 93
Blocked Shots: Chicago - Longley 2, Pippen, Salley. Washington -
Mcilvaine 9.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Chicago 4-13 (.308), Kukoc 1-4, Pippen 1-4, Jordan 1-3,
Kerr 1-1, Buechler 0-1. Washington 4-13 (.308), Cheaney 1-3, Eackles 0-3,
B Price 3-6, Butler 0-1.
Technicals: Chicago - Rodman, Washington - Cheaney.
Officials: Dick Bavetta, Scott Wall, Paul Mihalak.
A - 18,756. T - 2:10.
nba.553vpoznanovic,
PERFECTIONIST PIPPEN SAYS, '72-10 ... WE'LL SETTLE FOR THAT'
LANDOVER, Md. -- Michael Jordan had 26 points in just 24 minutes of
play and Scottie Pippen scored seven of his 20 points during a
decisive 15-0 fourth-quarter run as the Chicago Bulls defeated the
Washington Bullets 103-93 on Sunday, the final day of the regular
season.
Chicago forward Jack Haley, a favorite of the Bulls' fans, played his
first game of the season after spending the first 80 in the injured
list. He finished with five points and two rebounds in seven minutes.
He suited up for Saturday's loss to Indiana, but he didn't play.
The Bulls, who became the first team in NBA history to reach the
70-win plateau, finished 72-10. Chicago was 33-8 on the road, tying
the Bulls with the 1972-73 Boston Celtics and the 1974-75 Celtics for
most road wins in a season.
"We had great opportunities to set records and meet challenges,"
Pippen said. "Seventy-two is a great number. We'd have liked to have
nine losses or less than that, but 72-10 sounds great and we'll settle
for that.
"Of course, our goal this season has always been to win the title, and
that's what we're looking forward to now."
Chicago will face Miami in the first-round of the playoffs.
"It's a very unique success this year," Jordan said. "I'd like to
think we have a great team. We still have a lot to prepare for,
because the regular season doesn't really count."
Jordan won his eighth career scoring title with an average of 30.4
points per game All eight times Jordan has averaged better than 30
points.
Chicago's Dennis Rodman grabbed 11 rebounds and became only the second
player in NBA history to win five consecutive rebounding titles.
Rodman averaged 14.9 rebounds in 64 games this season.
Moses Malone was the only other player to win five rebounding titles
in a row.
Although the game meant nothing to the playoff race, the players
didn't cut back on their intensity. Rodman and Washington's Calbert
Cheaney got tangled up late in the third quarter, and Cheaney was
called for a technical foul after delivering a hard forearm to
Rodman's chest after the whistle.
Chicago center James Edwards and Washington guard Ledell Eackles were
ejected for fighting in the fourth quarter.
Juwan Howard led Washington with 27 points. The Bullets -- who lost
Chris Webber, Mark Price, Robert Pack, Gheorghe Muresan and Tim Legler
to injuries during the season -- finished with a 39-43 record.
"We did a great job. We have to be proud of the effort despite the
injuries," Howard said. "Everybody stepped it up a notch and that's
what teams are all about. I'm definitely happy with the success of our
team."
The Bullets scored the first six points of the fourth quarter and took
an 81-80 lead on a basket by Howard with 8:31 remaining. The Bulls
then reeled off 15 consecutive points over the next 4:57 to open a
95-81 advantage. Pippen capped the run with a 3-pointer.
Toni Kukoc had 15 points for the Bulls.
Cheaney scored 17 points and Brent Price had 14 points and 12 assists
for the Bullets. Jim McIlvaine finished with nine blocked shots and 11
rebounds for Washington.
Chicago won all four meetings from the Bullets this season.
nba.554vpoznanovic,
Cleveland (88) At Indiana (89)
Cleveland
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Ferry F 25 4-12 1-1 0 2 2 1 2 1 0 11
Mills F 26 4-8 0-0 0 1 1 1 4 2 2 8
Cage C 15 1-1 0-0 3 2 5 1 0 2 0 2
Brandon G 22 6-9 0-0 0 1 1 6 1 4 2 13
Phills G 19 3-8 0-0 0 0 0 3 2 1 1 7
Hill 21 3-5 0-0 4 3 7 0 4 2 3 6
Majerle 29 6-13 0-0 0 1 1 4 0 0 1 15
Sura 26 3-8 3-5 1 1 2 5 5 0 2 9
Lang 23 1-2 0-1 0 3 3 0 0 2 0 2
Marshall 21 2-5 4-4 2 1 3 2 4 0 0 8
Amaechi 13 3-4 1-1 0 1 1 1 2 0 1 7
Crotty Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Totals 240 36-75 9-12 10 16 26 24 24 14 12 88
(.480) (.750) Team Rebs: 5 Total To: 12(13 Pts)
Indiana
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
D Davis F 24 1-5 0-2 2 3 5 1 1 0 3 2
Mckey F 10 1-1 0-0 1 0 1 2 0 1 2 2
A Davis C 22 3-7 2-2 4 4 8 1 0 0 2 8
Hoiberg G 22 1-3 5-6 0 0 0 0 2 3 2 8
Jackson G 22 2-5 4-4 1 3 4 0 2 0 2 9
Best 26 4-6 4-6 0 0 0 3 2 0 2 13
Caldwell 20 4-7 2-2 4 7 11 0 4 0 3 10
Ferrell 33 5-12 4-7 3 1 4 1 2 1 1 14
Johnson 21 2-4 0-0 0 2 2 1 4 0 1 6
Pierce 15 2-5 3-3 1 2 3 2 0 1 2 7
Schintzius 14 1-3 3-4 2 4 6 1 0 1 0 5
Workman 11 2-3 0-0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 5
Totals 240 28-61 27-36 18 27 45 13 17 7 21 89
(.459) (.750) Team Rebs: 8 Total To: 21(20 Pts)
Cleveland 28 25 12 23 - 88
Indiana 19 25 17 28 - 89
Blocked Shots: Cleveland - Ferry 4, Cage, Hill, Marshall. Indiana -
Ferrell, Schintzius.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Cleveland 7-24 (.292), Ferry 2-5, Mills 0-2, Brandon
1-2, Phills 1-4, Majerle 3-8, Marshall 0-3. Indiana 6-7 (.857), Hoiberg
1-1, Jackson 1-1, Best 1-1, Johnson 2-3, Workman 1-1.
Technicals: Indiana - Head Coach L Brown.
Officials: Bill Oakes, Nolan Fine, Mike Callahan.
A - 16,708. T - 2:09.
nba.555vpoznanovic,
Indiana 89, Cleveland 88
INDIANAPOLIS -- Travis Best's 3-pointer with 8.8 seconds left lifted
the Indiana Pacers to an 89-88 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on
Sunday.
The Pacers (52-30) closed the regular season with eight wins in nine
games and are the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs for
the second year in a row. Indiana will meet Atlanta in the first round
of the playoffs.
Indiana will start the playoffs without All-Star guard Reggie Miller,
who is recovering from surgery to repair a fractured eye socket.
Cleveland (47-35) is the fourth seed in the East playoffs and will
meet New York in the first round. The Cavaliers and Knicks finished
with identical records, but Cleveland won the tiebreaker on the basis
of a 3-1 season-series record against New York.
"I thought both teams competed today," Cleveland coach Mike Fratello
said. "We just couldn't hang in there at the end."
Indiana coach Larry Brown used all 12 players. No Pacers starter
played more than 24 minutes. Fratello also used his bench extensively,
as no Cavaliers starter played more than 26 minutes.
A 3-pointer by Dan Majerle gave Cleveland an 87-84 lead with 58
seconds remaining. A layup by Best with 43 seconds left pulled the
Pacers within 87-86.
Bob Sura hit one of two free throws for Cleveland with 19 seconds
remaining before Best hit a 24-foot jumper for the winning basket.
"This kid can make shots and do some things we need," Brown said Best,
a rookie point guard. "He has worlds of talent. I'm proud of him"
The Cavaliers had a chance to win the game, but Sura missed a
15-footer in the final seconds.
Duane Ferrell led Indiana with 14 points off the bench and Best
finished with 13. Adrian Caldwell had 10 points and 11 rebounds for
Indiana.
"I was glad to get Duane Ferrell 33 minutes," Brown said. "A.C.
(Caldwell) did some great things and Travis did some good things. Now
we have to hope Reggie gets back quickly and figure out who we can
play."
Majerle led the Cavaliers with 15 points. Terrell Brandon had 13
points and Danny Ferry finished with 11.
nba.556vpoznanovic,
Dallas (103) At San Antonio (98)
Dallas
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Jackson F 48 11-26 12-12 3 8 11 3 4 0 4 35
Jones F 32 4-9 0-0 0 12 12 0 3 1 0 8
Williams C 23 1-1 0-0 3 3 6 0 6 0 0 2
Dumas G 27 3-13 1-6 2 1 3 1 1 0 1 7
Kidd G 43 6-21 6-8 2 8 10 15 1 3 2 21
Meyer 16 1-3 0-0 2 4 6 1 2 0 0 2
Parks 19 5-6 0-0 0 4 4 0 5 0 1 11
Harris 26 6-14 0-0 1 2 3 4 1 2 2 15
Wood 6 0-1 2-2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 2
Brooks Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Davis Dnp - Left Knee Surgery
Mccloud Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Totals 240 37-94 21-28 13 43 56 25 23 6 10 103
(.394) (.750) Team Rebs: 7 Total To: 11(9 Pts)
San Antonio
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Elliott F 42 8-22 6-6 3 4 7 3 2 1 0 24
W Perdue F 17 4-9 2-2 5 6 11 0 2 0 1 10
Robinson C 39 10-23 12-17 4 9 13 2 2 2 2 32
Del Negro G 37 2-10 2-2 0 10 10 5 4 1 2 6
Johnson G 41 6-13 2-2 0 4 4 11 5 0 4 14
Rivers 18 1-4 0-0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 3
C Person 25 2-6 0-0 1 4 5 0 4 0 1 6
Anderson 9 0-0 0-2 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
Williams 6 1-3 1-2 0 2 2 0 1 0 1 3
Herrera 6 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0
Alexander Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Smith Dnp - Synovitis Right Knee
Totals 240 34-90 25-33 14 42 56 21 23 5 11 98
(.378) (.758) Team Rebs: 9 Total To: 12(17 Pts)
Dallas 19 31 26 27 - 103
San Antonio 31 20 23 24 - 98
Blocked Shots: Dallas - Jackson 2, Williams 2, Jones, Dumas. San Antonio
- Anderson 2, Elliott.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Dallas 8-28 (.286), Jackson 1-11, Jones 0-1, Dumas 0-2,
Kidd 3-7, Parks 1-1, Harris 3-6. San Antonio 5-14 (.357), Elliott 2-6, Del
Negro 0-1, Rivers 1-2, C Person 2-5.
Technicals: San Antonio - Illegal Defense 4.
Officials: Don Vaden, Jack Nies, Jim Capers.
A - 18,174. T - 2:08.
nba.557vpoznanovic,
Dallas 103, San Antonio 98
SAN ANTONIO -- Jim Jackson scored 35 points, including seven during an
8-3 run that ended the game, as the Dallas Mavericks downed the San
Antonio Spurs 103-98 on Sunday.
San Antonio's David Robinson knotted the score at 95-95 on two free
throws with 2:52 remaining before Jackson scored five consecutive
points to make it 100-95 with 50.4 seconds to play.
Jason Kidd added a free throw for a six-point lead and, after Chuck
Person nailed a 3-pointer, Jackson converted two foul shots with 8.5
seconds remaining for the final margin.
Kidd recorded his eighth triple-double of the season with 21 points,
15 assists and 10 rebounds. Popeye Jones grabbed 12 boards for Dallas,
which won for just the fifth time in its past 24 contests. The
Mavericks ended their disappointing season at 26-56.
"The ball didn't go in early but we didn't get down, we just kept
playing hard," Kidd said. We kept it close and down the stretch we got
some easy baskets, which normally goes the other way.
"This was a good end to the season. It's not bad to beat San Antonio
at home twice this season."
Robinson finished with 32 points and 13 rebounds. Sean Elliott netted
24 points for the Spurs, who will host the Phoenix Suns on Friday in
the first round of the playoffs. San Antonio, which is the West's
second seed, ended with a 59-23 record.
"The second half became a struggle -- the guys didn't shoot as well as
normal. Dallas got momentum and kept it," Spurs coach Bob Hill said.
"Sixty wins would have been nice, but we've got bigger fish to fry. We
need to worry about Phoenix."
The Spurs scored the first seven points of the game and extended the
lead to 22-7 with 3:56 left in the first quarter when Vinny Del Negro
scored four points during a 10-0 spurt.
The margin was cut to 31-19 after 12 minutes and a 10-2 Maverick burst
reduced the difference to 40-38 with 4Ż minutes to go in the first
half. The biggest advantage either team held until the fourth period
was six points.
Lucious Harris tallied 15 points and Cherokee Parks had 11 for Dallas,
which shot 39 percent (37 for 94) from the field. Jackson, who also
snared 11 boards, made just one of 11 3-point attempts.
"We've had a lot of problems this season," Dallas coach Dick Motta
said. "We've lost so many close games and our injuries have come at
bad times during the season. So this was a positive way to end the
season and hopefully it will help us next season."
Avery Johnson totaled 14 points and 11 assists, Will Perdue had 10
points and 11 rebounds and Del Negro grabbed a career-best 10 rebounds
for the Spurs, who shot 38 percent (34 for 90) from the floor.
nba.558vpoznanovic,
Golden State (100) At Sacramento (107)
Golden State
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Kersey F 27 5-8 1-4 2 5 7 1 4 3 1 11
Smith F 36 5-12 1-2 3 7 10 0 4 1 2 11
Willis C 29 10-15 2-3 2 4 6 0 3 1 2 22
Sprewell G 35 5-11 2-6 1 4 5 4 1 2 1 13
Armstrong G 35 8-16 7-9 0 2 2 8 2 2 2 24
Declercq 13 2-2 0-0 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 4
Coles 10 1-4 0-0 0 0 0 1 1 0 3 2
Marshall 17 1-9 2-2 3 2 5 0 0 0 1 4
Barry 16 1-1 0-0 0 1 1 4 1 0 0 3
Rozier 12 3-5 0-0 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 6
Churchwell 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Hammink 7 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0
Totals 240 41-84 15-26 12 28 40 20 19 9 12 100
(.488) (.577) Team Rebs: 12 Total To: 15(15 Pts)
Sacramento
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Grant F 28 5-11 4-5 2 6 8 0 3 0 3 14
Polynice F 20 6-11 0-2 1 4 5 0 0 0 2 12
Causwell C 25 7-11 0-0 7 2 9 0 5 2 0 14
Richmond G 24 8-12 0-0 1 0 1 1 1 1 2 20
Edney G 27 5-9 0-0 2 0 2 7 2 1 2 11
Marciulionis 22 3-11 5-7 0 2 2 3 1 1 2 13
Owens 22 3-12 1-3 6 6 12 2 3 1 1 7
Hurley 19 1-4 0-0 0 1 1 6 2 0 1 2
Smith 28 5-9 2-8 5 8 13 2 4 1 1 12
Gamble 4 0-2 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
Simmons 21 1-3 0-0 1 2 3 3 0 1 1 2
C Williamson Dnp - Back Spasms
Totals 240 44-95 12-25 25 32 57 24 21 8 15 107
(.463) (.480) Team Rebs: 9 Total To: 16(16 Pts)
Golden State 29 23 33 15 - 100
Sacramento 31 21 24 31 - 107
Blocked Shots: Golden State - Smith, Willis, Sprewell. Sacramento -
Smith 4, Owens, Polynice, Simmons.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Golden State 3-11 (.273), Sprewell 1-3, Armstrong 1-3,
Coles 0-3, Marshall 0-1, Barry 1-1. Sacramento 7-14 (.500), Richmond 4-6,
Edney 1-1, Marciulionis 2-5, Simmons 0-2.
Technicals: Golden State - Marshall (Ejected), Sacramento - Polynice.
Officials: Terry Durham, Steve Javie, Bill Spooner.
A - 17,317. T - 2:01.
nba.559vpoznanovic,
Sacramento 107, Golden State 100
Mitch Richmond scored 20 points and Tyus Edney and Michael Smith keyed
a fourth-quarter run as the Sacramento Kings beat the Golden State
Warriors, 107-100, in their playoff-tuneup for their first post-season
action in 10 years.
Brian Grant and Duane Causewll each scored 14 points for the Kings,
who won at home for the 10th time in 12 games and ended the regular
season by winning four of their last five. Sarunas Marciulionis scored
13 points and Edney added 11 and seven assists.
The Kings (39-43) are in the playoffs for the first time since 1986,
their first season in Sacramento. Sacramento, which got into the
playoffs when Golden State lost to Portland on Friday, will open up
with the top-seeded Seattle SuperSonics in the first round of the
playoffs.
B.J Armstrong scored 25 points, Kevin Willis added 20 and Latrell
Sprewell and Jerome Kersey each scored 13 points for Golden State,
which lost the season series 3-1.
Golden State (36-46) is out of the playoffs for the third time in four
seasons. The Warriors had a four-game losing streak, including three
defeats at home, late in the season.
