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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 2, 2000)
Garnett and Brandon: fire and ice By Arnie Stapleton The Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS — One pounds his chest, whacks himself in the head and implores the crowd to go wild. The other is easygoing with a baritone voice, always looking as if nothing in the world could bring his mellow blood to a boil. The fiery Kevin Garnett and the icy Terrell Brandon just might be two of the most contrasting char acters in the NBA. Brandon’s style is appreciated by his coaches and teammates on the Minnesota Timberwolves. But it’s always been the No. 1 knock on the point guard because some see his demeanor as a sign of aloofness or apathy and liken his mild manner to meekness. “I’m burning inside,” insisted Brandon, who kept the Wolves alive in the playoffs with a great game against Portland on Sunday. “Everyone shows enthusiasm dif ferently. I’m very intense. “I hope you understand I have a passion for this game and it burns inside as much as aiiyone else.” In fact, coach Flip Saunders sees Brandon’s tranquil tempera ment as the perfect complement to Garnett’s demonstrative style. “I have this analogy: I’ve always said the reason the United States is such a strong country is because we’re a melting pot,” Saunders said. “We have a lot of different personalities and I think the same thing with a team, you have a melting pot. All the players can’t have the same temperament.” Saunders said the differences “makes them both better and stronger.” Malik Sealy said it’s good to get both ends of the spectrum on the court. “Those are our two leaders and they definitely give you the best of both worlds,” he said. Trail Blazers coach Mike Dun leavy said team chemistry is often dependent on such volatile mix es, as evidenced by his own lead ers, Scottie Pippen and Rasheed Wallace. The passionate play is often a product of youth and the more re served behaviors are the domain of veterans. To win, you need both “No question.” Brandon was just three re bounds shy of joining Garnett with a triple-double Sunday and he held the Trail Blazers’ best two point guards to 2-for-13 shooting in Minnesota’s 94-87 victory that cut Portland’s series lead to 2-1. It was the kind of performance the Wolves figured they’d get that experi ence and that energy. “It is impor tant to have that mix,” Dun lea vy said. from Stephon Marbury before he forced last year’s three-way trade that sent him to New Jersey and brought Brandon to the Twin Cities. After signing a six-year, $59 million extension last summer, Brandon became an easy target for criticism when the Wolves stum bled to a 7-13 start this year. Vice president Kevin McHale defended Brandon, saying he was the least of his troubles. And Saunders said the Wolves, who have never advanced past the first round of the playoffs, need Brandon’s savvy as much as Garnett’s emotion. “Terrell has more of a comfort ing effect, a soothing effect on the team when he’s out on the floor,” Saunders said. “He never gets too ruffled when things are going bad and he never gets too high when things are going good. “He pretty much keeps that lev el head.” Get Ready for Summer! Plan Your Classes Now The UO Summer Session Catalog with Schedule is now on campus. The Catalog contains important information about and special programs offered this summer, registration, housing, and fees. Telephone and DuckWeb registration starts May 1. Your Free Copy Today Pick up your copy today in the Summer Session office, 333 Oregon Hall, or at the UO Bookstore Telephone (541) 346-3475 http://uosummer.uoregon.edu / Blazers aren’t worried By Arnie Stapleton The Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS — The Port land Trail Blazers aren’t panick ing. “We’re in a great mood,” Scottie Pippen said with a shrug before the Blazers’ workout Monday. Coach Mike Dunleavy said the Blazers lost Game 3 Sunday at Target Center because they were outshot 54 percent to 42 percent, simple as that. “There were certain things they did very well, obviously one of them was make shots,” he said. “And in some cases, that’s what we didn’t do very well. We had some opportunity baskets that we didn’t make. But a lot has to be given to the presence of their de fense. “And our guys have to come back with a greater sense of ur gency and close it out here.” One of the Blazers’ biggest misses was an alley-oop dunk by Rasheed Wallace that bounced off the rim in the fourth quarter. “But ultimately they made the big shots,” Dunleavy said. Damon’s game Damon Stoudamire said he had a restless night after his poor performance in Game 3, when he scored just 2 points, both from the foul line, and went 0-for-8 from the floor. “I can’t act like it didn’t hap pen. It happened. Now, I forget about it. It’s the next day,” Stoudamire said Monday. “But last night, no, I didn’t forget about it. I thought about it a lot. “But there’s really nothing I can do about it now. The only thing I can do is make amends to morrow.” Stoudamire said his problem was picking up his second foul early in the game and taking a seat. “I don’t need to improve noth ing; I need to stay out of foul trou ble,” he said. “First of all, I never really got into the flow of the game after I picked up my second foul. But other than that, I just need to be more aggressive.” Stoudamire was limited to 28 minutes, while his counterpart, Terrell Brandon, played 48 min utes and scored a career-playoff high 28 points. “Tomorrow, if Terrell’s going to play 48 minutes, he’s going to have to work for 48 minutes,” Stoudamire said. “So, that means that he’s going to have to chase me around. I’ve got to make him work a little harder because if you play 48 minutes, you’re sup posed to be dead tired at the end but he looked just as fresh at the end of yesterday’s game.” Mutual feelings Scottie Pippen had this to say about his falling out with former Houston teammate Charles Barkley, who won’t even say his name on television broadcasts of these playoffs: “I’m not a fan of Charles Barkley, so I don’t watch him if he’s on TV. So, the feeling is probably mutual.” Pippen also said he’s not out to prove he can win a ring without Michael Jordan, with whom he won six championships in Chica go^ “That’s not my goal. Winning is what’s important to me,” he said. “It’s not about me being able to say I was able to win without Michael.”
