Portland Observer, February 6, 1985, Page 9
Q
• SPORT TALK • SPORT TALK •
•
NBA
I ’ m poolside at the T o rre v Pines
Inn, in sunny San Diego, C a lifo rn ia ,
gathering my thoughts to talk N B A
basketball w ith you. In the last few
days. I've discussed roundball at the
Bing Crosby ProAm in Carmel, at the
Forum in Los Angeles and on the golf
course here at T o rre y Pines. The
consensus o f these conversations has
been crystal clear, Jack Ramsey and
Stu Inman are not the gurus o f hoop
Oregonians believe them to be.
A fte r L .A . beat the Blazers Tues
day n ig h t, Stu Inm an said, “ I f I
could think o f a single word that de
scribes the team and the coaches at
this stage, it would b e ‘ frustration*. I
think the fru stra tio n level is so high
that frustration breeds doubt.**
Inman calls it frustration, but 1 call
it em o tio n a l m u tin y. Ramsey has
created a situation that doesn’ t allow
fo r consistency and his players are
simply rebelling em otionally to what
they can’t physically or verbally.
The toughest circumstance fo r any
professional athlete to endure is play
ing behind someone that he can o u t
play. The Trailblazers have three such
players in tnat intolerable position —
C lyde D rexler, Jerome Kersey and
Steve Colter. The anxiety and turm oil
that thesr'guys are suffering through
cannot be described by me. They
must speak fo r themselves. U n d e r
standably, they can’ t, because that's
a one-way ticket to Jack’s doghouse.
A fte r P o rtla n d ’ s loss to Boston
Sunday, Larry Bird wondered aloud,
"H o w can a team w ith so much talent
have the record that Portland has?’ *
Coach K. C. Jones and Danny Ainge
were in a wonder, too, as they echoed
the same question. The answer is Jack
Ramsey’ s system. Jack c o n tin u a lly
stresses his team's lack o f consistency
but overlooks his own. Here’s an ex
ample o f Ramsey inconsistent coach
ing:
P rio r to the Boston game, Jerome
Kersey had been used sparringly fo r
approximately 8 games and suddenly
he's in early and gets big minutes
against the Celtics. His play was para
m ount in P o rtla n d ’ s run at the
Celtics, so Jack brought him back the
next game for 2$ minutes against the
Lakers. Kersey responded to Ram
sey’s confidence by scoring 18 points
and 4 rebounds in the L .A . game.
W e’ re ta lkin g consistency here,
right? Against the last place team in
the conference, Golden Stale, Kersey
gets 9 minutes in a 20-point victo ry.
Emotional mutiny maxes sense to me.
True, anyone can point to the prob
lems, so I'm going a step further and
o ffe r my solution. U n til Kenny C arr
comes o f f the in ju re d reserve list,
here's my lineup: M . Thom pson,
Kersey, Bowie, Paxson and Drexler.
When C arr returns i t ’ s C arr, Kersey,
T h o m p so n , D re xle r and Paxson.
That’s right, no Valentine! I don’t see
enough imagination in Darnell's game
plus he doesn’ t have a shot. A n y
guard coming out o f college can give
you Valentine’s stats.
A n ticip a tin g your arguments. I ’ ll
explain why no K iki, also. Who needs
a fo rw a rd starting that can’ t get a
weak rebounding team any boards?
He either can’t or w on’ t play defense
because he’s slow afoot. Vandeweghe
needs picks and screens to score and
the current Blazer team doesn’ t have
enough players that are proficient at
setting screens. This squad has open
Portland’« Kiki Vandeweghe goes past Utah’s Thurl Bailay for tw o of
his 16 points. The Blazers finally had a chanca to romp, and did. beat
ing tha Jazz, 126 to 106
(Photo: Dan Long)
court players that can create their own
shots. Paxson's numbers are down
this year for that same reason.
M y team has speed, rebounding
depth and scorers, not shooters. In
h alf-court situations, C arr and My-
chal know how to set those screens
fo r Pax to hit that deadly jum per.
They also know how to pick and roll
to keep the defense on Paxson honest.
M y bench becomes stronger w ith
Bowie, K ik i, C o lte r and Bernard
Thom pson. N o, I d id n ’ t forget V a l
entine. T e ll the (ru th , is this team
bad or what?
" I still think this team w ill emerge
somewhere down the line as a very
good team,” Inman said. "W hen triis
w ill happen I d o n 't know . It w ill
p robably be next year so m e tim e ."
Sounds tike som ething we’ ve heard
before, doesn’ t it?
I t ’ s A ll-S ta r time in the N BA and
yo u ’ re going to see some o f the top
teams either move out o r begin to
slow down. Boston is one o f the teams
I expect to see slow dow n. Those
three tough games against Portland,
Detroit and Philadelpha have shown
the wear and tear on Boston’s starters
and how weak their bench tru ly is.
Parish was in trouble early and that
let Moses do his thing fo r 38 points
and 24 rebounds. In the 76ers’ fo u r
previous games, Moses had averaged
only 16 points per game. He had not
had more than 15 rebounds in a game
for a month. But with Parish playing
only 26 minutes, Moses had time to
w ork on his next N ike com m ercial.