After Armstrong made a layup to give the Warriors a 92-83 lead, Edney
scored seven points and Smith added six during the Kings' 22-8 run.
Grant's two free throws capped the burst and sealed the game.
nba.560vpoznanovic,
LA Lakers (92) At Portland (88)
LA Lakers
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Ceballos F 34 7-12 2-2 1 6 7 3 1 0 1 17
Campbell F 21 2-6 2-2 1 2 3 1 2 1 2 6
Divac C 32 5-11 2-4 2 3 5 2 5 0 2 12
Threatt G 30 2-5 0-0 0 1 1 2 3 1 0 4
Jones G 42 7-11 4-4 0 2 2 0 0 5 4 20
Johnson 33 1-7 4-6 1 2 3 10 1 3 2 6
Lynch 15 1-2 0-0 0 3 3 0 4 1 2 3
Peeler 23 7-18 3-3 2 0 2 1 0 1 0 20
Roberts 6 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2
Strong 4 1-3 0-0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 2
Blount Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Van Exel Dnp - Suspended By League
Totals 240 34-76 17-21 7 21 28 19 17 12 13 92
(.447) (.810) Team Rebs: 6 Total To: 13(17 Pts)
Portland
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
C Robinson F 44 7-18 9-11 0 3 3 4 5 0 8 25
Grant F 32 5-10 1-4 3 1 4 0 4 1 1 12
Dudley C 26 4-7 0-0 8 8 16 2 5 0 2 8
R Robinson G 28 2-8 0-0 0 4 4 7 1 2 3 4
Mckie G 31 3-8 0-0 0 0 0 9 0 3 2 7
Williams 29 8-11 2-4 3 7 10 1 2 1 2 18
Trent 19 2-6 2-2 1 6 7 0 0 0 2 6
J Robinson 31 3-9 1-2 0 2 2 3 2 1 2 8
Sabonis Dnp - Sore Right Knee
Spencer Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Strickland Dnp - Left Groin Strain
Wingfield Dnp - Tendinitis Left Knee
Totals 240 34-77 15-23 15 31 46 26 19 8 22 88
(.442) (.652) Team Rebs: 17 Total To: 22(30 Pts)
LA Lakers 27 26 24 15 - 92
Portland 31 28 17 12 - 88
Blocked Shots: LA Lakers - Campbell, Jones. Portland - Dudley 3,
Williams 2, Grant, Trent, J Robinson.
3-Pt. Field Goals: LA Lakers 7-15 (.467), Ceballos 1-2, Threatt 0-1, Jones
2-5, Johnson 0-1, Lynch 1-1, Peeler 3-5. Portland 5-14 (.357), C Robinson
2-4, Grant 1-1, Mckie 1-4, J Robinson 1-5.
Technicals: LA Lakers - Illegal Defense.
Officials: Mike Mathis, Greg Willard, Ted Bernhardt.
A - 21,401. T - 2:09.
nba.561vpoznanovic,
LA Lakers 92, Portland 88
Eddie Jones scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half as the Los
Angeles Lakers edged the Portland Trail Blazers, 92-88, to close the
1995-96 regular season in the N-B-A.
Anthony Peeler also scored 20 points for the Lakers (53-29), who won
12 of their final 16 games and became a much-improved team when Magic
Johnson joined them out of retirement.
Johnson, who returned to the lineup after serving a three-game
suspension for bumping a referee, added six points and 10 assists off
the bench. The Lakers finished in fourth place in the Western
Conference and will host the two-time defending champion Houston
Rockets in the first round.
Clifford Robinson scored 25 points and Buck Williams added 18 for
Portland (44-38), which lost for just the fourth time in its final 22
games as the Blazers stormed to the sixth spot in the playoffs.
Portland opens at Utah in the first round.
The teams split four games this season. Cedric Ceballos capped a 19-4
Lakers' run with a tip-in to give Los Angeles an 85-78 lead with eight
minutes to play. Jones had eight points in the run.
Portland responded with eight consecutive points to take an 86-85 lead
with 2:40 to play on a six-footer by Buck Williams. The Lakers,
however, took the lead back when Vlade Divac had a tip-in 20 seconds
later.
The Blazers had a chance to tie the game with 11 seconds to play
trailing 90-88, but James Robinson's inbounds pass was stolen by
Jones, who made two free throws to complete the scoring.
Ceballos finished with 17 points and Divac 12 for the Lakers, who shot
45 percent (34-of-76) and scored 30 points off of 22 Portland
turnovers.
Williams grabbed 10 rebounds for Portland, which shot 44 percent
(34-of-77) and outrebounded the Lakers, 46-28. Despite his 25 points,
Williams committed eight turnovers.
nba.562vpoznanovic,
Milwaukee (92) At Detroit (108)
Milwaukee
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Cummings F 26 2-9 0-0 2 6 8 0 3 1 0 4
Robinson F 24 5-8 2-3 0 2 2 2 4 0 2 12
Baker C 42 11-22 4-7 4 4 8 5 3 3 0 26
Douglas G 35 8-11 1-1 0 2 2 2 3 0 1 19
Newman G 36 7-13 0-2 1 0 1 1 2 1 1 17
Keys 20 1-3 0-0 1 2 3 1 4 1 2 2
Benjamin 6 0-0 1-2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1
Respert 19 2-6 0-0 0 1 1 2 1 1 1 5
Mayberry 13 1-3 0-0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 2
Conlon 16 0-3 2-4 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 2
Peplowski 3 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2
Duckworth Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Totals 240 38-79 10-19 8 19 27 15 22 9 7 92
(.481) (.526) Team Rebs: 7 Total To: 8(6 Pts)
Detroit
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Hill F 36 4-9 5-6 0 10 10 8 1 0 2 13
Ratliff F 16 0-2 2-2 0 1 1 0 3 0 0 2
Thorpe C 32 6-13 7-8 6 6 12 2 3 0 4 19
Houston G 32 7-8 0-1 0 4 4 2 3 0 2 18
Dumars G 25 6-9 7-7 0 2 2 5 1 0 1 19
Mills 23 6-11 0-0 1 2 3 1 3 1 1 15
Curry 25 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 1 6 1 1 0
West 18 3-4 0-0 2 6 8 1 3 0 1 6
Hunter 25 5-12 0-0 0 1 1 3 1 1 3 12
Reid 3 1-1 2-2 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 4
Roe 3 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Leckner 2 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
Totals 240 38-71 23-26 10 35 45 23 25 3 15 108
(.535) (.885) Team Rebs: 7 Total To: 15(12 Pts)
Milwaukee 31 17 27 17 - 92
Detroit 31 31 25 21 - 108
Blocked Shots: Milwaukee - Robinson, Cummings, Baker, Peplowski. Detroit
- West 2, Ratliff, Houston, Mills, Hunter.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Milwaukee 6-11 (.545), Robinson 0-1, Baker 0-1, Douglas
2-2, Newman 3-4, Keys 0-1, Respert 1-1, Mayberry 0-1. Detroit 9-16 (.563),
Houston 4-5, Dumars 0-1, Mills 3-5, Hunter 2-5.
Technicals: Detroit - Head Coach Collins.
Officials: Joe Crawford, Ed F Rush, Bruce Alexander.
A - 18,689. T - 1:58.
nba.563vpoznanovic,
Detroit 108, Milwaukee 92
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Otis Thorpe and Joe Dumars each scored 19
points as the Detroit Pistons cruised past the Milwaukee Bucks 108-92
on Sunday. The importance of the game was diminished by an Atlanta
Hawks victory.
Allan Houston added 18 points for the Pistons, who had a chance to
finish in sixth place in the Eastern Conference with a victory and an
Atlanta loss to the Miami Heat. The Hawks clinched the sixth seed,
however, with a victory in Miami.
Houston was seen for eight from the from the field and made four of
five 3-point shots.
Detroit (46-36) will play the Orlando Magic in the first round of the
playoffs. Games One is in Orlando on Friday and Game Two is there
Sunday.
"This has been a great year. We're plus-18 over last year and after
the game, I thanked the players and told them that I'm very proud of
them," said Detroit coach Doug Collins, who completed his first year
at the helm. "We might not be as talented as I want us to be, but
we're starting to get tough. Otis and Joe have given us the anchor to
build on."
"I think we're ready. This is what we've been looking for all season,"
Houston said of the postseason. "It feels great to be ready to go.
"I know how Milwaukee feels tonight. That's how we felt the last two
years, making our travel plans. In my rookie season, I planned on
going home two months before the season ended."
Vin Baker had 26 points and eight rebounds for the Bucks (25-57), who
missed the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season and dropped 22 of
their final 26 games.
"We didn't have control of the boards," Milwaukee coach Mike Dunleavy
said. "We gave up to many points in the first half.
"Any time you go 25-57, there's a lot of frustration involved. We have
a lot of decisions to make as far as our future is concerned. I was
pleased with the way we played this last week of the season. We're in
a position to make great strides."
The Pistons trailed by four points with 41 seconds left in the first
quarter when they went on a 20-6 run to grab a 46-36 lead with 6:01
left in the first half. Grant Hill had six points in the run and
Dumars added five.
Hill finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists and was
one of six Pistons to score in double figures. Thorpe added 12
rebounds as the Pistons held a 45-27 advantage on the boards.
Terry Mills scored 15 points and Lindsey Hunter added 12 as Detroit's
bench outscored Milwaukee's 37-14.
"I don't think the disappointment was tonight. It was yesterday, when
we lost to Cleveland," Detroit's Mark West said. "That was a game we
really needed. We had a chance and fell short."
Detroit opened its biggest lead at 108-87 with 1:23 left Sunday.
"We know this hasn't been a productive season, but we played well the
last six or seven games, up until tonight," Milwaukee veteran Johnny
Newman said. "Detroit showed that a team can make big strides in one
year. Doug came in and put in discipline and hard work and it paid off
for them."
nba.564vpoznanovic,
New York (122) At Boston (111)
New York
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Reid F 16 5-7 0-0 0 2 2 1 3 0 0 10
Mason F 43 10-11 5-5 0 7 7 4 4 0 5 25
Ewing C 40 9-14 10-11 1 12 13 2 5 3 5 28
Starks G 32 8-14 0-0 1 6 7 5 0 0 2 18
Harper G 35 7-12 0-0 0 1 1 4 2 1 1 14
Davis 31 5-7 1-2 0 3 3 2 3 0 3 11
Anderson 11 2-3 0-0 0 3 3 3 1 0 0 4
Ward 23 3-7 1-2 2 4 6 4 3 1 0 7
Grant 7 2-4 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5
Grandison 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Lohaus 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Williams Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Totals 240 51-80 17-20 4 38 42 25 21 5 17 122
(.638) (.850) Team Rebs: 7 Total To: 18(20 Pts)
Boston
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Burrough F 23 2-6 1-2 2 1 3 0 4 2 3 5
Fox F 39 9-14 4-5 2 7 9 5 4 4 0 25
Ellison C 19 2-4 0-0 2 2 4 1 4 0 0 4
Wesley G 42 4-16 7-8 2 6 8 7 2 0 5 17
Minor G 28 5-12 4-5 2 1 3 5 2 1 1 15
Brown 26 5-10 2-2 1 2 3 2 1 0 0 15
Barros 29 4-8 1-1 1 1 2 1 0 3 2 13
Day 27 6-14 1-2 1 0 1 2 4 2 1 15
Hamilton 5 1-4 0-0 1 3 4 0 0 0 1 2
Mundt 2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Lister Dnp - Sprained Left Ankle
Williams Dnp - Left Knee Surgery
Totals 240 38-89 20-25 14 23 37 23 21 12 13 111
(.427) (.800) Team Rebs: 2 Total To: 14(18 Pts)
New York 39 30 33 20 - 122
Boston 32 30 25 24 - 111
Blocked Shots: New York - Ewing 2, Starks 2, Ward. Boston - Fox,
Ellison, Minor, Day.
3-Pt. Field Goals: New York 3-10 (.300), Starks 2-4, Harper 0-2, Anderson
0-1, Ward 0-2, Grant 1-1. Boston 15-29 (.517), Fox 3-3, Wesley 2-7, Minor
1-1, Brown 3-6, Barros 4-7, Day 2-5.
Technicals: New York - Illegal Defense.
Officials: Tommy Nunez, Bernie Fryer, Derek Richardson.
A - 18,624. T - 2:01.
nba.565vpoznanovic,
KNICKS SECURE EAST'S FIFTH SEED WITH VICTORY OVER CELTICS
BOSTON -- Patrick Ewing scored 28 points and Anthony Mason added 25 on
Sunday as the New York Knicks wrapped up the fifth seed in the Eastern
Conference with a 122-111 victory over the Boston Celtics in the
season finale for both teams.
John Starks scored 18 points for New York, which will face the
Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs. The Knicks
(47-35) have reached at least the second round of the playoffs every
year since 1991. New York beat the Cavaliers in the first round last
year.
"We have to play big to win, especially against quality teams," Knicks
coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "I think this game with Boston was a good
preparation for us because they break down the defense off the dribble
just like Cleveland, and we did a good job of handling that today."
The Knicks completed a season sweep of the Celtics and beat Boston for
the 15th consecutive time, the longest winning streak any team has
ever had against the Celtics. New York has not lost to Boston since
April 8, 1992 and has won 17 of the last 18 meetings between the
teams.
Rick Fox had 25 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics, who finished
33-49, their third season in a row with less than 35 victories.
"Let me just say I'm extremely proud of this team," Celtics coach M.L.
Carr said. "We could have folded when Dino Radja went down and when
Eric Montross went down. The last couple of months, the team was
having fun."
New York used a 7-0 run in the first quarter to take the lead for
good. Mason hit an eight-footer to put the Knicks up 21-20, and Derek
Harper capped the spurt with a jumper for 24-20 lead with 5:13 to en
route to a 39-32 advantage after one period.
The Knicks maintained the seven-point lead at halftime and pushed it
to 80-69 in the third quarter before the Celtics went on a 10-2 run to
pull within 82-79 on a 3-pointer by David Wesley with 5:47 remaining.
New York responded with the next nine points as John Starks sank a
3-pointer to push the lead back to 12 points. Boston did close to
116-107 with 3:18 left, but Ewing and Starks hit back-to-back jumpers
to seal the game.
"Obviously, we've been in a little bit of a down period," Van Gundy
said. "Where we found ways to lose close games, we're looking to try
to turn things around as best as we can in the next couple of days."
Ewing grabbed 13 rebounds and Mason had seven for New York, which shot
a season-high 64 percent (51 for 80) from the floor and held a 42-37
rebounding edge. Harper added 14 points.
"We're going to have to play better defense against Cleveland than the
last two games we played," Ewing said. "Our offense was stuck in
neutral the last time we played them."
Wesley had 17 points and Greg Minor and Dee Brown scored 15 apiece for
the Celtics, who trying to win consecutive home games for the first
time since early March.
nba.566vpoznanovic,
Orlando (103) At Charlotte (100)
Orlando
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Grant F 35 7-12 0-0 3 7 10 1 2 0 1 14
Scott F 38 4-9 2-2 0 3 3 3 3 0 0 12
Oneal C 36 9-18 3-8 0 8 8 3 5 1 7 21
Anderson G 37 8-10 4-6 1 5 6 2 2 2 2 23
Hardaway G 37 7-11 5-5 1 3 4 13 1 0 1 19
Koncak 7 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Shaw 18 1-4 4-4 0 2 2 4 3 2 3 7
Royal 7 1-2 1-2 2 0 2 0 0 2 0 3
Bowie 12 1-2 0-0 1 1 2 1 1 0 1 2
Bonner 13 1-4 0-2 2 2 4 0 2 2 0 2
Thompson Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Wolf Dnp - Concussion
Totals 240 39-73 19-29 10 31 41 27 20 9 15 103
(.534) (.655) Team Rebs: 9 Total To: 16(21 Pts)
Charlotte
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
L Johnson F 44 8-15 4-6 3 6 9 5 1 0 3 22
Curry F 40 8-16 2-3 2 4 6 3 2 0 1 19
Parish C 26 5-13 1-2 2 2 4 0 3 0 1 11
Rice G 40 3-10 2-2 2 2 4 1 2 2 3 9
Anderson G 30 6-14 2-2 3 2 5 9 1 0 1 17
Zidek 20 1-7 3-3 1 3 4 0 3 0 0 5
Goldwire 18 3-4 0-0 0 0 0 2 3 0 1 7
Hancock 15 3-4 4-4 0 2 2 0 4 2 2 10
Addison 7 0-2 0-0 1 2 3 0 1 0 3 0
Adams Dnp - Pulled Right Groin
Geiger Dnp - Sprained Left Ankle
Myers Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Totals 240 37-85 18-22 14 23 37 20 20 4 15 100
(.435) (.818) Team Rebs: 9 Total To: 15(22 Pts)
Orlando 26 20 29 28 - 103
Charlotte 37 22 20 21 - 100
Blocked Shots: Orlando - Oneal 2, Scott, Hardaway. Charlotte - Parish 3,
Curry.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Orlando 6-13 (.462), Scott 2-6, Anderson 3-4, Hardaway
0-1, Shaw 1-2. Charlotte 8-17 (.471), L Johnson 2-3, Curry 1-4, Rice 1-2,
Anderson 3-6, Goldwire 1-2.
