Portland Observer, November 3, 1982 Page 9
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Sport Talk
Las, w a r beiore the season began
there was considerable optim ism
throughout the Pacific Division. All
six teams that make up what is gen
erally regarded as the toughest divi
sion in a ll o f basketball, were
primed and ready to go. This year is
no exception. You hear the same
talk as before. Jack Ramsay is say
ing. “ I feel extremely comfortable
with this te a m .” Same as last year
when the team finished 42-40 and
failed to make the playoffs for the
first time since D r. Jack arrived in
Portland some six years ago.
The P acific D ivision w ill once
again be tough, but only the Seattle
Super Sonics offer to have any kind
o f chance to make a run at the
World Champion Los Angeles Lak
ers. The following is how we see the
Pacific:
1. Loa Angelas Lakers
Coach Pat Kiley’s 81/82 record of
57-25 could be in trouble. L-o-a-d-
e-d. L .A . was generally recognized
as the team with the most depth in
the league last year. So what hap
pens in this year’s draft: The Lakers
only gel the best player, James
W orthy, coming out o f college. Re
member power forward Mitch Kup-
chak? Kupchak at 6-10 was o ff to a
fine start as L .A .’s power forward
until shelved by an in ju ry last sea
son.
He probably w on’t be ready this
year either, but as good as he is he
w on’ t even be missed. The Lakers
return Kurt Kambis, last year's sen
sation, and the sensational Bob
M cA d o o to more than ably fill in.
R ookie James W o rth y has been
starting at the power forward posi
tion and doing extremely well.
W orthy, from North Carolina, is
a big. strong, fast player who will fit
perfectly with the fast breaking Lak
ers. At guard they have the lig h t
ning quick Norm Nixon. Nixon can
do it all. (But then that could be said
of all the Laker Starters and most of
the subs for that matter.)
Nixon scored 17.6 ppg and dished
o ff over 600 assists for the fourth
year in a row. Norm sets the tempo
for the L .A . show. At the big guard
position there’s Magic Johnson, the
league's M V P . Earvin is truly irre
pressible. At 6-9 he poses problems
everyw here he goes on the cou rt.
M agic is the first player to garner
over 700 assists and grab over 700
rebounds. It's u nbelievable that
Johnson led the team in rebound
ing, while playing guard. The small
forw ard position is again manned
by the steady, re lia b le Jam aal
Wilkes. Jamaal can still get up and
down the court better than any
small forw ard in the league and is
deadly from the corners.
The Lakers have the speed, shoot
ing, defense, passing, bench and
then there’s Kareem Abdul Jabbar.
The Lakers will finish first.
2. Seattle Super Sonlca
The pow erful Sonics fought the
might Lakers for the divisional title
and only lost out the last week of the
season. The Seattle crew will again
fight for the title and it will be an in
teresting fight. Seattle, like the Lak
ers, were already strong and during
the o f f season, instead o f sitting
aro u n d , went out and bargained
for, and got, David Thompson, one
o f the tru ly great guards in the
game. Thom pson can operate at
either guard or small forward.
The in cred ib ly quick Gus W il
liams w ill team up with the “ Sky-
w a lk e r” to form one o f the more
form idable backcourts in the busi
ness. T he Sonics, like the Lakers,
are loaded. Seattle d id n ’ t get any
help in the d ra ft, but then they
didn't need any. Lonnie Shelton, 6-
7, from Oregon State, is back and
ready at power fo rw a rd . Form er
first round pick D anny Vranes is
ready to perform in the small fo r
ward slot. A ll-Star center Jack Sik-
ma, 6-11, will team with 7-2 James
Donaldson in the front court.
Donaldson has shown steady im
provement and by the middle o f the
season could become the starter at
center.
•’D owntown" Freddie Brown will
supply his usual explosiveness o ff
the bench.
Greg Reiser, ex-M ichigan STate
A ll-A m erican, will battle for play
ing tim e at sm all fo rw a rd . Keiser
had a fantastic pre-season, averag
ing 16.5 ppg and 7 boards. Keiser
also shot .665 from the field.
The Sonics are blessed with both
offense and defense. It is this bal
ance that will allow them to finish
second in the Pacific Division.
Coach Lennic W ilken s w ill be
hard pressed to im p ro ve on last
year’s 52-30 record.
3. Phonix Suns
Coach John M acLeod will once
again field a strong defensive unit.
O ffe n s iv e ly , they can rely on 6-6
scoring machine W alter Davis. Da
vis was ham pered by in ju ries last
year but came back to average 18.1
ppg during the playoffs. The Suns
w ill get strong support from Kyle
M acy in a backup role at point
guard. Top scorer and all defensive
guard Dennis Johnson, who re
quested to be traded during the o ff
season, now seems ready to move in
alongside Davis as guard.
D avid T h ird k ill o f B radley, the
Sun’s first round draft pick, will un-
doubedly see playing time as both
big guard and small forw ard. The
Suns added some much needed re
bounding strength when they ac-
quired the much needed M au rice
Lucas from the New Y ork Knicks.
