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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 1982)
Portland Observer, January 7, 1902 Page 9 Welcome to the NBA TENNIS TRIVIA by Ullyuea Tucker, Jr. National Basketball Association critics and scouts labeled former Oregon State University basketball star Steve Johnson as slow, a mod ern day axe man since he fouled out so much in college, and not aggres sive. Six clubs selected players before the Kansas C ity Kings made the 6-IOVi 233-pounder their first- round pick in the 1981 college draft, Johnson missed the King’s rookie camp because o f contract hassles and came to work camp a few pounds overweight. According to Cotton Fitzsim mons. head coach o f the Kings, Johnson, a Sporting News All-Am erican last season and a two-time N C A A field goal percentage leader has really been a blessing to his or ganization this season. A fter the Kings dropped a 127- 116 game to the Portland T ra il blazers in which Johnson scored an NBA career high of 33 points and grabbed 18 rebounds before fouling out, Fitzsimmons made the follow ing comment about his big center’s progress as a pro. ’’Steve is really learning the game. He must stop making the stupid fouls and the simple mistakes. He played a good game but Steve can block shots better, rebound better, think better, and block shots better. He is a good person also. "W e drafted him as our center of the future and we will be patient with him. He's going to be a great player with time and people are going to have an awfully tough time checking him inside. I like him be cause he is smart and he listens well,” he said. Johnson, who sported a 17.5 point career scoring average at Ore gon State under the direction of Ralph M iller agreed with what his coach had to say about him. “ Yeah, I'm really learning the game of basketball all over again,” he said. “ I ’ve been working very hard and I ’m happy with my pro gress. Tonight was by far my best game as a professional and I look forward to some more of them. ” What has been your biggest ad justment from college to the NBA? ‘ ‘In the beginning, 1 had a tough time because the coach had me play ing with my face to the basket. I wasn’t used to it and I had little con fidence in my game out there. Once he put me back down low where I felt com fortable, I got my confi dence back and I started to play bet ter basketball. Can’t nobody stop my hook once I get it going— it's tough,” he smiled. “ I like it more down around the basket.” When questioned about the warm reception that the Portland crowd gave him, Johnson laughed and wondered why they stopped cheer ing for him after scoring Kansas City’s first six points. "Oregon has been good to me,” he said. “ I still consider it my home and I always will. With all the cities I see around the country, it’s d iffi cult to get up for every game but it wasn’ t hard here. I felt like I was home. I could tell that some people wanted to cheer me on bu, I was playing against their team.” Johnson received that special ac knowledgement from the Portland crowd, but not before he fouled out during the overtime and laying face down on the floor out of frustra STEVE JOHNSON tion. He picked himself up o ff the floor and walked slowly toward the used to playing that many minutes Ford) have forced me to play. I ’m bench to a standing ovation. (37) but the injuries (C liff Robin gonna have to get used to it— life is " I was tired,” he said. “ I ’m not son, Hawkeye W hitney, and Phil tough in this league, believe me.” 1 Av» Margin 0« Victory 184 1 000 17 4 890 188 884 - 18.8 .838 827 207 «n»- - - - Av». Margin oT Victory 2 5 82 1 8 2 7 -1 .2 4 • Clamaon F a iw g t PttUburgb Nebraaha • M U. • 7 T e ilt Oaorgia • 3 10-1-1 10-2-0 87 208 818 •1 7 70-60-8 88-87-1 28 -0 3 Arnona Slata • 8-2-0 183 •8 2 i 88-83-4 1.0 7 8-2-1 . 18 10-2-0 18 10-2-0 11 8-3-0 11 8-3-0 12 1 82 188 103 112 888 809 806 •0 7 803 68-54-3 88-85-3 82-59-2 68-55-3 82-81-0 -0 .7 -1 8 -1 6 1.4 -1 0 .778 770 738 .734 72» 73-62-2 73-52-0 88-54-2 83-58-4 87-88-3 03 4 3 0 7 -0 6 -0 3 > 1 10 11 “ rvr^gwn 12 Waahliwvlnj. 12 N CaroUfM 14 U • c 15 Oblò Stala 1« Oklahoma 17 U. C L. A 18 tows 18 M m . I t 20 MiMOvri — 13 14 — — 1 2 -0 0 10-2-0 11-1-0 FM 10-1-0 7-4-1 7-4-1 8-4-0 8-4-0 8-4-0 123 88 88 82 88 68-54*1 83-38-2 78-48-1 4 ’ , 57-81-8 Alexander’s Landscaping Portland Tab Lee Aces Moore St./Blues Moore St./Whites Jackson Five Sates representative Sales Representative Expert consultation on your transportation needs on both new and used cars. RON TONKIN C H EVR O LET-H O N D A CO 122 N.E. 122nd Ave. LU J/M FISHER 10115 S.E. STARK • • 226-2260 MALL 205 "THE COMPLETE DEALERSHIP" 1976 Ford Torino Wagon AT, PS, Air, Roof Rack, Cruise Control, A M /F M /Tape plus more #3045A........................................................................ Only Saturday Basketball League The Salvation Army Basketball League has completed its second week of competition. The next games will be played at P.C.C Jan uary 9th, between 11 am and 3:30 pm. The current standings are as follows: WENDELL BROWN ALAN MOLDEN Eight o f the smallest players in bald of the Boston Celtics, and the the National Basketball Association littlest player in the NBA: 5 '8 * are featured in the January issue of Charley Criss of the Atlanta Hawks. Ebony. Eight little men (six feet and un der) will tell you that height is not the only thing that makes a good basketball player. Survival, in the i ]| N BA, for these men has depended on their speed, quickness, endur ance, and brains. No matter how smart or quick he is the short player still has a rough way to go. In the last NBA draft of college players less than ten small men were chosen. Most o f those draft picks were dropped before the season began. Some of the small men who have attained success include Rickey Green of the Utah Jazz, Nate Archi CWF0MUTTS PCIVORMAMCet - Rank 2 4 • 6 8 ^YOU! 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