Technicals: Orlando - Head Coach Hill, Charlotte - Illegal Defense 2.
Officials: Hugh Evans, Ron Olesiak, Joe Forte.
A - 24,042. T - 2:22.
nba.567vpoznanovic,
Orlando 103, Charlotte 100
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Anfernee Hardaway scored 11 of his 19 points in a
three-minute span of the fourth quarter as the Orlando Magic reached
60 wins with a 103-100 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.
Nick Anderson scored 23 points and Shaquille O'Neal added 21 for the
Magic (60-22), which will open against the Detroit Pistons in the
first round of the playoffs. Orlando closed its most successful
regular season ever with a four-game winning streak.
"I feel our record would have been better if I had not sat out our
first 27 games," said O'Neal, who sustained a broken thumb in the
preseason.
Larry Johnson scored 22 points and Dell Curry added 19 for the Hornets
(41-41), who blew a nine-point lead in the final 4:34. Charlotte,
eliminated from the playoff race on Friday, has lost its last six
games with Orlando, including all four this season.
"Well, the game sort of typifies a little bit of the season," Hornets
coach Allan Bristow said. "We had some good runs and just fell a
little bit short."
The Hornets blew a 23-point second-quarter lead. Orlando led 79-75
after three quarters and opened the margin to 92-83 with 4Ż minutes to
play. Hardaway scored 11 points during a 15-2 run that gave the Magic
the lead for good. Anderson capped the burst with a 3-pointer for a
98-94 lead with 1:36 left and Orlando held on.
"This is a great boost, coming back from 23 points down," Hardaway
said. "We came out in the first half like we really didn't want to
play. I feel if you are going to put on your uniform, you must come to
play. It took them going up by 23 to wake us up and get us going."
Horace Grant had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Hardaway added 13
assists for the Magic, which shot 53 percent (29 for 73) from the
field and held a 41-37 edge in rebounds.
Kenny Anderson had 17 points and nine assists for the Hornets, who
shot 44 percent (37 for 85) and held an 18-5 advantage in
second-chance points.
Charlotte opened a 59-46 halftime lead as Curry scored 13 points and
Kenny Anderson added 10.
nba.568vpoznanovic,
Philadelphia (109) At Toronto (105) - Final In Ot
Philadelphia
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Massenburg F 20 2-4 3-4 0 1 1 0 5 1 3 7
Weatherspoon F 46 14-26 7-10 6 8 14 3 4 1 2 35
Pinckney C 34 2-6 3-4 3 5 8 0 5 3 0 7
Walters G 45 10-16 0-1 3 3 6 12 2 4 5 23
Sutton G 25 2-8 0-0 0 1 1 7 2 3 3 5
Ruffin 36 7-18 3-3 2 2 4 5 2 2 2 18
Alston 33 7-13 0-0 4 2 6 2 2 3 1 14
Thompson 26 0-4 0-0 2 3 5 1 6 1 2 0
Dumas Dnp - Fractured Right Foot
Higgins Dnp - Bursitisin Elbow
Maxwell Dnp - Sprained Left Knee
Stackhouse Dnp - Fractured Right Thumb
Totals 265 44-95 16-22 20 25 45 30 28 18 18 109
(.463) (.727) Team Rebs: 8 Total To: 20(23 Pts)
Toronto
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Murray F 50 7-22 3-4 4 2 6 4 4 2 8 21
Miller F 51 15-25 5-8 8 4 12 9 5 4 8 35
Earl C 39 4-11 0-0 4 2 6 0 3 3 0 8
Robertson G 41 4-8 0-4 2 7 9 9 4 0 4 8
Christie G 31 6-11 2-2 3 5 8 8 1 2 3 18
Whitfield 16 3-3 3-4 0 2 2 0 2 0 1 9
Lewis 5 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
King 25 3-9 0-1 1 5 6 1 1 0 0 6
Esposito 7 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Rogers Dnp - Strained Neck
Stoudamire Dnp - Tendinitis Left Knee
Tabak Dnp - Strained Left Groin
Totals 265 42-89 13-23 22 27 49 31 20 11 28 105
(.472) (.565) Team Rebs: 12 Total To: 28(34 Pts)
Philadelphia 28 29 25 17 10 - 109
Toronto 33 18 29 19 6 - 105
Blocked Shots: Philadelphia - Weatherspoon 7, Pinckney 2, Thompson 2,
Walters. Toronto - Murray 3, Miller 3, Earl 2, Lewis, King.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Philadelphia 5-16 (.313), Walters 3-4, Sutton 1-6,
Ruffin 1-6. Toronto 8-18 (.444), Murray 4-11, Robertson 0-2, Christie 4-5.
Technicals: Philadelphia - Illegal Defense 2, Toronto - Miller.
Officials: Bob Delaney, Tom Washington, Jim Kinsey.
A - 27,118. T - 2:25.
nba.569vpoznanovic,
FINISHING WITH AUTHORITY: 76ERS NIP RAPTORS IN OT
TORONTO -- The Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors provided few
highlights this NBA season. They were victims on many reels, but
rarely did they star.
Sunday's season finale for two of the three worst teams in the league
might be the exception. Maybe they saved their best for last.
Clarence Weatherspoon recorded 35 points and 14 rebounds and Rex
Walters added a career-high 23 points, including a 3-pointer in
overtime that gave the 76ers the lead for good in a 109-105 victory
over the Raptors.
Walters also dished out 12 assists and Trevor Ruffin tallied 18 points
for Philadelphia, which finished with the Eastern Conference's worst
record at 18-64. It is the team's worst record since setting the
league low with a 9-73 mark in the 1972-73 season.
"We played hard. We put it on the line," Weatherspoon said. "It was a
trying year for us. I think you've got to take a couple of steps
backward before going forward. We've taken a lot of steps backwards,
so we have to go forward sometime."
Oliver Miller totaled a career-high 35 points, 12 rebounds and nine
assists, and Tracy Murray had 21 points for Toronto, which dropped 12
of its last 15 games to finish its inaugural season at 21-61. The
Raptors lost three of four meetings with the 76ers this season.
"In retrospect, this season was a smashing success for the Toronto
Raptors," said Toronto coach Brendan Malone, whose future with the
team is in doubt. "We exceeeded all expectations.
"It was a great way to kick off an inaugural season. I enjoyed my
opportunity as coach of the Toronto Raptors. I can't control what's
going to happen. I did my best, and I know that."
Trailing 95-88 in the fourth quarter, Miller scored the first four
points of an 8-0 run that gave Toronto a 96-95 advantage with 1:38
remaining. Ruffin then converted a free throw with 56 seconds left and
Walters had a 3-pointer 13 seconds later to put the Sixers up 99-96.
The Raptors then missed on four 3-point field-goal attempts before
Doug Christie nailed one to tie the score at 99-99 with 1.4 seconds to
play.
After the teams traded baskets in overtime, Walters made a 3-pointer
with 3:48 left and Weatherspoon had a dunk to make it 106-101 with
2:59 to go.
"This was a great opportunity for me to show what I can do,'' said
Walters, who got the extra playing time because of injuries to four
players, including rookie standout Jerry Stackhouse. "When you get the
chance to play, you have to take advantage."
Philadelphia coach John Lucas, believed to be on the NBA chopping
block, said his team's woes were mostly the fault of fate.
"If we get some people healthy, I think we can improve," Lucas said
"Injuries are out of my control. I'll say it now: We've turned the
corner.
"Beginning next year, we will begin to be a quality team. When you
take over a city, a team, a situation like this, I just try to create
an honest product and an honest team."
nba.570vpoznanovic,
Phoenix (110) At Houston (118)
Phoenix
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Finley F 36 5-12 2-2 0 4 4 4 1 1 3 12
Tisdale F 27 5-13 2-2 2 8 10 2 5 0 1 12
Williams C 24 5-9 0-0 3 2 5 1 3 0 1 10
Carr G 23 1-7 0-0 1 1 2 1 1 0 1 3
Perry G 48 14-22 5-6 0 7 7 11 1 5 3 35
W Person 37 10-22 3-3 2 6 8 3 2 0 1 24
Manning 9 0-2 1-2 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1
Green 27 3-7 4-6 7 3 10 0 0 1 0 10
Bennett 9 1-2 1-6 2 2 4 1 5 0 0 3
Barkley Dnp - Strained Right Calf
Johnson Dnp - Left Calf Strain
Kleine Dnp - Did Not Travel
Totals 240 44-96 18-27 17 34 51 24 19 7 10 110
(.458) (.667) Team Rebs: 8 Total To: 10(12 Pts)
Houston
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Elie F 22 5-7 1-1 2 3 5 7 0 1 2 12
Brown F 24 4-8 0-0 2 5 7 4 3 1 1 8
Olajuwon C 25 6-9 2-2 0 6 6 1 1 1 1 14
Mack G 43 9-20 2-2 0 7 7 6 2 3 2 26
Smith G 24 4-10 1-2 0 2 2 5 2 0 1 11
Moore 31 6-11 2-2 1 2 3 2 3 0 0 18
Chilcutt 20 1-5 2-2 0 2 2 2 1 0 2 5
Recasner 24 4-8 0-0 0 1 1 4 2 2 2 10
Bryant 15 5-7 2-4 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 12
Jones 12 1-1 0-0 0 4 4 1 3 0 1 2
Cassell Dnp - Sore Left Foot
Drexler Dnp - Swollen Right Knee
Totals 240 45-86 12-15 5 33 38 33 19 8 12 118
(.523) (.800) Team Rebs: 8 Total To: 13(16 Pts)
Phoenix 23 29 32 26 - 110
Houston 33 26 27 32 - 118
Blocked Shots: Phoenix - Tisdale 2, W Person, Manning. Houston -
Olajuwon 3, Mack 2, Jones 2, Smith, Chilcutt.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Phoenix 4-16 (.250), Finley 0-1, Carr 1-2, Perry 2-3, W
Person 1-8, Manning 0-1, Green 0-1. Houston 16-30 (.533), Elie 1-2, Mack
6-11, Smith 2-4, Moore 4-6, Chilcutt 1-3, Recasner 2-4.
Technicals: None.
Officials: Ed T Rush, Joe Derosa, Sean Corbin.
A - 16,285. T - 2:14.
nba.571vpoznanovic,
HAKEEM'S SUN BLOCK ESTABLISHES NBA RECORD
HOUSTON -- Hakeem Olajuwon became the NBA's all-time leader in
blocked shots and the Houston Rockets prepared for the defense of
their back-to-back league titles by rallying for a 118-110 victory
over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.
Olajuwon, who entered the game two blocked shots behind Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar's total of 3,189, got his third block in the third
quarter to take over the top spot all-time.
SWAT TEAM
The NBA's all-time leaders in blocked shots:
Hakeem Olajuwon 3,190
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 3,189
Mark Eaton 3,064
Wayne "Tree" Rollins 2,542
Rober Parish 2,342
Blocks have been kept as an official statistic since 1973-74, the
fifth season of Abdul-Jabbar's 20-year NBA career, five seasons after
Bill Russell had retired and one year after Wilt Chamberlain's final
game.
"A shot-blocker is well-respected," said Olajuwon, a 12-year veteran.
"I feel honored to even be mentioned as one of the all-time
shot-blockers."
"It's a great credit to a great player to accomplish that," Rockets
coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "Along that honor, Hakeem is more than
just a shot-blocker. He's our pillar of strength and leadership. It's
something wonderful, something he should be very proud of."
During a timeout immediately after setting the record, Olajuwon was
presented a large framed photograph of him blocking a shot by
Abdul-Jabbar, who retired after the 1988-89 season.
Olajuwon also received a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of
16,285.
"After the first two blocks, the third one became very difficult,"
Olajuwon said. "I started to concentrate on it. I didn't know how or
when, but I wanted to get it.
"It couldn't have happened any better. It was the last game of the
season. We were on national TV. We were at home. It was just perfect."
Sam Mack scored 26 points and Tracy Moore added 18 for Houston
(48-34), which won five of its last seven games to finish fifth in the
Western Conference. The Rockets, who will face the Los Angeles Lakers
in the first round of the playoffs, were seeded sixth last year, when
they won their second consecutive title.
"It was a rare year where it looked like it was going to be the Lakers
for a long time," Tomjanovich said. "We got every possible game of
their last 25 broken down so we know tendencies. Getting them stopped
is another thing. I shouldn't say stopped, because you cannot stop
people, but you can neutralize them."
Elliot Perry scored a career-high 35 points for Phoenix (41-41), which
played without injured stars Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson and
lost five of their last seven games. The Suns finished seventh in the
West and will face the San Antonio Spurs in the first round.
Phoenix took its last lead at 93-91 on a dunk by Mario Bennett with
10:13 remaining, but Houston took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by
Moore moments later.
A layup by Eldridge Recasner gave the Rockets a 103-99 lead with 5:07
to play. The Suns cut the deficit to one point, but Recasner hit a
3-pointer to give Houston a 110-106 lead with 2:52 to go.
A 3-pointer by Pete Chilcutt opened the lead to 113-106 and Recasner
made another 3-pointer to boost the lead to 118-108 with 1:03 left.
Olajuwon scored 14 points for the Rockets, who had seven players in
double figures despite playing without guards Clyde Drexler and Sam
Cassell, who sat out with minor injuries. Houston shot 52 percent (45
for 86) from the field, including 16 for 30 from behind the arc.
Wesley Person scored 24 points and Perry added 11 assists for the
Suns, who shot 46 percent (44 for 96) and held a 51-38 edge in
rebounds. Perry also scored 35 points on Jan. 12 against Dallas.
nba.572vpoznanovic,
Seattle (88) At Denver (99)
Seattle (88)
REBOUNDS
Player POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
Schrempf F 27 5-9 2-4 1 1 2 2 3 0 2 13
Kemp F 13 2-5 0-0 1 5 6 0 5 0 1 5
Johnson C 32 5-9 3-5 1 5 6 0 6 1 1 13
Payton G 26 5-12 0-0 1 1 2 1 2 3 1 12
Hawkins G 25 1-8 4-4 0 2 2 3 0 0 1 6
Perkins 24 4-7 5-7 3 4 7 0 3 0 0 13
Wingate 27 2-11 0-0 1 1 2 2 0 1 1 4
Askew 24 2-7 1-1 1 5 6 2 2 2 4 5
Snow 24 3-6 1-3 0 0 0 2 2 2 3 7
Scheffler 15 2-4 2-6 2 2 4 0 4 0 0 6
Ford 3 2-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 4
Mcmillan DNP - Coach's Decision
Totals 240 33-80 18-30 11 26 37 12 28 10 14 88
(.413) (.600) TEAM REBS: 17 TOTAL TO: 14 (17 PTS)
Denver (99)
REBOUNDS
Player POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
D.Ellis F 38 8-18 1-2 3 2 5 1 1 0 0 21
L.Ellis F 26 6-11 5-7 5 7 12 2 5 0 3 17
Mcdyess C 39 6-17 8-9 4 9 13 1 2 0 4 20
Rose G 26 1-8 2-2 0 3 3 5 3 1 2 4
Stith G 43 4-15 8-9 6 2 8 2 3 4 0 16
Hammonds 17 2-3 1-2 1 2 3 0 2 0 1 5
Overton 19 2-3 0-0 1 2 3 2 0 0 1 4
Maclean 23 3-10 3-3 1 5 6 5 5 1 2 10
Grant 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Fish 3 1-2 0-2 1 1 2 1 2 1 0 2
Mutombo DNP - Strained Left Hamstring
Williams DNP - Coach's Decision
Totals 240 33-87 28-36 22 33 55 19 23 7 14 99
(.379) (.778) TEAM REBS: 12 TOTAL TO: 15 (10 PTS)
Seattle 28 25 20 15 -- 88
Denver 19 26 29 25 -- 99
Blocked Shots: Seattle -- Kemp 3, Johnson 3, Wingate 2, Perkins, Askew;
Denver -- Mcdyess 5, L.Ellis 3, Rose, Hammonds, Overton.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Seattle 4-15 (.267) -- D.Schrempf 1-2, Kemp 1-1,
Payton 2-5, Hawkins 0-2, Perkins 0-1, Wingate 0-1, Askew 0-3;
Denver 5-16 (.313) -- D.Ellis 4-9, L.Ellis 0-1, Rose 0-2, Stith 0-2,
Overton 0-1, Maclean 1-1.
Technicals: Seattle -- Payton, Illegal Defense, Kemp (Ejected-Fighting);
Denver -- Coach Bickerstaff, Hammonds (Ejected-Fighting), Rose, Mcdyess.
Officials: Dan Crawford, Derrick Stafford, Tim Donaghy.
Att.: 15,921. Time: 2:10.
nba.573vpoznanovic,
SONICS' PLAYOFF RUN MIGHT BEGIN WITHOUT KEMP
DENVER -- Dale Ellis scored 21 points and Antonio McDyess added 20 on
Sunday as the Denver Nuggets beat Seattle 99-88, denying the
SuperSonics their 65th victory of the season.
When Seattle, the top seed in the West, plays Sacramento in the first
round of the playoffs. The Sonics might have to start the postseason
without All-Star forward Shawn Kemp.
After hitting a 3-pointer midway through the third quarter, Kemp
exchanged words with Denver's Tom Hammonds while running down the
floor. Each player threw one punch and connected.