Lucas led New Y o rk w ith an eye
popping 903 rebounds while aver
aging a good 15.8 ppg. Lucas brings
w ith him a re p u ta tio n o f being a
tough rugged player, something the
Suns have lacked in the past.
A weekness at the center position
will keep Phoenix from playing with
the better teams in the N B A . It did
not help any when the 6-7 Kevin
Magee opted for Italy.
Charles Pittm an, a 6-6 wins man
from M aryland and 6-8 power fo r
ward Rory White o f South Alabama
appear to have the best chance o f
making the squad as rookies. Phoe
nix, as always, will rely on defense.
4. Golden State Warriors
The W arriors were recognized as
one o f the youngest teams in the
NBA last year. Coach A l Attles will
ask his y o u th fu l W a rrio rs to im
prove on a 45-37 record from last
year.
The Warriors were weakened with
the loss o f a ll-p ro sm all fo rw ard
Bernard King to free agency. King
signed a lucrative contract with the
New York Knicks. The 6-7 King is a
super talented player who will surely
be missed.
W ith a healthy W orld Free oper
ating around the perim ieter and a
strong fro n t court o f 6 -1 0 , R icky
Brown, 7-foot Joe Barry Carroll op
erating in the middle, the W arriors
will give most teams strong compe
tition on any given night.
Coach Al Attles used his top draft
pick to select Lester Connor of Ore
gon State, the Pac-10 player o f the
year. A fte r selecting C o n n o r, the
W arriors have made little effort to
sign him, which left an empty spot
in the back court.
G olden State should be in the
thick o f the Pacific Division race.
5. San Diego Clippers
If this article had been written one
m onth ago San Diego would have
been chosen for sixth. Since then the
Clippers have acquired former all-
pro defensive guard Lionel Hollins
from the Sixers and acquired the
fleet-footed Randy Smith to further
strengthen a fo rm e rly weak back
court.
6-9 Tom Chambers, who led the
C lippers w ith a 17.2 ppg average
and knocked down 561 rebounds,
will team with Michael Brooks, an
excellent all around performer in the
fro n t c o u rt. Brooks averaged a
strong 15.6 ppg and pulled down
624 rebounds from the small fo r
ward position.
R ookie A l W o o d showed great
promise las, year in a back up posi
tion. And top this o ff with a healthy
B ill W a lto n and the C lip p ers are
ready to make some waves in the
Pacific Division.
6. Portland Trailblazer«
for the
Then try the Union Avenue
. .
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LYNN KIRBY COLISEUMFORD
i v ru h i ^ R B Y T o U S E U ^ F O R D
LEON SPINKS
Spinks because Burnett was 36 years
old and obviously going nowhere.
They should also see that the 28-
year-old Spinks is traveling the same
road.
Leon should get out o f the game
before he’ s seriously hurt. He ob
viously disdains w o rkin g o u t, he
• loves to party and therefore he’s no,
in the league.
56 NE Broadway 288-5211
TIRE RANCH II
HOME
Of
Ducks outfought
And the beat goes on for the hap
less Oregon Ducks. D o n ’ t ge, me
wrong, nobody expected this team to
beat the nationally ranked Bruins,
especially at home. But wha, was ex
pected was a better showing.
Oregon led 3-0, after taking the
opening kickoff and marching down
field on some nifty play by starting
quarterback M ike Jorgenson. Jor
genson again ran the offense like he
wants the job for good. But again he
suffered an in ju ry that sidelined
him, later diagnosed as a mild con
cussion, and brought on young
Dana H ill. The Ducks, behind H ill,
made many mistakes, and the young
QB was probably the biggest offen
der.
The Ducks were simply out-
muscled by the Bruins.
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The Blazers are the only team in
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by Ron Sykes, Sports Editor
NBA Forecast
PARTS
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Leon Spinks
should retire
Leon Spinks, who astonished the
boxing w orld when he won the
WBC heavyweight crown from M u
hammad A li, won the cruisetweight
championship Sunday. Spinks was
awarded the decision over 36-year-
old Jesse B urnett fo r the vacant
North American Boxing Federation
crow n. Spinks was the aggressor
through the firs, two rounds. He re
peatedly dug his o lder opponent
with both hands to the body. Bur
net, used his arms and elbows to
ward o ff most o f Leon’s shots.
By the fourth round Spinks had
punched h im self o u t. From this
point on the experienced B urnet,
picked Leon apart. He hi, him with
jabs tha, sen, curl activator flying
into the far reaches o f the cabaret.
B u rn ett had Spinks hurt in the
fourth, sixth and practically out on
his feet in the 12th and final round.
Spinks came in at the 195 pound
cruiseweight lim it, while his oppon
ent, Burnett, weighed in at 178Vi.
Y e t, it was the sm aller B urnet,
that landed the big blow s. Leon
Spinks didn’t win this fight, but was
somehow awarded the decision by
the judges. Decisions o f this kind
can only hurt the credibility o f box
ing. When a decision like this one is
rendered one can hardly keep from
wondering why. We believe the o ffi
cials ruled in favor o f the younger
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