L a rry B ird had averaged 38 points
in his previous three games, but could
only gel o ff 15 shots against P hilly.
Look fo r the Lakers to start com
ing back to the pack in the P acific
Conference, too. I was on the plane
with the Lakers Wednesday morning
when they departed P D X . They left
their hotel at 6:30 a m. and they were
tired. I watched L .A . play H ouston
later that night in the Forum, realizing
"R eading T êee *
benefit
-D « .r
<
FRIDAY
S eating A n /
FEB. 15
198 5
5 ?o
time
thru
7 : 3o Pr
A uiustana L utheran C hurch
ne t s * +
B enefit D onations
CHILDREN
UNpej? I l
E v e e y e o p y
K nott
$3 00 P er P erson
E a CH /
C ome /
$ 1.5 0
F o K T 'C k f r 3 <
acu
¿ 6 2 -6 9 2 S
the Blazer game was ta kin g its to ll.
Tuesday night Kareem played 36
m inutes, C ooper and Johnson 40
minutes, W orthy 31 minutes. Against
the Rockets, Kareem logged 39
minutes, M agic 42, and W o rth y
played 46 minutes in their 116-113 R ks .
I ’ ve been asked on numerous occa
sions to list my all-tim e N BA team in
order to reveal my knowledge o f the
game I agree that such a list doe. trans
late into insight, but it's still only an
opinion. I ’ m going to list my all-time
team, with explanations, prim arily to
make a point regarding Larry Bird.
Here it is:
Jerry West - guard
Oscar Robertson - guard
Wilt Chamberlain - center
Elgin Baylor - forward
Bob Pettit - forward
Robertson and West can’t be argued!
FJgm Baylor was every sweet move you
see today with the stats to back him up.
The controversy will surely st aft at the
center position, especially from Bill
Russell if he reads this. I think the best
barometer o f a truly great player is the
changes he makes in the sport he plays.
Can you name an athlete, in any sport,
that created more rule changes than
Wilt? I f you can, write to me and I ’ ll
print it. For the sake o f brevity I ’ll name
just a few NBA rule changes that W ilt
was responsible for. Three foul shots to
make two was adopted to prevent play
ers from killing the man. No inbound
passes over ihe backboard, to prevent
W ilt from jamming. No breaking the
plane o f the foul line on free throws,
again to prevent his jamming from
ihe line J he paint was widened to keep
him out. I f that's not enough, consider
this: add the year he played with the
Globetrotters and make him a career
50 percent foul shooter and Kareem
would never have caught his scoring
records. Yes, Russell won champion
ships. However, he was never a scoring
threat nor did he change one rule. By the
way, alter Wilt retired, the NBA deuded
to drop the rule for three chances from
the foul line.
Where’s Dr. J, right? Doc d idn’ t
make my team because tie's never liad a
jum p shot. Julius ruled the A B A be
cause the league was short on big men
and Doc penetrated the middle. Once in
the NBA. where good big men protected
the paint, D o c 'i scoring went down
quick. With W ilt down low and Baylor
twitching his head and driving, I can't
use the Doctor. I f you ever saw Bob
Pettit play the game, you know he be
longs opposite Baylor at the other
forward spot. Pettit was twice the player
I any Bird is.
Bird is bad and there's no doubt
about that fact. What I personally re
sent is the way the media tnes to make
him the grandest player in the history of
the game. Many o f these broadcasters
and journalists know nothing o f the
NBA pnor to I960. AU of the talk about
Bird and his triple doubles is just hype
for the league to sell a white player in a
sea o f blackness. Check out the books.
Oscar had a lull season of triple dixiblcs.
playing guard. Baylor had a season
where he placed in the top five o f every
major statistical category Until he with
stands the test o f time. Bird is just an-
oiner very gooo nasketPali player, car-
rying the biggest burden in life —
potential
When Pettit played for the St. Louis
Hawks, St. Louis was as far west as
the league wenl Consequently, many of
you Portland fans weren’t privileged to
see his game The NBA was predomi
nately white until the latter years o f
Pettit's career, thus it wasn't necessary
for the media lo Now his horn as kxxllv
as they do bird’s. I can still remember
watching Pettit againsi the Celtics in the
playoffs with a broken arm, playing in a
cast and scoring 55 points. Want some
more?
I ’ m going lo really get bold now.
I ’ m going to list the worst field goal
shooters in NHA A ll Star games (cnecx
exit No. 10) and stick with my all-time
team. Let me hear fro m you i f you
have a better squad. You know I'm
openminded!
A u lh o n r a d Zandh
( e/or ( I Su/rr ea«/ ó v r ilc v
s a io
w ill I
A
Ptayer
1. T « n Hansohn.
2. Bob Cixisy. . . .
3. George M ika n
4. Ed M a ca u le y
5. HUI Shannan. ..
6. Veni Mikkeben.
7. Lenny Wilken&.
8. Elvin Hayes.. . .
9. Richie Ciuenn. .
K). Bob Petut........