Throwing a punch draws an automatic suspension. The NBA has to
determine whether or not Kemp will serve his suspension during the
playoffs or next season.
"If Shawn gets suspended, it will affect us" Sonics forward Detlef
Schrempf said. "I didn't see the fight at all."
Since Denver did not qualify for the postseason, Hammonds would have
to serve a suspension next season.
Kemp's arm inadvertently hit one of the referees during the
altercation.
"I don't know if it was a fight or not," Denver coach Bernie
Bickerstaff said. "It's different out there and a lot of emotions were
running high out there.
"I hope Kemp doesn't get anything (a suspension), for Seattle's sake,"
Bickerstaff said.
"I saw two guys get tied up and they tried to separate with their arms
and elbows," Seattle coach George Karl said. "They just got tangled
up."
Kemp and Hammonds left their respective locker rooms without speaking
to reporters.
Denver completed a disappointing season with a 35-47 record, but the
Nuggets did not let Seattle get the victory that would have made it
the 10th team in NBA history to reach 65 wins.
Schrempf, Sam Perkins and Ervin Johnson scored 13 points apiece for
Seattle, which has homecourt advantage in the playoffs against any
team other than the Chicago Bulls.
Seattle and Chicago could only meet in the NBA Finals.
LaPhonso Ellis added 17 points for Denver, which beat Seattle for the
first time in four meetings this season and halted its six-game losing
streak against the Sonics.
The Nuggets won despite shooting 38 percent (33 for 87) from the
field. Denver held the Sonics to 41 percent (33 for 80) shooting and
owned a 55-37 rebounding edge. McDyess had 13 rebounds and LaPhonso
Ellis added 12.
Bryant Stith added 16 points and eight rebounds for the Nuggets.
"It was not a good season. No excuses, and I take my responsibility in
that," Bickerstaff said.
Perkins added seven rebounds and Gary Payton had 12 points for
Seattle.
"There wasn't a basketball game played tonight," Karl said. "It didn't
have much energy to it. It was a meaningless game played with
meaningless energy. I'm sure there were two or three games like this
out there today."
nba.574vpoznanovic,
Vancouver (108) At LA Clippers (101)
Vancouver
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
King F 38 8-13 0-0 1 6 7 0 2 1 2 20
Amaya F 29 1-6 4-7 4 4 8 2 4 1 2 6
Avent C 29 6-12 0-0 2 8 10 0 5 0 3 12
Anthony G 33 4-12 7-8 1 6 7 3 1 1 2 16
B Edwards G 36 8-14 5-6 3 4 7 1 4 0 1 21
Scott 26 3-8 5-6 1 2 3 0 2 1 2 11
Murdock 19 3-7 2-2 0 3 3 2 2 2 2 8
Wilkins 23 4-10 2-2 1 1 2 2 4 0 0 10
Moten 7 2-5 0-0 2 0 2 1 0 1 0 4
D Edwards Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Martin Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Reeves Dnp - Tendinitis Right Knee
Totals 240 39-87 25-31 15 34 49 11 24 7 14 108
(.448) (.806) Team Rebs: 9 Total To: 14(17 Pts)
LA Clippers
Rebounds
Player Pos Min Fgm-Fga Ftm-Fta Off-Def-Tot Ast Pf St To Pts
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
Vaught F 28 10-15 0-0 3 7 10 0 3 1 3 20
Rogers F 29 4-11 4-6 5 2 7 5 4 0 1 12
Harvey C 18 0-5 1-2 0 5 5 0 2 2 1 1
Richardson G 26 4-8 0-0 0 2 2 2 4 0 0 11
Barry G 27 5-14 3-3 0 3 3 6 2 2 1 13
Murray 10 2-4 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 4
Outlaw 25 5-6 4-12 7 5 12 0 1 1 1 14
Sealy 19 1-7 2-3 1 2 3 1 2 0 3 4
Roberts 24 1-5 3-3 0 3 3 4 2 0 1 5
Dehere 24 3-8 1-3 2 0 2 3 5 0 3 8
Piatkowski 10 4-5 1-2 0 1 1 2 2 1 2 9
Tower Dnp - Coach'S Decision
Totals 240 39-88 19-34 18 31 49 23 27 8 17 101
(.443) (.559) Team Rebs: 11 Total To: 17(24 Pts)
Vancouver 25 20 25 38 - 108
LA Clippers 22 24 29 26 - 101
Blocked Shots: Vancouver - Avent 3. LA Clippers - Barry 2, Outlaw 2,
Harvey.
3-Pt. Field Goals: Vancouver 5-14 (.357), King 4-5, Anthony 1-4, B Edwards
0-1, Scott 0-1, Murdock 0-2, Wilkins 0-1. LA Clippers 4-19 (.211), Vaught
0-1, Rogers 0-3, Richardson 3-5, Barry 0-5, Murray 0-1, Dehere 1-3,
Piatkowski 0-1.
Technicals: Vancouver - Illegal Defense.
Officials: Ron Garretson, David Jones, Kevin Fehr.
A - 13,298. T - 2:18.
nba.575vpoznanovic,
Vancouver 108, L.A. Clippers 101
LOS ANGELES -- Blue Edwards scored 21 points and Chris King added 20
as the Vancouver Grizzlies capped their inaugural season with a
108-101 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
The victory, the second in a row for the Grizzlies, gave them 15 wins
this season. Vancouver won its first two games and last two games and
went 11-67 in between, including an NBA record 23-game losing streak.
"You have to give the guys credit; they didn't give up," Vancouver
coach Brian Winters said. "They played hard to the very end. They were
professionals. There was no secret that this year was difficult."
Only five teams in league history won fewer games, but the Grizzlies
ended their season with perhaps their best quarter of the campaign.
Trailing 75-70 just 30 seconds into the final period, Vancouver went
on a 16-0 run to take the lead for good.
"The last couple of games when we got down, we got together and stayed
with our strength," Edwards said. "We had troubles in our defensive
end this season. Once we were able to play better defense and getting
rebounds, everybody had a lot of life and energy and a lot of
intensity, which made us play a lot better."
Loy Vaught scored all of his 20 points in the second half for the the
Clippers (29-53), who improved 12 victories over last season but
failed to make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.
Charles Outlaw added 14 points and 12 rebounds for Los Angeles, which
was just 39 for 88 (44 percent) from the field, including four for 19
from beyond the arc.
Chris King keyed the pivotal fourth-quarter stretch with seven points
and capped the spurt with an eight-foot jumper with 7:13 to go.
The Clippers drew within 99-96, on a Terry Dehere's 3-pointer, with
two minutes to go but were unable to overcome the deficit.
Greg Anthony, who finished with 16 points, made six free throws in the
final 19 seconds to seal the victory.
"We finished strong collectively from a competitive standpoint,"
Anthony said. "Our guys stepped up big and we won two games in a row."
The loss prevented Los Angeles from sweeping the four-game series.
"I just wanted to win the game," Clippers guard Pooh Richardson said.
"Who wanted to lose the last game of the season to an expansion team?
In a situation like this, you have to win."
nba.576vpoznanovic,
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION - 1995/96
(Sunday, April 21 - 163 days, 1189 games)
WESTERN CONFERENCE - PACIFIC DIVISION
TEAM TG TW TL HW HL AW AL TPA OPA % GB Str
Seattle Supersonics 82 64 18 38 3 26 15 104.5 96.7 78.0 - L 1
Los Angeles Lakers 82 53 29 30 11 23 18 102.9 98.5 64.6 11.0 W 2
Portland Trail Blazers 82 44 38 26 15 18 23 99.3 97.0 53.7 20.0 L 1
Phoenix Suns 82 41 41 25 16 16 25 104.3 104.0 50.0 23.0 L 1
Sacramento Kings 82 39 43 26 15 13 28 99.5 102.3 47.6 25.0 W 1
Golden State Warriors 82 36 46 23 18 13 28 101.6 103.1 43.9 28.0 L 2
Los Angeles Clippers 82 29 53 19 22 10 31 99.4 103.0 35.4 35.0 L 4
WESTERN CONFERENCE - MIDWEST DIVISION
TEAM TG TW TL HW HL AW AL TPA OPA % GB Str
San Antonio Spurs 82 59 23 33 8 26 15 103.4 97.1 72.0 - L 1
Utah Jazz 82 55 27 34 7 21 20 102.5 95.9 67.1 4.0 W 3
Houston Rockets 82 48 34 27 14 21 20 102.5 100.7 58.5 11.0 W 2
Denver Nuggets 82 35 47 24 17 11 30 97.7 100.4 42.7 24.0 W 1
Dallas Mavericks 82 26 56 16 25 10 31 102.5 107.5 31.7 33.0 W 1
Minnesota Timberwolves 82 26 56 17 24 9 32 97.9 103.2 31.7 33.0 L 6
Vancouver Grizzlies 82 15 67 10 31 5 36 89.8 99.8 18.3 44.0 W 2
EASTERN CONFERENCE - ATLANTIC DIVISION
TEAM TG TW TL HW HL AW AL TPA OPA % GB Str
Orlando Magic 82 60 22 37 4 23 18 104.5 99.0 73.2 - W 4
New York Knicks 82 47 35 26 15 21 20 97.2 94.9 57.3 13.0 W 1
Miami Heat 82 42 40 26 15 16 25 96.5 95.0 51.2 18.0 L 1
Washington Bullets 82 39 43 25 16 14 27 102.5 101.5 47.6 21.0 L 4
Boston Celtics 82 33 49 18 23 15 26 103.6 107.0 40.2 27.0 L 1
New Jersey Nets 82 30 52 20 21 10 31 93.7 97.9 36.6 30.0 L 2
Philadelphia 76ers 82 18 64 11 30 7 34 94.5 104.5 22.0 42.0 W 1
EASTERN CONFERENCE - CENTRAL DIVISION
TEAM TG TW TL HW HL AW AL TPA OPA % GB Str
Chicago Bulls 82 72 10 39 2 33 8 105.2 92.9 87.8 - W 1
Indiana Pacers 82 52 30 32 9 20 21 99.3 96.1 63.4 20.0 W 2
Cleveland Cavaliers 82 47 35 26 15 21 20 91.1 88.5 57.3 25.0 L 1
Detroit Pistons 82 46 36 30 11 16 25 95.4 92.9 56.1 26.0 W 1
Atlanta Hawks 82 46 36 26 15 20 21 98.3 97.1 56.1 26.0 W 2
Charlotte Hornets 82 41 41 25 16 16 25 102.8 103.4 50.0 31.0 L 1
Milwaukee Bucks 82 25 57 14 27 11 30 95.6 100.9 30.5 47.0 L 2
Toronto Raptors 82 21 61 15 26 6 35 97.5 105.0 25.6 51.0 L 1
WESTERN CONFERENCE
# TEAM TG TW TL HW HL AW AL TPA OPA % GB Str
1. Seattle Supersonics 82 64 18 38 3 26 15 104.5 96.7 78.0 - L 1 *
2. San Antonio Spurs 82 59 23 33 8 26 15 103.4 97.1 72.0 5.0 L 1 *
3. Utah Jazz 82 55 27 34 7 21 20 102.5 95.9 67.1 9.0 W 3 *
4. Los Angeles Lakers 82 53 29 30 11 23 18 102.9 98.5 64.6 11.0 W 2 *
5. Houston Rockets 82 48 34 27 14 21 20 102.5 100.7 58.5 16.0 W 2 *
6. Portland Trail Blazers 82 44 38 26 15 18 23 99.3 97.0 53.7 20.0 L 1 *
7. Phoenix Suns 82 41 41 25 16 16 25 104.3 104.0 50.0 23.0 L 1 *
8. Sacramento Kings 82 39 43 26 15 13 28 99.5 102.3 47.6 25.0 W 1 *
9. Golden State Warriors 82 36 46 23 18 13 28 101.6 103.1 43.9 28.0 L 2
10. Denver Nuggets 82 35 47 24 17 11 30 97.7 100.4 42.7 29.0 W 1
11. Los Angeles Clippers 82 29 53 19 22 10 31 99.4 103.0 35.4 35.0 L 4
12. Dallas Mavericks 82 26 56 16 25 10 31 102.5 107.5 31.7 38.0 W 1
13. Minnesota Timberwolves 82 26 56 17 24 9 32 97.9 103.2 31.7 38.0 L 6
14. Vancouver Grizzlies 82 15 67 10 31 5 36 89.8 99.8 18.3 49.0 W 2
EASTERN CONFERENCE
# TEAM TG TW TL HW HL AW AL TPA OPA % GB Str
1. Chicago Bulls 82 72 10 39 2 33 8 105.2 92.9 87.8 - W 1 *
2. Orlando Magic 82 60 22 37 4 23 18 104.5 99.0 73.2 12.0 W 4 *
3. Indiana Pacers 82 52 30 32 9 20 21 99.3 96.1 63.4 20.0 W 2 *
4. Cleveland Cavaliers 82 47 35 26 15 21 20 91.1 88.5 57.3 25.0 L 1 *
5. New York Knicks 82 47 35 26 15 21 20 97.2 94.9 57.3 25.0 W 1 *
6. Atlanta Hawks 82 46 36 26 15 20 21 98.3 97.1 56.1 26.0 W 2 *
7. Detroit Pistons 82 46 36 30 11 16 25 95.4 92.9 56.1 26.0 W 1 *
8. Miami Heat 82 42 40 26 15 16 25 96.5 95.0 51.2 30.0 L 1 *
9. Charlotte Hornets 82 41 41 25 16 16 25 102.8 103.4 50.0 31.0 L 1
10. Washington Bullets 82 39 43 25 16 14 27 102.5 101.5 47.6 33.0 L 4
11. Boston Celtics 82 33 49 18 23 15 26 103.6 107.0 40.2 39.0 L 1
12. New Jersey Nets 82 30 52 20 21 10 31 93.7 97.9 36.6 42.0 L 2
13. Milwaukee Bucks 82 25 57 14 27 11 30 95.6 100.9 30.5 47.0 L 2
14. Toronto Raptors 82 21 61 15 26 6 35 97.5 105.0 25.6 51.0 L 1
15. Philadelphia 76ers 82 18 64 11 30 7 34 94.5 104.5 22.0 54.0 W 1
TOTAL STANDINGS
# TEAM TG TW TL HW HL AW AL TPA OPA % GB Str
1. Chicago Bulls 82 72 10 39 2 33 8 105.2 92.9 87.8 - W 1
2. Seattle Supersonics 82 64 18 38 3 26 15 104.5 96.7 78.0 8.0 L 1
3. Orlando Magic 82 60 22 37 4 23 18 104.5 99.0 73.2 12.0 W 4
4. San Antonio Spurs 82 59 23 33 8 26 15 103.4 97.1 72.0 13.0 L 1
5. Utah Jazz 82 55 27 34 7 21 20 102.5 95.9 67.1 17.0 W 3
6. Los Angeles Lakers 82 53 29 30 11 23 18 102.9 98.5 64.6 19.0 W 2
7. Indiana Pacers 82 52 30 32 9 20 21 99.3 96.1 63.4 20.0 W 2
8. Houston Rockets 82 48 34 27 14 21 20 102.5 100.7 58.5 24.0 W 2
9. Cleveland Cavaliers 82 47 35 26 15 21 20 91.1 88.5 57.3 25.0 L 1
10. New York Knicks 82 47 35 26 15 21 20 97.2 94.9 57.3 25.0 W 1
11. Atlanta Hawks 82 46 36 26 15 20 21 98.3 97.1 56.1 26.0 W 2
12. Detroit Pistons 82 46 36 30 11 16 25 95.4 92.9 56.1 26.0 W 1
13. Portland Trail Blazers 82 44 38 26 15 18 23 99.3 97.0 53.7 28.0 L 1
14. Miami Heat 82 42 40 26 15 16 25 96.5 95.0 51.2 30.0 L 1
15. Phoenix Suns 82 41 41 25 16 16 25 104.3 104.0 50.0 31.0 L 1
16. Charlotte Hornets 82 41 41 25 16 16 25 102.8 103.4 50.0 31.0 L 1
17. Washington Bullets 82 39 43 25 16 14 27 102.5 101.5 47.6 33.0 L 4
18. Sacramento Kings 82 39 43 26 15 13 28 99.5 102.3 47.6 33.0 W 1
19. Golden State Warriors 82 36 46 23 18 13 28 101.6 103.1 43.9 36.0 L 2
20. Denver Nuggets 82 35 47 24 17 11 30 97.7 100.4 42.7 37.0 W 1
21. Boston Celtics 82 33 49 18 23 15 26 103.6 107.0 40.2 39.0 L 1
22. New Jersey Nets 82 30 52 20 21 10 31 93.7 97.9 36.6 42.0 L 2
23. Los Angeles Clippers 82 29 53 19 22 10 31 99.4 103.0 35.4 43.0 L 4
24. Dallas Mavericks 82 26 56 16 25 10 31 102.5 107.5 31.7 46.0 W 1
25. Minnesota Timberwolves 82 26 56 17 24 9 32 97.9 103.2 31.7 46.0 L 6
26. Milwaukee Bucks 82 25 57 14 27 11 30 95.6 100.9 30.5 47.0 L 2
27. Toronto Raptors 82 21 61 15 26 6 35 97.5 105.0 25.6 51.0 L 1
28. Philadelphia 76ers 82 18 64 11 30 7 34 94.5 104.5 22.0 54.0 W 1
29. Vancouver Grizzlies 82 15 67 10 31 5 36 89.8 99.8 18.3 57.0 W 2
--------
TG - ukupan broj odigranih utakmica
TW - ukupan broj pobeda
TL - ukupan broj poraza
HW - broj pobeda na domaćem terenu
HL - broj poraza na domaćem terenu
AW - broj pobeda na gostujućem terenu
AL - broj poraza na gostujućem terenu
TPA - prosek postignutih koševa
OPA - prosek primljenih koševa
% - procenat pobeda
GB - broj zaostalih utakmica
Str - poslednja serija pobeda (W) ili poraza (L)
* - ekipa je već osigurala učešće u playoff-u
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(c) 1996 Vladimir Poznanović <vpoznanovic@sezam.co.yu>
nba.577vpoznanovic,
1996 NBA PLAYOFFS
WESTERN CONFERENCE (First round: best of 5, 2-2-1)
1 2 3 4 5
(1) Seattle Supersonics (0)
(8) Sacramento Kings (0)
(4) Los Angeles Lakers (0)
(5) Houston Rockets (0)
(2) San Antonio Spurs (0)
(7) Phoenix Suns (0)
(3) Utah Jazz (0)
(6) Portland Trail Blazers (0)
EASTERN CONFERENCE (First round: best of 5, 2-2-1)
1 2 3 4 5
(1) Chicago Bulls (0)
(8) Miami Heat (0)
(4) Cleveland Cavaliers (0)
(5) New York Knicks (0)
(2) Orlando Magic (0)
(7) Detroit Pistons (0)
(3) Indiana Pacers (0)
(6) Atlanta Hawks (0)
nba.578vpoznanovic,
Eto, na ovaj način smo zaokružili regularni dio ove sezone. Prve utakmice
prvog kola plejofa igraju se u četvrtak. Najave za njih imate u današnjim
pregledima. Kompletan raspored još nije poznat, o tome ćete biti naknadno
obaviješteni. ;)
Ja ću se truditi da kao i do sada ovde prenosim sve važnije novosti,
preglede i statistike utakmica, ali nemojte to shvatiti kao obećanje,
pogotovo što mi pretplata ističe sredinom maja, a nisam siguran kada ću je
produžavati.
nba.580kant,
-> #578, vpoznanovic> pogotovo što mi pretplata ističe sredinom maja, a nisam siguran
> kada ću je produžavati.
Aman, poklonite čoveku jedno 6 meseci pretplate, mislim da je to
zaslužio.
nba.581mpavlo,
-> #580, kant>> pogotovo sto mi pretplata istice sredinom maja, a nisam siguran
>> kada cu je produzavati.
> Aman, poklonite coveku jedno 6 meseci pretplate, mislim da je to
> zasluzio.
I ja sam za to da mu se produzi pretplata, jer na Sezamnet-u ne postoji brzi i
bolji izvor kvalitetnih informacija od vpoznanovic-a. Covek je sve radio, kako
sam shvatio, samoinicijativno i volonterski i ucinio temu nba najatraktivnijom
(bar od onih tema koje ja pratim). Svaka cast.
nba.582vpoznanovic,
RAPTORS FIRE MALONE AS COACH
TORONTO -- The Toronto Raptors on Monday fired head coach Brendan
Malone, who guided the expansion team to 21 victories in its first
season but was sent packing because of several feuds he had with
general manager Isiah Thomas.
Malone was replaced by assistant coach Darrell Walker, 34, who spent
only this past season as an assistant coach following a 10-year
playing career in the NBA.
"Brendan was a tireless worker," Thomas said. "Everything he did was
based on winning. Unfortunately, we had philosophical differences
about where the organization was heading.
"Darrell understands what we're trying to accomplish here," Thomas
said of Walker.
"I can't control what's going to happen," Malone had said after a
109-105 overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in the season finale
Sunday.
"I did my best, and I know that. I think Toronto liked the team we put
on the floor."
Apparently, Thomas wasn't happy with the team Malone put on the floor.
The general manager was upset with the minutes given to better
players, such as rookie point guard Damon Stoudamire and veteran guard
Alvin Robertson.
With no hope of making the playoffs, Thomas wanted some of the team's
younger players, such as forward Carlos Rogers, to play more and
develop.
"Clearly, we're not on the same page," Thomas said Sunday.
Malone relied on the same core of six or seven players and got big
wins against playoff teams such as Chicago, Cleveland and Miami. But
Stoudamire, who was second in the league in minutes played at more
than 40 per game, went down with a knee injury earlier this month.
Toronto finished 21-61, better than the 76ers and the expansion
Vancouver Grizzlies. Malone, who celebrated his 54th birthday Sunday,
made no apologies for his coaching style.
"In retrospect, this season was a smashing success for the Toronto
Raptors," he said. "We exceeded all expectations. It was a great way
to kick off an inaugural season. I enjoyed my opportunity as coach of
the Toronto Raptors."
Thomas hired Malone on June 2, 1995. The two were friends from their
days together with the Detroit Pistons, where Thomas was a star point
guard and Malone was an assistant under Chuck Daly.
Malone also was a Pistons assistant under Ron Rothstein and Don Chaney
and a college assistant at Syracuse University under Jim Boeheim.
Malone, who had two years remaining on a contract that paid him
$300,000 annually, remained confident about his future.
"Either I'll be a candidate for an assistant coaching job or a head
coaching job," he said. "I will be in the NBA."
nba.583vpoznanovic,
NETS CUT LOOSE BEARD
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Butch Beard was fired as head coach of the
New Jersey Nets on Monday, two days after the team finished its second
straight 30-win season.
Beard all but guaranteed his dismissal two weeks ago when he
criticized his bosses and called his team a bunch of "second-line
players" who might never get better.
Team general manager Willis Reed, who said the firing was his
decision, indicated that the negative comments weren't a big factor in
his decision to fire Beard.
"I thought Butch had taken the players as far as he could," said Reed,
who indicated there is no timetable in naming a replacement.
"I want the best coach possible, whether that's an NBA coach or a
great college coach, I can't say at this time," said Reed, who
answered speculation that the Nets want Kentucky coach Rick Pitino: "I
think we'll try to talk to all of the people I feel are great coaches,
and that won't be limited to Pitino. I just read a story where he said
he wanted to stay at Kentucky and win another NCAA title."
Beard posted indentical 30-52 records in each of his two seasons as
head coach. The Nets finished the year losing 11 of their last 13,
including a 121-99 loss at Atlanta Saturday night.
In a conference call with reporters in which he did not take questions,
Beard said he was "extremely happy for the opportunity that the Nets
gave me. I'm sorry it didn't work out the way we wanted it to."
Beard thanked the players for playing hard and his coaches for working
hard.
"I wish the New Jersey Nets a lot of luck with whomever they get in
here," he said. "I will move on and they will move on."
A source close to the team said Beard had a three-year contact, with
the final year being an option at the team's discretion. Because they
let him go, the team chose not to pick up the option. Beard is owed no
money, the source said.
"I am disappointed that things did not work out better," Reed said.
"This is a tough thing for me to do. I helped bring Butch here and I
share some of the responsibility for the team performance this season.
We have evaluated our operation and this is one of the changes we felt
we want to make to get to the next level."
Nets mangement had said that they would evaluate the situation after
the season, but Beard may have sealed his fate two weeks ago when he
predicted he would be fired.
The Nets last month gave St. John's University permission to speak to
Beard about the vacant coaching position that eventually went to Fran
Fraschilla.
Beard signed a two-year deal with an option for a third season when
he succeded Chuck Daly in 1994. It was the first NBA head coaching job
for Beard, who spent time as an assistant in New Jersey under Reed and
Bill Fitch.
Before joining New Jersey, Beard was the head coach at Howard
University for four years. He led the Bison to an NCAA Tournament
berth in 1992.
Beard spent nine seasons in the NBA as a player and was the point
guard for the 1975-76 Golden State Warriors team that won the
championship. A first-round pick in 1969 by Atlanta, Beard also played
for Cleveland and Seattle and finished his career with the New York
Knicks, who were coached by Reed at the time.
nba.584vpoznanovic,
BRISTOW TO FEEL HORNETS STING SOON
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Charlotte Hornets reportedly have decided to
fire head coach Allan Bristow, whose team failed to reach the playoffs
this year after winning 50 games the previous season.
Sports Radio 610, WFNZ in Charlotte is reporting that Bristow will be
let go Tuesday after compiling a 207-203 mark in his five seasons with
the franchise. Bristow is the winningest coach in Hornets history.
The Hornets were 41-41 and failed to make the playoffs, finishing one
game behind the Miami Heat for the final Eastern Conference postseason
berth. Charlotte closed out its season Sunday by squandering a
nine-point lead in the final four minutes and losing 103-100 to the
Orlando Magic.
One year earlier, Bristow guided Charlotte to the club's first 50-win
season and second trip to the NBA playoffs before being eliminated by
the Chicago Bulls. The Hornets' 50-32 mark was nine games better than
their previous season and was the fifth best improvement in the
league.
Before moving to the sidelines in 1991, Bristow spent the previous
year as the Hornets' vice president of basketball operations. He was
responsible for drafting center Alonzo Mourning, whom he traded to the
Heat for Glen Rice in a six-player deal just prior to the start of
this past season.
Bristow played 10 years in the NBA and averaged 7.8 points and 4.0
rebounds. He was selected in the second round of the 1973 draft by the
Philadelphia 76ers and played two seasons with Philadlephia before
signing with the San Antonio Spurs.
After spending four years with San Antonio, Bristow played two
seasons apiece for Utah and Dallas. Following his playing career,
Bristow was an assistant coach for the Spurs and Denver Nuggets.
nba.585vpoznanovic,
SONICS ANXIOUS FOR WORD ON KEMP PENALTY
SEATTLE -- Those underachieving Seattle SuperSonics, first-round
losers the last two seasons, are anxiously awaiting word from the NBA
about the playing status of star Shawn Kemp.
The Sonics, the winningest team in the regular season over the last
four years, face the prospect of being without Kemp for part of this
year's postseason run.
The 6-foot-10 power forward could be suspended and/or fined after
being ejected for fighting with Denver's Tom Hammonds in Sunday
night's 99-88 Nuggets victory in the regular-season finale.
"It's still under review," NBA spokesman Chris Brienza said. "We
should have an announcement early Tuesday afternoon."
Part of the NBA's problem is that the league has not been able to find
any video of the incident, so NBA vice president Rod Thorn might have
to rely on word of mouth.
"Of the 1,189 games, something like 1,050 are on television. This is
one of the ones that wasn't," NBA vice president Rod Thorn said. "We
have a local TV tape of the aftermath, but it doesn't show the
altercation itself."
NBA officials are awating a copy of the Nuggets' in-house videotape,
hoping it might show the incident, Brienza said.
"I saw two guys get tied up and they tried to separate with their arms
and elbows," Sonics coach George Karl said. "They just got tangled
up."
Kemp gave the Sonics a 63-59 lead with a 3-pointer with 4:45 left in
the third quarter. Returning downcourt, Hammonds tried to set a pick
and Kemp met him with a forearm to his chest. Hammonds also threw a
forearm and the battle was on until coaches, teammates and referees
restored order.
The Seattle Times quoted unnamed McNichols Arena security personnel as
saying Kemp pursued Hammonds near the Denver locker room before being
restrained.
Neither player spoke with reporters after the game.
The Sonics ended the season with the second-best record in the league
and have won more games than any other NBA team in the last four years
-- 239, 18 more than the Chicago Bulls -- but have lost in the first
round of the playoffs the past two seasons.
A suspension would cost them their top rebounder and scorer for at
least the opener of their best-of-five series against the Sacramento
Kings, which begins Friday night.
"If Shawn gets suspended, it's a huge deal," Sonics co-captain Nate
McMillan said.
nba.586vpoznanovic,
GOOD NEWS-BAD NEWS: JAPAN GETS MAGIC, NETS
NEW YORK -- The New Jersey Nets and Orlando Magic will meet at the
Tokyo Dome in Japan for regular-season games on Nov. 7 and 9.
The 1996 event will mark the fourth time that the league will stage
regular-season games in Japan. The most recent was 1994, when the
Portland Trail Blazers won a pair of games from the Los Angeles
Clippers at Yokohama Arena.
"The NBA is pleased to continue the tradition of playing
regular-season games in Japan, where support for the NBA and the sport
of basketball has grown tremendously," said NBA commissioner David
Stern.
This will mark the first overseas visit for both the Nets and the
Magic.
In 1990, the NBA became the first American pro sports league to
conduct regular-season games outside North America when Phoenix and
Utah played two games in Tokyo's Metropolitan Gym.
The 1996-97 NBA season is scheduled to begin Nov. 1.
nba.587vpoznanovic,
DOCTORS CLEAR SUNS' KLEINE FOR PLAYOFFS
PHOENIX -- Joe Kleine, the Phoenix Suns center who fainted during the
national anthem April 14, has been cleared to play Friday night.
Team doctor Richard Emerson said Monday none of the tests performed on
Kleine revealed any problem.
Emerson said Kleine has recovered from the fainting episode, "and the
prognosis is very good for no future episodes."
Kleine collapsed before a road game against the Los Angeles Lakers. He
was wheeled from the court on a gurney, missed that game and was held
out of the last four.
The Suns start the playoffs Friday night at San Antonio.
nba.588vpoznanovic,
UCONN JUNIOR ALLEN JUMPS TO NBA
STORRS, Conn. -- University of Connecticut All-America guard Ray Allen
announced Monday that he will forgo his senior season and jump to the
NBA.
"I believe a lot has been learned by me here at this university and it
is time to move on," said Allen, who is likely to be a top pick in the
June 26 draft. "Wherever I end up after this year, I will always be an
ambassador of this university.''
Allen, who had tears in his eyes at a campus news conference,
explained his decision by saying he wants to be in the best possible
position to take care of himself, his daughter and his family.
"Clearly, he has graduated basketball life,'' said UConn coach Jim
Calhoun. "He has done everything here a coach could possibly ask.''
Allen, the 6-foot-5 Big East Conference Player of the Year, would
become the second UConn player in three years to leave school early
for the NBA. Donyell Marshall, drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves
and now with the Golden State Warriors, left in 1994.
Allen led the Huskies to a 32-3 record and the top seed in the NCAA
Southeast Regional this past season. He hit the game-winning shot as
Connecticut captured its second Big East Tournament title with a 75-74
win over Georgetown. The Huskies were knocked out of the NCAA
Tournament by Mississippi State in the regional semifinals.
Allen became the first player in UConn history to earn All-America
status as a sophomore. He has scored 1,922 points in his three
seasons, placing him third on the Huskies' all-time scoring list.
nba.589vpoznanovic,
Evo spiskova po 12 igrača prijavljenih za playoff...
Chicago Bulls Playoff Roster
NO. PLAYER POS HT WT YRS COLLEGE
== ===== === == == === =======
0 Randy Brown G 6-3 190 5 New Mexico State
7 Toni Kukoc G-F 6-11 230 2 Croatia
9 Ron Harper G 6-6 198 9 Miami (Ohio)
13 Luc Longley C 7-2 265 4 New Mexico
22 John Salley F-C 6-11 255 9 Georgia Tech
23 Michael Jordan G 6-6 198 10 North Carolina
25 Steve Kerr G 6-3 180 7 Arizona
30 Jud Buechler G-F 6-6 220 5 Arizona
33 Scottie Pippen G-F 6-7 225 8 Central Arkansas
34 Bill Wennington C 7-0 260 8 St. John's
53 James Edwards C 7-1 252 18 Washington
91 Dennis Rodman F 6-8 210 9 S.E. Oklahoma State
Head Coach: Phil Jackson
nba.590vpoznanovic,
Orlando Magic Playoff Roster
NO. PLAYER POS HT WT YRS COLLEGE
== ===== === == == === =======
1 Anfernee Hardaway G-F 6-7 215 2 Memphis State
3 Dennis Scott G-F 6-8 229 5 Georgia Tech
5 Donald Royal F 6-8 210 5 Notre Dame
12 Joe Wolf F-C 6-11 253 6 North Carolina
14 Anthony Bowie G 6-6 200 7 Oklahoma
20 Brian Shaw G 6-6 194 6 Cal Santa Barbara
22 Brooks Thompson G 6-4 193 1 Oklahoma State
24 Anthony Bonner F 6-8 225 6 St. Louis
25 Nick Anderson G 6-6 220 6 Illinois
32 Shaquille O'Neal C 7-1 301 3 Louisiana State
45 Jon Koncak C 7-0 250 10 Southern Methodist
54 Horace Grant F 6-10 235 8 Clemson
Head Coach: Brian Hill
nba.591vpoznanovic,
Indiana Pacers Playoff Roster
NO. PLAYER POS HT WT YRS COLLEGE
== ===== === == == === =======
3 Haywoode Workman G 6-3 180 4 Oral Roberts
4 Travis Best G 5-11 182 R Georgia Tech
8 Eddie Johnson F 6-7 215 13 Illinois
9 Derrick McKey F 6-10 225 8 Alabama
13 Mark Jackson G 6-1 180 8 St John's
22 Ricky Pierce G-F 6-4 215 13 Rice
27 Duane Ferrell F 6-7 215 7 Georgia Tech
31 Reggie Miller G 6-7 185 8 UCLA
32 Dale Davis F 6-11 230 4 Clemson
33 Antonio Davis C-F 6-9 230 2 Texas-El Paso
45 Rik Smits C 7-4 265 7 Marist
50 Adrian Caldwell C-F 6-9 265 3 Lamar
Head Coach: Larry Brown
nba.592vpoznanovic,
Cleveland Cavaliers Playoff Roster
NO. PLAYER POS HT WT YRS COLLEGE
== ===== === == == === =======
1 Terrell Brandon G 5-11 180 4 Oregon
3 Bob Sura G 6-5 200 R Florida State
9 Dan Majerle G-F 6-6 220 7 Central Michigan
11 John Crotty G 6-1 185 3 Virginia
13 John Amaechi C-F 6-10 270 R Penn State
14 Bobby Phills G 6-5 220 4 Southern
21 Antonio Lang F 6-8 205 1 Duke
24 Chris Mills F 6-6 216 2 Arizona
32 Tyrone Hill F 6-9 245 5 Xavier (Ohio)
33 Donny Marshall F 6-7 230 R Connecticut
35 Danny Ferry F 6-10 235 5 Duke
44 Michael Cage F-C 6-9 248 11 San Diego State
Head Coach: Mike Fratello
nba.593vpoznanovic,
New York Knicks Playoff Roster
NO. PLAYER POS HT WT YRS COLLEGE
== ===== === == == === =======
3 John Starks G 6-5 185 6 Oklahoma State
7 J.R. Reid F 6-9 255 6 North Carolina
11 Derek Harper G 6-4 206 12 Illinois
14 Anthony Mason F 6-7 250 6 Tennessee State
20 Ronnie Grandison F 6-6 220 6 New Orleans
21 Charlie Ward G 6-2 190 1 Florida State
23 Gary Grant G 6-3 185 7 Michigan
32 Herb Williams F-C 6-11 260 14 Ohio State
33 Patrick Ewing C 7-0 240 10 Georgetown
34 Charles Oakley F 6-9 245 10 Virginia Union
40 Willie Anderson G 6-8 200 7 Georgia
44 Hubert Davis G 6-5 183 3 North Carolina
Head Coach: Jeff Van Gundy
nba.594vpoznanovic,
Atlanta Hawks Playoff Roster
NO. PLAYER POS HT WT YRS COLLEGE
== ====== === == == === =======
2 Stacey Augmon G-F 6-8 205 4 Nevada-Las Vegas
3 Craig Ehlo G-F 6-7 205 12 Washington State
5 Ken Norman F 6-8 228 8 Illinois
8 Steve Smith G 6-8 215 8 Michigan State
10 Mookie Blaylock G 6-1 185 7 Oklahoma
22 Reggie Jordan G 6-4 195 1 New Mexico State
24 Donnie Boyce G 6-5 196 R Colorado
32 Christian Laettner F 6-11 245 2 Duke
43 Grant Long F 6-9 248 7 Eastern Michigan
44 Alan Henderson F 6-9 235 R Indiana
45 Sean Rooks C-F 6-10 250 2 Arizona
50 Matt Bullard F 6-10 235 4 Iowa
Head Coach: Lenny Wilkens
nba.595vpoznanovic,
Detroit Pistons Playoff Roster
NO. PLAYER POS HT WT YRS COLLEGE
== ===== === == == === =======
1 Lindsey Hunter G 6-2 195 2 Jackson State
3 Lou Roe F 6-7 220 R Massachusetts
4 Joe Dumars G 6-3 195 10 McNeese State
6 Terry Mills F 6-10 250 5 Michigan
12 Michael Curry G 6-5 210 1 Georgia Southern
20 Allan Houston G 6-6 200 2 Tennessee
33 Grant Hill F 6-8 225 1 Duke
41 Mark West C 6-10 246 12 Old Dominion
42 Theo Ratliff C-F 6-10 225 R Wyoming
45 Eric Leckner C 6-11 265 6 Wyoming
50 Otis Thorpe F 6-10 246 11 Providence
52 Don Reid F 6-8 250 R Georgetown
Head Coach: Doug Collins
nba.596vpoznanovic,
Miami Heat Playoff Roster
NO. PLAYER POS HT WT YRS COLLEGE
== ===== === == == === =======
2 Keith Askins G-F 6-8 224 5 Alabama
5 Sasha Danilovic G 6-6 200 R Serbia
7 Rex Chapman G 6-4 195 7 Kentucky
10 Tim Hardaway G 6-0 195 6 Texas-El Paso
14 Tony Smith G 6-4 204 5 Marquette
15 Chris Gatling C-F 6-10 230 4 Old Dominion
21 Stacey King C-F 6-11 250 6 Oklahoma
23 Tyrone Corbin F 6-6 225 10 Depaul
24 Dan Schayes C-F 6-11 276 14 Syracuse
33 Alonzo Mourning C 6-10 262 2 Georgetown
40 Kurt Thomas F 6-9 230 R Texas Christian
42 Walt Williams G-F 6-8 230 3 Maryland
Head Coach: Pat Riley
nba.597vpoznanovic,
Seattle Supersonics Playoff Roster
NO. PLAYER POS HT WT YRS COLLEGE
== ===== === == == === =======
2 Vincent Askew G-F 6-6 235 6 Memphis State
3 Eric Snow G 6-3 200 R Michigan State
10 Nate McMillan G-F 6-5 200 9 North Carolina St.
11 Detlef Schrempf F 6-10 235 10 Washington
14 Sam Perkins C-F 6-9 255 11 North Carolina
20 Gary Payton G 6-4 190 5 Oregon State
25 David Wingate G-F 6-5 185 9 Georgetown
33 Hersey Hawkins G 6-3 190 7 Bradley
34 Frank Brickowski C-F 6-9 248 11 Penn State
40 Shawn Kemp F 6-10 245 6 Trinity JC
50 Ervin Johnson C 6-11 245 2 New Orleans
55 Steve Scheffler C 6-9 250 5 Purdue
Head Coach: George Karl
nba.598vpoznanovic,
San Antonio Spurs Playoff Roster
NO. PLAYER POS HT WT YRS COLLEGE
== ===== === == == === =======
1 Cory Alexander G 6-1 185 R Virginia
3 Monty Williams F 6-8 225 1 Notre Dame
6 Avery Johnson G 5-11 180 7 Southern
11 Carl Herrera F 6-9 225 4 Houston
15 Vinny Del Negro G 6-4 200 5 North Carolina St.
25 Doc Rivers G 6-4 210 12 Marquette
32 Sean Elliott F 6-8 220 6 Arizona
33 Greg Anderson C-F 6-10 250 7 Houston
41 Will Perdue C 7-0 240 7 Vanderbilt
45 Chuck Person F 6-8 230 9 Auburn
50 David Robinson C 7-1 250 6 Navy
54 Charles Smith F 6-10 245 7 Pittsburgh
Head Coach: Bob Hill
nba.599vpoznanovic,
Utah Jazz Playoff Roster
NO. PLAYER POS HT WT YRS COLLEGE
== ===== === == == === =======
00 Greg Ostertag C 7-2 280 R Kansas
10 Howard Eisley G 6-2 177 1 Boston College
12 John Stockton G 6-1 175 11 Gonzaga
14 Jeff Hornacek G 6-4 190 8 Iowa State
21 David Benoit F 6-8 220 4 Alabama
31 Adam Keefe F 6-9 241 3 Stanford
32 Karl Malone F 6-9 256 10 Louisiana Tech
34 Bryon Russell F 6-7 225 2 Long Beach State
43 Chris Morris F 6-8 220 7 Auburn
44 Greg Foster C 6-11 240 5 Texas-El Paso
50 Felton Spencer C 7-0 265 5 Louisville
55 Antoine Carr C-F 6-9 255 11 Wichita State
Head Coach: Jerry Sloan
nba.600vpoznanovic,
Los Angeles Lakers Playoff Roster
NO. PLAYER POS HT WT YRS COLLEGE
== ===== === == == === =======
1 Anthony Peeler G 6-4 212 3 Missouri
3 Sedale Threatt G 6-2 185 12 West Virginia Tech
7 Derek Strong F 6-8 250 4 Xavier (Ohio)
9 Nick Van Exel G 6-1 183 2 Cincinnati
12 Vlade Divac C 7-1 250 6 Serbia
23 Cedric Ceballos F 6-7 225 5 Fullerton State
24 Fred Roberts F 6-10 218 11 Brigham Young
25 Eddie Jones G-F 6-6 190 1 Temple
32 Magic Johnson F 6-9 255 12 Michigan State
34 George Lynch F 6-8 223 2 North Carolina
41 Elden Campbell C-F 6-11 250 4 Clemson
43 Corie Blount F 6-10 242 2 Cincinnati
Head Coach: Del Harris
nba.601vpoznanovic,
Houston Rockets Playoff Roster
NO. PLAYER POS HT WT YRS COLLEGE
== ====== === == == === =======
2 Mark Bryant C-F 6-9 245 7 Seton Hall
3 Eldridge Recasner G 6-3 190 1 Washington
4 Sam Mack F 6-7 220 1 Houston
10 Sam Cassell G 6-3 195 2 Florida State
17 Mario Elie G-F 6-5 210 5 Amer. International
22 Clyde Drexler G 6-7 222 12 Houston
25 Robert Horry F 6-10 220 3 Alabama
27 Charles Jones C 6-9 215 12 Albany State
30 Kenny Smith G 6-3 170 8 North Carolina
32 Pete Chilcutt F 6-11 235 4 North Carolina
34 Hakeem Olajuwon C 7-0 255 11 Houston
52 Chucky Brown F 6-8 215 6 North Carolina St.
Head Coach: Rudy Tomjanovich
nba.602vpoznanovic,
Portland Trail Blazers Playoff Roster
NO. PLAYER POS HT WT YRS COLLEGE
== ===== === == == === =======
1 Rod Strickland G 6-3 185 7 DePaul
3 Clifford Robinson F 6-10 225 5 Connecticut
10 Dontonio Wingfield F 6-8 256 1 Cincinnati
11 Arvydas Sabonis C 7-3 292 R Lithuania
21 Rumeal Robinson G 6-2 195 4 Michigan
23 Aaron McKie G 6-5 209 1 Temple
24 Chris Dudley C 6-11 240 9 Yale
26 James Robinson G 6-2 180 2 Alabama
27 Elmore Spencer C 7-0 270 4 UNLV
33 Gary Trent F 6-8 250 R Ohio University
44 Harvey Grant F 6-9 235 7 Oklahoma
52 Buck Williams F 6-8 225 14 Maryland
Head Coach: P.J. Carlesimo
nba.603vpoznanovic,
Phoenix Suns Playoff Roster
NO. PLAYER POS HT WT YRS COLLEGE
== ===== === == == === =======
2 Elliot Perry G 6-0 160 3 Memphis State
4 Michael Finley F 6-7 215 R Wisconsin
7 Kevin Johnson G 6-1 190 8 California
8 Mario Bennett F 6-9 235 R Arizona State
11 Wesley Person G 6-6 195 1 Auburn
15 Danny Manning C-F 6-10 234 7 Kansas
18 John Williams C-F 6-11 245 10 Tulane
23 Wayman Tisdale C-F 6-9 260 10 Oklahoma
34 Charles Barkley F 6-6 252 10 Auburn
35 Joe Kleine C 7-0 271 9 Arkansas
43 Chris Carr G 6-5 207 R Southern Illinois
45 A.C. Green F 6-9 225 10 Oregon State
Head Coach: Cotton Fitzsimmons
nba.604vpoznanovic,
Sacramento Kings Playoff Roster
NO. PLAYER POS HT WT YRS COLLEGE
== ===== === == == === =======
0 Olden Polynice C-F 7-0 250 8 Virginia
2 Mitch Richmond G 6-5 215 7 Kansas State
4 Corliss Williamson F 6-7 245 R Arkansas
5 Tyus Edney G 5-10 152 R UCLA
7 Bobby Hurley G 6-0 165 2 Duke
13 S. Marciulionis G 6-5 215 6 Lithuania
22 Lionel Simmons F 6-7 210 5 La Salle
30 Billy Owens F-G 6-9 225 4 Syracuse
31 Duane Causwell C 7-0 240 5 Temple
33 Brian Grant F 6-9 254 1 Xavier
34 Michael Smith F 6-8 230 1 Providence
40 Kevin Gamble F-G 6-6 225 8 Iowa
Head Coach: Garry St. Jean
nba.605vpoznanovic,
A ovo je kompletan raspored utakmica... Kao što vidite, američke
televizijske stanice će direktno prenositi sve susrete...
NBA PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
First round (best-of-five; all times Eastern)
*if necessary
Eastern Conference
Chicago vs. Miami
April 26 at Chicago 9:30 p.m. TBS
April 28 at Chicago 5:30 p.m. NBC
May 1 at Miami 8 p.m. TNT
May 3 *at Miami 8 p.m. TNT
May 5 *at Chicago TBA NBC
Orlando vs. Detroit
April 26 at Orlando 7 p.m. TBS
April 28 at Orlando 12:30 p.m. NBC
April 30 at Detroit 8 p.m. TNT
May 2 *at Detroit TBA
May 5 *at Orlando TBA
Indiana vs. Atlanta
April 25 at Indiana 8 p.m. TNT
April 27 at Indiana 8 p.m. TNT
April 29 at Atlanta 8 p.m. TNT
May 2 *at Atlanta TBA
May 5 *at Indiana TBA
Cleveland vs. New York
April 25 at Cleveland 7 p.m. TBS
April 27 at Cleveland 1 p.m. NBC
May 1 at New York 7 p.m. TBS
May 3 *at New York TBA
May 5 *at Cleveland TBA
Western Conference
Seattle vs. Sacramento
April 26 at Seattle 10:30 p.m. TNT
April 28 at Seattle 9 p.m. TNT
April 30 at Sacramento 10:30 p.m. TNT
May 2 *at Sacramento TBA
May 4 *at Seattle TBA
San Antonio vs. Phoenix
April 26 at San Antonio 8 p.m. TNT
April 28 at San Antonio 3 p.m. NBC
May 1 at Phoenix 10:30 p.m. TNT
May 3 *at Phoenix TBA
May 5 *at San Antonio TBA
Utah vs. Portland
April 25 at Utah 9:30 p.m. TBS
April 27 at Utah 10:30 p.m. TNT
April 29 at Portland 10:30 p.m. TNT
May 1 *at Portland 9:30 p.m. TBS
May 5 *at Utah TBA
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston
April 25 at L.A Lakers 10:30 p.m. TNT
April 27 at L.A Lakers 3:30 p.m. NBC
April 30 at Houston 9 p.m. TBS
May 2 *at Houston TBA
May 4 *at L.A Lakers TBA
nba.606vpoznanovic,
Detaljne analize mečeva prvog kola...
Chicago vs. Miami
Fri., April 26: at Chicago, 9:30 p.m. (TBS)
Sun., April 28: at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. (NBC)
Wed., May 1: at Miami, 8 p.m. (TNT)
Fri., May 3: at Miami,* 8 p.m. (TNT)
Sun., May 5: at Chicago,* TBA (NBC)
* - if necessary / TBA - to be announced
Chicago breezed through the regular season to become the winningest
team in NBA history, and by doing so secured the home-court advantage
throughout the playoffs. Throughout all this, head coach Phil Jackson
has kept his team focused on the real prize, the NBA Championship. In
Miami, the Bulls will face a familiar rival on the sidelines in Pat
Riley, but the rest of the cast may not be as familiar. Three
diffferent Heat teams took the court against the Bulls during the
regular season, as Riley orchestrated a major overhaul of his roster
at midseason by acquiring key players such as Tim Hardaway, Walt
Williams and Chris Gatling. The Bulls won the season series 3-1,
including both meetings when Miami had its present roster, as the Heat
had trouble stopping the Bulls' high-scoring offense.
Chicago Bulls (72-10)
No. 1 seed
OFFENSE: Very few players in the league can guard Michael Jordan,
the league's scoring champion, let alone Jordan in tandem with
Scottie Pippen. Jordan averaged 32.0 points per game in the season
series and Pippen contributed 17.3 ppg. They remain choices 1 and
1A on an offense which led the league in scoring and was second in
three-point shooting percentage. Steve Kerr is the main three-point
bomber, while Toni Kukoc gives the Bulls versatility by playing all
five positions. He averaged 19.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists
and 1.8 steals per game against the Heat.
DEFENSE: Three defensive whizzes -- Jordan, Pippen and Dennis Rodman
-- supply excellent pressure on the ball. Chicago forced Miami into
19.8 turnovers per game, which often led to easy baskets at the
other end of the floor, and the Bulls will keep the pressure on in
the playoffs. Without a dominating center, the Bulls will look to
their guards to help double-team Miami's Alonzo Mourning in the post,
and will rotate centers Luc Longley and Bill Wennington on Mourning.
Miami couldn't keep Rodman off the boards; he averaged 13.0 rebounds
per game during the season series.
BENCH: Chicago has a strong, veteran bench, starting with Kukoc, who
hurt the Heat from the three-point arc, shooting .438. Kerr can also
provide scoring spark, especially from long range, while Wennington
and John Salley provide depth down low.
KEY MATCHUP: The Bulls must be careful to avoid a letdown of any sort
against a young, aggressive Miami team. They possess veteran leadership
in Jordan, Pippen and Jackson, and know what it takes to win in the
playoffs.
Miami Heat (42-40)
No. 8 seed
OFFENSE: Miami had trouble scoring points during the regular season,
averaging only 94.3 points per game against the Bulls, and must
maximize every trip down the floor. The Heat will look early and often
to All-Star Alonzo Mourning, who averaged 18.5 points and 11.0 rebounds
per game against the Bulls, as they try to exploit Chicago's lack of a
dominating center. Tim Hardaway, Walt Williams and Rex Chapman are
quality outside shooters and ballhandlers who can take the ball to the
basket, which should take some pressure off Mourning. Chris Gatling
averaged 17.0 points per game in two games against the Bulls.
DEFENSE: Miami, which ranked fifth in the NBA in fewest points allowed,
gave up 104.0 per game against the Bulls -- holding Chicago slightly
under its season average -- and must continue to shut down the Bulls'
high-powered offense. The Heat will use Keith Askins, Chapman and
Williams at various times in their effort to contain Jordan. Miami,
which also surrendered 15.3 offensive rebounds a game against the Bulls,
will look to Mourning, Gatling and Williams to neutralize Rodman and
Pippen on the offensive glass.
BENCH: Riley, who is known to shorten his rotation come playoff time,
will use Gatling's scoring, rebounding and rugged play around the basket
to provide a spark. Askins has emerged as a defensive stopper who will
be vital in containing Jordan, while veteran Tyrone Corbin will be
expected to contribute defense and rebounding.
KEY MATCHUP: Mourning against the Bulls' centers. Mourning is the team
leader at both ends of the floor, and for the Heat to have a chance of
pulling an upset, he must become the dominant player in this series.
Mourning must be a major offensive force inside and also must dominate
the paint on defense, preventing the Bulls from getting too many easy
trips to the basket.
nba.607vpoznanovic,
Cleveland vs. New York
Thurs., April 25: at Cleveland, 7 p.m. (TBS)
Sat., April 27: at Cleveland, 1 p.m. (NBC)
Wed., May 1: at New York, 7 p.m. (TBS)
Fri., May 3: at New York,* TBA
Sun., May 5: at Cleveland,* TBA
* - if necessary / TBA - to be announced
The Cavaliers and Knicks are two teams known for their defense. The
Cavs won the season series 3-1 on the strength of near-flawless
offensive execution and a tough defense which limited the Knicks to
86.0 points per game. Both teams favored half-court, low-scoring games
during the regular season, but the Knicks took that approach to the
extreme in their April 18 loss at Cleveland, managing only 28 points
in the first half en route to a 92-77 loss. The road team won three of
the four games, so both teams should feel confident playing away from
home. Look for a deliberately paced, low-scoring series in which both
teams will seek to establish shooting consistency.
Cleveland Cavaliers (47-35)
No. 4 seed
OFFENSE: The Cavs rely on a ball-control offense which helps slow the
pace of the game, but gets them few easy chances around the basket.
The league's second-lowest scoring team during the regular season, the
Cavs are a patient and unselfish squad who rely on hitting the open
man, and they specialize in the pick-and-roll. Their balanced attack
saw five players score in double figures. An excellent three-point
shooting quartet of All-Star Terrell Brandon (19.5 points per game in
four games against the Knicks), Danny Ferry (18.3 ppg), Bobby Phills
(18.3 ppg) and Dan Majerle (8.3 ppg) averaged 8.0 three-pointers per
game against New York during the regular season.
DEFENSE: Cleveland's hard-working defense starts with the
lightning-quick Brandon, who will look to disrupt the Knicks' offensive
flow; he averaged 2.0 steals in the season series. The Cavs allowed their
opponents the fewest points per game in the league, and will have to
minimize the Knicks' second and third shots, as they were outrebounded by
6.3 per game during the season series. Michael Cage (7.5 rpg) is a
force in the middle who needs to contain Patrick Ewing, and Tyrone Hill
(8.0 rpg) is a solid rebounder and tough defender in the paint.
BENCH: Former All-Stars Majerle and Hill anchor the bench. Majerle (8.3
ppg) has the shooting touch and rugged approach the Cavs will need
against the physical Knicks, and Hill will help Cage handle Ewing in
the post.
KEY MATCHUP: Brandon is the Cavs' spark, on both ends of the court. How
he controls the tempo and handles Derek Harper's pressure will be
essential for Cleveland. If Harper looks to pick up the pace for the
Knicks, Brandon must stay patient and not get forced into an up-tempo
game.
New York Knicks (47-35)
No. 5 seed
OFFENSE: In order to be successful against the Cavs, the Knicks must
concentrate on getting the ball inside to Patrick Ewing (18.8 ppg in
the season series), Anthony Mason (11.5 ppg) and, if healthy, Charles
Oakley (15.0 ppg). Oakley missed the season's final five games,
including two losses to Cleveland, with a cracked bone under his right
eye, but is expected to return for the playoffs. Ewing, the focal
point of the Knicks' half-court offense, gave the Cavs constant problems
down low, shooting .525 from the floor. The Knicks will need consistent
outside contributions from Derek Harper (11.3 ppg), John Starks (11.3
ppg) and Hubert Davis (10.5 ppg), and they may look to push the pace a
bit more than usual, with the hopes of scoring easy baskets in
transition.
DEFENSE: The Knicks' success begins and ends with hard work on the
defensive end of the floor. During the season series, they were often
beaten trying to double-team against the Cavs' patient attack; in the
playoffs, they plan to revert to a straight man-to-man defense. Harper,
Starks and Davis, with help off the bench from Charlie Ward and Willie
Anderson, will be asked to slow down the Cavs' excellent guard tandem
of Phills and Brandon. The Knicks must do a better job of defending the
three-point shot, particularly Ferry, who shot .450 from beyond the arc.
The questionable status of Oakley, the heart of the Knicks' defense,
will force J.R. Reid to pick up the rebounding slack.
BENCH: When hot, Davis is one of the league's best shooters; his
offensive contributions will be crucial. Anderson will be called upon
to shut down the Cavs' long-range bombers.
KEY MATCHUP: Starks must play with the fire that made him an All-Star
two seasons ago. If he finds his shot early, it gives the Knicks
another needed scorer and takes pressure off Ewing. On the defensive
side, Starks' ability to stop the bigger, stronger Phills from scoring
in the low post is crucial.
nba.608vpoznanovic,
Orlando vs. Detroit
Fri., April 26: at Orlando, 7 p.m. (TBS)
Sun., April 28: at Orlando, 12:30 p.m. (NBC)
Tue., April 30: at Detroit, 8 p.m. (TNT)
Thurs., May 2: at Detroit,* TBA
Sun., May 5: at Orlando,* TBA
* - if necessary / TBA - to be announced
Orlando is out to serve notice that its trip to last year's Finals was
no fluke, and with two years of playoff experience, this talented group
is hungry in its quest for an NBA Championship. Having lost only four
games on its home court all season, that advantage will certainly be
vital. The Magic posted a 3-1 record against the Pistons during the
regular season, and the team has improved its play on the road, losing
only four games away from home since the All-Star break. The Pistons
also come in on a roll, having gone 24-15 after the All-Star break;
coach Doug Collins will call upon playoff-tested veterans Joe Dumars
and Otis Thorpe to provide leadership to Grant Hill, Allan Houston and
the young Pistons.
Orlando Magic (60-22)
No. 2 seed
OFFENSE: Anfernee Hardaway (18.0 points, 6.8 assists, 4.0 rebounds per
game against the Pistons this season) leads a team loaded with offensive
weapons. With Shaquille O'Neal sidelined with a broken thumb during the
early part of the season, Hardaway's all-around game carried the Magic,
and he will be counted on to get the ball to the right people. Shaq
posted modest numbers (14.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg) against the Pistons during
the regular season, but might dominate with his inside moves, rebounding
and ever-developing outside shooting touch. Horace Grant, (20.5 ppg) the
Magic's leading scorer during the season series, will be counted upon
for consistent offensive production. Long-range bombers Nick Anderson
(.435 three-point field goal percentage) and Dennis Scott (.320) should
prevent the Pistons from double- or triple-teaming O'Neal.
DEFENSE: O'Neal's size, strength, and quickness will challenge the
Pistons' ability to establish a consistent inside game. Hardaway is
another disruptive force on the defensive end, averaging 2.0 steals
against the Pistons; he'll be asked to stop Houston. Scott should draw
the task of guarding Hill, with help from Hardaway, Brian Shaw and
Anthony Bowie.
BENCH: Jon Koncak (5.0 rpg) did a fine job subbing for Shaq and will be
looked upon for more of the same. Shaw provides good relief at either
backcourt spot, while Bowie (8.0 ppg) and Donald Royal (3.8 ppg) provide
defensive spark and depth.
KEY MATCHUP: With all the firepower available to the Magic on offense,
Scott's three-point shooting will prove to be crucial in preventing the
Pistons from double-teaming O'Neal in the low post.
Detroit Pistons (46-36)
No. 7 seed
OFFENSE: The Pistons will rely on the overall game of Grant Hill, the
league's only player to rank in the top 20 in scoring, assists and
rebounds. Hill, who averaged only 14.5 points per game against Orlando,
will have to step it up. Allan Houston (20.8 ppg), a deadly perimeter
shooter, shot .550 from three-point range against Orlando and must
continue to take some of the scoring pressure off of Hill. Finding a
third consistent scorer will be essential, with the list of candidates
including Terry Mills (10.0 ppg), Lindsey Hunter (10.8 ppg) and veteran
Joe Dumars (5.3 ppg).
DEFENSE: The Pistons are an aggressive team who usually win their games
on the defensive end. That approach will be put to the test against the
explosive Magic. With a major matchup problem against O'Neal, the
Pistons may double- and triple-team the Magic star every time he touches
the ball. Hill, Houston, Dumars and Hunter must slow the Magic's
three-point attack to keep the games close. Otis Thorpe is one of the
league's top rebounders (6.3 rpg against the Magic) and will receive help
in the paint from rookie Theo Ratliff (3.7 rpg).
BENCH: Mills provides some scoring and rebounding off the bench, and
Hunter is a steady floor leader when called upon. Ratliff, the team's
leading shotblocker, must be aggressive against the Magic frontline.
KEY MATCHUP: Without a solid inside game, the Pistons will need more
from Hill than the 14.5 points he averaged against the Magic in the
regular season. Hill's scoring creativity and versatility were key to the
Pistons' success all year, and Detroit needs more of the same if it has
hopes of pulling off the upset.
nba.609vpoznanovic,
Indiana vs. Atlanta
Thurs., April 25: at Indiana, 8 p.m. (TNT)
Sat., April 27: at Indiana, 8 p.m. (TNT)
Mon., April 29: at Atlanta, 8 p.m. (TNT)
Thurs., May 2: at Atlanta,* TBA (TNT)
Sun., May 5: at Indiana,* TBA (NBC)
* - if necessary / TBA - to be announced
After reaching the Eastern Conference Finals the past two years, the
Pacers have their sights set on the NBA Finals all season long. But as
if teams like Atlanta, Orlando and Chicago weren't obstacles enough,
the Pacers will have to work their postseason magic without their chief
postseason magician. All-Star guard Reggie Miller, who's logged some
unforgettable playoff performances in recent years, is out for at least
two weeks of the postseason while recovering from a fractured eye
socket suffered in an April 13 game against Detroit. Miller or no
Miller, the Pacers will face a stiff test in Lenny Wilkens' Hawks, who
play smart and together, and rarely beat themselves. Indiana won the
season series 3-1 but faced the Hawks just once after Atlanta's
midseason acquisition of Christian Laettner.
Indiana Pacers (52-30)
No. 3 seed
OFFENSE: Miller's scoring expertise will be severely missed. The Pacers
will look to Rik Smits, Derrick McKey and Ricky Pierce to make up the
26.0 points per game Miller averaged against Atlanta in the regular
season. It's not all bad news, however; both Pierce and McKey were on
fire against Atlanta this season. Pierce scored 15.3 points per game
and shot .630 from the field, while McKey averaged 13.7 points on .533
shooting. Smits (18.7 ppg) has an assortment of moves in the low post
and, at 7-foot-4, will be tough for the Hawks, with no true center,
to handle. The Pacers rely on a balanced scoring attack, but in close
games will need to find a go-to replacement for Miller's heroics.
DEFENSE: A big, physical and playoff-tested front line of Smits (5.7
rebounds per game against the Hawks), Dale Davis (9.8 rpg) and Antonio
Davis (5.8 rpg) will try to control the boards and make driving to the
lane difficult for the Hawks. Indiana will look to put defensive
specialist McKey (4.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals per game) on Hawks gunner
Steve Smith and will match tenacious Haywoode Workman against Hawks
point guard Mookie Blaylock.
BENCH: The Pacers have a strong bench, loaded with playoff experience.
Antonio Davis gives the team a tough inside presence, while Pierce will
need to provide scoring punch in Miller's absence. Workman is a
relentless defender and has played well in past playoff action, giving
him the nod over promising rookie Travis Best on coach Larry Brown's
depth chart.
KEY MATCHUP: Without Miller's scoring prowess, Mark Jackson (9.3 points,
8.0 assists per game) will be called upon to get the ball to the hot
hand on the floor, be it Smits, McKey or Pierce. Not known as a scorer,
Jackson shot .600 from the field against the Hawks during the season,
despite being guarded by the disruptive Blaylock.
Atlanta Hawks (46-36)
No. 6 seed
OFFENSE: Atlanta's offense centers upon the multitalented Steve Smith
(16.0 ppg against the Pacers). Smith can singlehandedly take over a
game with his excellent outside shooting and his ability to get to the
hoop, but the Pacers held him to .353 shooting in the season series.
To take pressure off Smith, the Hawks have six players who averaged
double figures during the regular season. Stacey Augmon (15.5 ppg) and
Mookie Blaylock (15.3 ppg, 5.8 apg) can take the ball to the basket and
will provide a defensive challenge for the Pacers. The midseason
addition of Christian Laettner (9.0 ppg) gives the Hawks another
excellent all-around player who can score down low as well as kick the
ball out to Smith, Craig Ehlo (10.5 ppg) and Blaylock.
DEFENSE: Even in Miller's absence, Atlanta must do a better job of
contesting the Pacers' outside shots. Smith, Augmon and Ehlo must
challenge Pierce and McKey to consistently hit outside shots with a man
in their face. Blaylock, one of the league's best defensive guards,
averaged 2.5 steals against Indiana during the regular season. Laettner
(3.0 rpg) and Grant Long (8.8 rpg) will be challenged against Smits and
the rest of the Pacers' strong front line, and must stay out of foul
trouble.
BENCH: Ehlo is a consistent scorer who shot .467 from the field in the
season series; he will be counted upon heavily. Sean Rooks can fill in
down low to give Laettner or Long a breather, but the starting five
will be counted on to carry the bulk of the minutes.
KEY MATCHUP: Not a classic post-up center, Laettner's ability to handle
and shoot the ball will be vital, but he must stay out of foul trouble
against Smits to prevent the Pacers' front line from taking control.
nba.610vpoznanovic,
Seattle vs. Sacramento
Fri., April 26: at Seattle, 10:30 p.m. (TNT)
Sun., April 28: at Seattle, 9 p.m. (TNT)
Tue., April 30: at Sacramento, 10:30 p.m. (TNT)
Thurs., May 2: at Sacramento,* TBA
Sat., May 4: at Seattle,* TBA (NBC)
* - if necessary / TBA - to be announced
Chuck Daly's analysis: "Sacramento may have a real problem with Seattle
because they're playing against an outstanding Sonics team, and having
been eliminated in the first round the past two years, Seattle will be
playing with a very high level of intensity. Seattle will attack
Sacramento with full-court pressure and traps, and the defenses they
will throw at them force so many turnovers. Sacramento will have to be
at the top of their game."
Seattle dominated the Western Conference for the third straight regular
season and swept its season series with the Kings, 4-0. To erase the
memory of consecutive first-round playoff exits in the past two seasons,
the Sonics must continue the unselfish team play that has exemplified
their season, while the Kings, not a high-scoring team, must control
the tempo by winning the battle of the boards and keeping the Sonics in
a half-court game. During the regular-season series, the Sonics were
able to open up their offense, averaging 111.0 points on .513 shooting
from the floor, while holding the Kings to 98.3 points and .443
shooting.
Seattle SuperSonics (64-18)
No. 1 seed
OFFENSE: The league's second-highest scoring team during the regular
season, the Sonics are equally adept at scoring in a half-court offense
or with an up-tempo attack. Shawn Kemp, whose status is in question
following his ejection for fighting in Sunday's season finale at
Denver, was a dominating presence in the paint against the Kings during
the regular-season series, averaging 18.5 points per game, while Hersey
Hawkins, Detlef Schrempf, Sam Perkins and Gary Payton give the
Sonics a plentiful supply of three-point shooters. Payton averaged 23.3
points against the Kings. His ability to penetrate to the basket
collapses defenses and creates open shots for the Sonics' shooters, as
evidenced by his 8.3 assists per game during the season series.
DEFENSE: With the league's top thief, Payton, at the point, the Sonics
led the NBA in steals, and had 52 in the four regular-season games with
the Kings. Payton recorded 14 of those steals, and his relentless
pressure on the ball will test the Kings' Tyus Edney and Bobby Hurley;
the Sonics forced the Kings into 77 turnovers in the four games, creating
numerous fast-break and transition opportunities. With Kemp (11.5 rpg)
and Ervin Johnson (8.5 rpg) helping control the boards, the Sonics
outrebounded the Kings by 2.8 per game during the season series.
BENCH: Vincent Askew (8.7 ppg) and Perkins (7.8 ppg) provide the offense
off the Sonics' bench. Frank Brickowski (5.3 ppg) and Nate McMillan (3.5
ppg, 8.0 apg) provide depth and tough defense.
KEY MATCHUP: Kemp must continue to produce against the Kings' big front
line as he did during the season series, shooting .605 from the floor.
The Kings will try to slow the Sonics into a half-court game, putting
the pressure on Kemp to deliver.
Sacramento Kings (39-43)
No. 8 seed
OFFENSE: All-Star Mitch Richmond is the Kings' primary offensive threat.
Richmond, who averaged 19.0 points per game against the Sonics but shot
just .413 from the floor, must find his shot early to open up
opportunities inside for Olden Polynice (14.8 ppg), Michael Smith (11.0
ppg) and Brian Grant (10.8 ppg). The Kings' size enabled them to earn
32.3 free-throw attempts per game against the Sonics, but they must
convert at better than their .680 season series rate. Billy Owens' size
and ballhandling skills will be vital in helping point guards Tyus Edney
and Bobby Hurley cope with the Sonics' defensive pressure.
DEFENSE: With Polynice (8.8 rpg), Smith (6.0 rpg), Owens (6.0 rpg) and
Grant (5.3 rpg), the Kings are a strong rebounding team. They must limit
the Sonics' second-shot opportunities. Edney and Hurley had their hands
full with Payton during the regular season, and must keep the pressure
on him to prevent the Sonics from opening up their high-octane offense.
BENCH: Hurley (3.0 ppg, 2.8 apg) gives the Kings depth at point guard,
while Sarunas Marciulionis (12.5 ppg) provides offensive spark. Smith,
Corliss Williamson (12.5 ppg) and Duane Causwell (2.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
provide the size up front the Kings will need to wear down and contain
Kemp.
KEY MATCHUP: Edney and Hurley must be able to withstand Payton and the
Sonics' defensive pressure and keep the Kings in their offense. The pair
combined for 8.8 assists per game against the Sonics, but must reduce
their 4.5 turnovers per game if the Kings are to limit the Sonics'
fast-break opportunities.
nba.611vpoznanovic,
Los Angeles vs. Houston
Thurs., April 25: at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. (TNT)
Sat., April 27: at Los Angeles, 3:30 p.m. (NBC)
Tue., April 30: at Houston, 9 p.m. (TBS)
Thurs., May 2: at Houston,* TBA
Sat., May 4: at Los Angeles,* TBA (NBC)
* - if necessary / TBA - to be announced
Chuck Daly's analysis: "Houston has gone through their usual struggle
with injuries, but I think they'll be ready for the series. The Lakers
did very well last year without Magic Johnson, and he has added so
much to this team. I think a question on both sides is how healthy
each team will be; pulled muscles and other injuries can be a factor
at any time. A real question will be if Houston can play up to that
level they were at last year and the year before. There's no doubt
about Hakeem Olajuwon, but with Vlade Divac and Elden Campbell, Los
Angeles has got more than one guy to try to stop him. This is the
premier series in the Western Conference."
ested by injuries all season, the Rockets must summon the heart and
composure that lifted them to back-to-back NBA Championships. Hakeem
Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Sam Cassell and Mario Elie all returned from
injuries in the late stages of the season, returning the Rockets to
full strength. The Lakers have the talent to compete with any team in
the league, and went 29-10 since the return from retirement of Magic
Johnson, but Houston won the closely contested regular season series,
3-1.
Los Angeles Lakers (53-29)
No. 4 seed
OFFENSE: With the ballhandling skills of Magic Johnson (8.0 points,
4.0 assists per game) to go with point guard Nick Van Exel (18.0 ppg,
6.8 apg) and reserve Sedale Threatt (4.5 ppg, 2.8 apg), the Lakers are
effective either in a half-court offense or playing full-court. There
is no shortage of scoring options, either, with Johnson, Van Exel,
Cedric Ceballos (22.3 ppg), Eddie Jones (15.8 ppg), Elden Campbell
(11.8 ppg), Vlade Divac (14.3 ppg) and Anthony Peeler (7.3 ppg) all
capable of putting up points in a hurry. Nevertheless, the Rockets held
the Lakers to 100.3 points per game during the season series.
DEFENSE: The Lakers rely on quickness and ball-hawking, finishing
fourth in the league in blocked shots and sixth in steals. Campbell
(9.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocks per game) and Divac (7.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg) form
a solid interior defense, and will have to step up to handle the
dominating Olajuwon. The Lakers outrebounded the Rockets by 2.5 per
game during the season series, but will need to limit second shots by
the Rockets, who shot .491 from the field.
BENCH: Johnson's presence deepens an excellent bench rotation which
includes Peeler, Threatt and George Lynch (5.5 ppg). The Lakers rotate
nine players. All receive ample minutes, leaving their starters fresh
throughout the game, which will be vital against the Rockets'
comparable depth.
KEY MATCHUP: Divac will have his hands full with Olajuwon, who averaged
28.0 points per game during the season series and is one of the
league's most dominant post players. Divac' ability to handle The Dream
one-on-one will enable Van Exel, Jones and Ceballos to contest the
Rockets' outside shooters and create transition scoring opportunities.
Houston Rockets (48-34)
No. 5 seed
OFFENSE: In Hakeem Olajuwon, the Rockets possess perhaps the most
unstoppable low-post player in the game. He averaged 28.0 points per
game against the Lakers and shot .540 from the field; the Lakers will
be hard-pressed to counter his ability to score from almost any angle.
Olajuwon's dominance forces defenses to double-team him, leaving Clyde
Drexler (22.5 ppg), Sam Cassell (16.3 ppg), Robert Horry (10.3 ppg)
and Kenny Smith (10.0 ppg) open for three-pointers, which they must
convert to keep the pressure off Olajuwon. The return from injury of
sixth man Mario Elie (13.0 ppg) provides an invaluable spark for the
Rockets off the bench.
DEFENSE: In addition to his offensive prowess, Olajuwon (11.0 rebounds,
2.0 blocks per game) is also a superior defender. However, the Rockets
were outboarded by the Lakers by 2.5 rebounds per game during the
regular season, and must keep the Lakers' active front line off the
boards. Cassell will have to contain the speedy Van Exel, whose
creativity in the open court is a key to the Lakers' offense.
BENCH: With sparkplug Cassell, Elie, Mark Bryant (9.3 ppg) and quickly
improving CBA alumni Sam Mack (7.0 ppg) and Eldridge Recasner (2.8 ppg),
the Rockets' bench is deeper than in either of their two previous
championship runs, which will help them match up against the equally
deep Lakers.
KEY MATCHUP: Fully recovered from a broken arm, Elie will be counted
upon to supply the clutch baskets, tenacious defense and veteran
leadership that had been missing from the Rockets most of the season.
Elie also will be called upon at various times to defend against
Ceballos, Jones and Peeler, and must help limit the Lakers' offensive
options.
nba.612vpoznanovic,
San Antonio vs. Phoenix
Fri., April 26: at San Antonio, 8 p.m. (TNT)
Sun., April 28: at San Antonio, 3 p.m. (NBC)
Wed., May 1: at Phoenix, 10:30 p.m. (TNT)
Fri., May 3: at Phoenix,* TBA
Sun., May 5: at San Antonio,* TBA
* - if necessary / TBA - to be announced
Chuck Daly's analysis: "San Antonio's had an outstanding year, and
Phoenix has struggled so much this season, with injuries to Danny
Manning and Kevin Johnson, so nobody knows what to expect from them.
Phoenix is a dangerous team, but with the home-court advantage, San
Antonio will have an edge. Avery Johnson and Kevin Johnson will
probably nullify each other, though Kevin Johnson might have problems
dealing with Avery Johnson's end-to-end speed over a five-game series.
A big problem for the Suns will be finding someone who can handle
David Robinson."
The Spurs' half-court offense and depth were particularly effective
against the Suns during the regular season, as San Antonio won the
regular-season series, 3-1. David Robinson dominated in the paint,
averaging 28.0 points and 12.3 rebounds per game during the season
series, while Avery Johnson ran the Spurs' offense effectively with
13.3 points and 12.0 assists per game, and committed just three
turnovers in the four games. The Suns prefer an up-tempo game, but
were unable to open things up against the Spurs, averaging just 79
shots and 96.8 points per game during the season series. Charles
Barkley averaged 24.8 points and 13.3 rebounds per game, but shot just
.400 from the floor; the Suns shot just .435 as a team and will need
to find more easy shots.
San Antonio Spurs (59-23)
No. 2 seed
OFFENSE: The Spurs are a talented offensive team and can score
effectively in the half-court or full-court offense. David Robinson and
Avery Johnson were a deadly half-court tandem against the Suns, while
Sean Elliott (21.5 ppg), Charles Smith (10.0 ppg), Chuck Person (12.5
ppg) and Vinnie Del Negro (9.8 ppg) add to the Spurs' offensive balance.
Elliott, who shot .500 from the floor, must continue to share the
offensive load to keep the Suns from double-covering Robinson.
DEFENSE: The Spurs, who pressure the ball, came up with 24 steals in the
four-game series. Behind Robinson and midseason acquisition Smith, the
Spurs were the NBA's second-best defensive rebounding team, but were
outrebounded by the Suns by five per game in the series. Robinson (4.7
blocks per game) disrupted the Suns' offense in the paint, allowing
Johnson and the other Spurs guards to challenge the Suns' perimeter game.
Phoenix managed just .435 shooting from the floor, including .268 from
three-point range.
BENCH: Person and Doc Rivers (6.8 ppg) provide instant offense off the
bench, although Person, the Spurs' top three-point shooter, managed
only .344 from behind the arc against the Suns. Role players Will
Perdue (4.5 rpg) and Cory Alexander (1.7 ppg) contribute mainly on the
defensive end.
KEY MATCHUP: Avery Johnson outplayed his Suns counterpart, Kevin
Johnson, during the season series. His ability to orchestrate the Spurs'
offense as he did during the regular season, and to keep Johnson from
getting the Suns running, will be the keys to keeping the Spurs in their
half-court game.
Phoenix Suns (41-41)
No. 7 seed
OFFENSE: The Suns will attempt to create a wide-open, full-court offense
against the Spurs. Point guard Kevin Johnson (12.0 points, 8.3 assists
per game) can create offense from anywhere on the court, and must push
the ball upcourt to find open shots for the Suns. Charles Barkley is a
dominating inside player who can also shoot the three-pointer, though he
shot just .105 from behind the arc against the Spurs. Michael Finley
(18.8 ppg), Wesley Person (13.3) and Danny Manning (9.0 ppg) are all
natural scorers who make the Suns' offense potent in the open floor.
Finley's effectiveness, however, may be limited by a sprained ankle he
suffered in Sunday's season finale at Houston.
DEFENSE: The Suns' wide-open style may allow the Spurs some easy
baskets, but their main worry will be with the Spurs' half-court
offense. Behind Barkley and John Williams (11.3 rpg), the Suns
outrebounded the Spurs during the season series, but must put more
pressure on the ball. The Suns had just 19 steals and must force the
Spurs into more than the 42 turnovers they committed.
BENCH: Manning is among the top sixth men in the league, and Person is
the Suns' leading three-point shooter, shooting .350 against the Spurs
during the season. With A.C. Green (7.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and Elliot Perry
(5.0 ppg), the Suns possess a deep, versatile bench, which must produce
for them to play their wide-open offensive style and stop the Spurs in
the half-court.
KEY MATCHUP: Johnson must attack the Spurs' interior defense to create
easy scoring opportunities for Barkley, Manning and Finley, and must
keep the pressure on Spurs point guard Avery Johnson to prevent him
from orchestrating San Antonio's efficient half-court offense.
nba.613vpoznanovic,
Utah vs. Portland
Thurs., April 25: at Utah, 9:30 p.m. (TBS)
Sat., April 27: at Utah, 10:30 p.m. (TNT)
Mon., April 29: at Portland, 10:30 p.m. (TNT)
Wed., May 1: at Portland,* 9:30 p.m. (TBS)
Sun., May 5: at Utah,* TBA
* - if necessary / TBA - to be announced
Chuck Daly's analysis: "Utah's been up and down late in the season,
but they have so much playoff experience; that'll be a big plus for
them. This will be a great series, though, because Arvydas Sabonis
makes the Blazers a very tough team. He has so much talent, and had
he started the year in the starting lineup, he'd probably be the
Rookie of the Year. Sabonis makes everybody better; he's an incredible
passer, and has great touch and range. The Blazers are a very, very
dangerous club. This series will be a close one."
The Blazers enter the playoffs one of the hottest teams in the league,
thanks to their new-found stifling defense, and must continue to play
together to handle the well-tuned Jazz, who rely on a controlled
offensive tempo and the overall excellence of their two superstars,
Karl Malone and John Stockton. Utah took the regular-season series
from Portland, 3-1, but that was before Arvydas Sabonis joined the
Blazers' starting lineup, the turning point in their season. Both the
Jazz and Blazers are top rebounding teams who are used to winning the
battle of the boards and limiting their opponent's second-shot
opportunities.
Utah Jazz (55-27)
No. 3 seed
OFFENSE: The Jazz led the league in field-goal percentage during the
regular season, and shot .525 from the field in the regular-season
series with the Blazers. John Stockton and Karl Malone, masters of the
pick-and-roll, form perhaps the greatest half-court duo in NBA history,
and both were productive against the Blazers. Malone averaged 32.5
points per game, on .570 shooting, and 9.0 rebounds per game, while
Stockton averaged 11.8 points and 10.5 assists per game. Stockton and
Jeff Hornacek (20.5 ppg) lead the perimeter offense. Chris Morris
(9.0 ppg) provides a full-court dimension, which will be vital in
handling the Blazers' defensive pressure.
DEFENSE: The Jazz were among the league's top rebounding teams, but
were outboarded by the Blazers by 1.5 rebounds per game during the
season series. Stockton will have his hands full with creative point
guard Rod Strickland, and must keep the pressure on his Portland
counterpart to preventing the Blazers from effectively running their
offense. Led by Malone, Hornacek and Stockton, the Jazz had 38 steals
against the Blazers during the regular season.
BENCH: Morris and Antoine Carr (11.7 ppg) are the primary offensive
threats off the Jazz bench. Adam Keefe (6.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg) and Greg
Foster (5.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg) provide depth up front and will see plenty
of action against the Blazers' deep frontcourt.
KEY MATCHUP: Stockton, the NBA's all-time leader in assists and steals,
must provide plenty of both against Strickland. After committing 14
turnovers against the Blazers, Stockton must protect the ball and limit
Strickland's ability to penetrate defenses. Stockton is the key as the
Jazz attempt to maintain the deliberate tempo necessary to execute their
efficient half-court offense.
Portland Trail Blazers (44-38)
No. 6 seed
OFFENSE: Rod Strickland (19.5 points, 7.3 assists per game) can create
offense from anywhere on the court, and the Blazers have plenty of
outside shooting with Clifford Robinson (28.0 ppg), James Robinson
(9.0 ppg), Strickland and Aaron McKie (8.0 ppg). Arvydas Sabonis (7.3
ppg) was a key addition to the Blazers' starting lineup; his shooting
range and passing skills help create opportunities for the Blazers'
outside shooters. The Blazers shot just .451 from the field against the
Jazz during the season, and will need Strickland and Sabonis to help
create more open shots. The Blazers did earn 30.5 free throws per game
against the Jazz, and will continue to utilize their frontcourt depth
in the paint.
DEFENSE: With Chris Dudley (10.5 rpg), Sabonis (6.8 rpg), Harvey Grant
(6.0 rpg), Clifford Robinson (4.7 rpg) and Gary Trent (3.8 rpg), the
Blazers were the NBA's top defensive rebounding team. Their tough
interior defense will be challenged by Malone, a superior offensive
rebounder, and Utah's solid front line. Strickland had just two steals
against the Jazz and committed 17 turnovers. He must pressure Stockton
to disrupt Utah's offense.
BENCH: James Robinson and Rumeal Robinson (2.0 ppg) give the Blazers
backcourt depth and scoring punch, and Buck Williams, Dudley and Trent
provide plenty of rebounding. The Blazers' depth will be key in their
efforts to contain Malone.
KEY MATCHUP: Sabonis' presence in the starting lineup gave the Blazers
another scoring threat, while Dudley helped solidify their defensive
unit off the bench. The Blazers went 18-4 after Sabonis joined the
starting five, and his versatility will be key as he attempts to share
the scoring load with Strickland and Clifford Robinson and limit the
effectiveness of Utah's big men.