•50-pixnt minimum
Pct
328
329
350
381
.385
386
a i n v i c i u n c i ta s i
II
IA O S O N
O « ,„
JACKSON CartiliaK
ft !•»»•<• Ma^ag»*
4623 N. Vancouver
Portland, OR 97217
O ffice 267 2042
Worst field goal shooters
In NBA AN-Star games*
H, A
22-67
52 158
28-80
40-KM
27-70
27-75
41)
30-75
403
52-129
411
23 56
420
81 193
in AU Suu gamo,
Sabrina’s Hair
BOUTIQUE
Total Line of Beauty
S p a o a li/w t y in Ih a
la la a l tra o d a o ri all
i v i « » n i hau
In c lu d e s
lieu w ea v in g nail«
lai ia!» curia, and
m a n y o th e r faah io ria
3601 N E . Union - 287 0978
DR. PHILIP MEGDAL:
DENTAL GROUP
QUALITY
AFFORDABLE
DENTISTRY
■Pl
PROFESSIONAL DENTAL SERVICE INCLUDES
- tC H T .
a I illingi
• Crown»
•
•
Pintura»
Bonding
» Eitraction»
008
*
*
*
*
a
Crwöran » Dammi
Pravaniiva Danimry
Root Canal»
x Rav»
Rapan» l Mahnst
SPECIAL OFFER
$ iy
¡CHECK UP X -R A Y S - EXAM
CLEANING • DIAGNOSIS
NBA fans set sights on slam
When D r. James N aism ith issued
his o ffic ia l 13 rules o f basketball in
1892, he recommended a horizontal
goal elevated 10 feel fro m the flo o r.
He never intended the participants o f
his new game to reach the rim.
But taller athletes, like those in the
upcom ing G atorade S la m -D u n k
Championship, have greater athletic
skills than D r. Naismith could imag
ine. They are p laying the game o f
professional basketball high above
the rim . And their blend o f strength,
skill and savvy has set new and higher
standards fo r those blessed w ith the
talent and determ ination required to
compete in the N a tio n al Basketball
Association.
A steady diet o f turnaround ju m p
shots and h e hind-the-back passes
makes for good theater in the N B A .
But it is the soaring, tw is tin g slam
dunk that rips the fans fro m th e ir
seats and brings down the house.
" T h e slam dunk is a pace setter.
It gets the team fired up as much as
it does the fa n s ," said Chicago Bulls
star fo rw a rd O rla n d o W o o lrid g e .
“ A n d we a ll know how im p o rta n t
em otion and m om entum are in the
game o f basketball.”
For the second year fans w ill feast
on sone o f these gravity-defying slam
dunks as the N B A salutes its sultans
o f slam who earn their d a ily bread
above the rim.
On Saturday, Feb. 9, the day be
fore the N B A A ll-S ta r Game in In
dianapolis, eight o f the league's most
powerful and stylish dunkers w ill take
to the a ir in the second G atorade
Slam-Dunk Championship.
leading the impressive list o f N BA
stars who hope to slam and jam their
way to the crown are last year’s cham
p io n , L a rry Nance o f the P hoenix
Suns, and Ju liu s “ D r. J ” E rv in g ,
clunker e xtra o rd ina ire and runner-
up to Nance in 1984. The other par
tic ip a n ts selected by a panel o f
sportsw riters and broadcasters are
W o o lrid g e and M ichael Jo rd a n o f
the Chicago Bulls, Charles Barkley o f
the Philadelphia 76ers, Clyde Drexler
o f the Portland Trailblazers, Darrell
G riffith o f the Utah Jazz, and D om
inique W ilkins o f the Atlanta Hawks.
More than 18,000 fans are expected
N o tlh w » |( | lo r g ai'
C o p a l taco rd X tapa Salai boni
Limited Time Offer
STATE AID WELCOME
NO APPOINTMENT NEEDED
OFFICE HOURS: Mon-Frl. 9 a .m .6 p.m.
777-0761
3680 S E 62nd Sr . Portland
1_block south of Powell Blvd
EMERGENCY ANSWERING SERVICE 777 0761
The Excitement Resumes
THIS WEEKEND
LARRY NANCE
to jam Market Square Arena to watch
this year’ s G atorade S lam -D unk
Championship. Turner Broadcasting
System w ill carry same-day coverage
o f the Gatorade Slam -Dunk C ham
pionship and the Schick NBA legends
Classic on February 9, beginning at
9 p.m. EST. Highlights o f the Slam-
D unk contest also may he shown
during half-time o f the All-Star game
carried by CBS-TV on Sunday, Feb. 10.
Style separates these outstanding
slam dunkers from other N BA play
ers w ith reputations as greai leapers.
It is the kind o f style that prompted
Temple U n ive rsity to present D r. J
w ith an honorary doctorate in dance
for his uncanny ability to slam dunk.
“ O f course, you have to have phys
ical attributes,” said Woolridge, one
o f the six repeat participants in this
second year o f the competition. “ But
you must also have a little imagina
tion and a willingness to dunk.
"Some players w ill go for the slam
dunk when others w ould shy away
fo r fear o f g e ttin g h u rt,” he said.
" A lo t o f it is confidence in your
own physical a b ility and the c o n fi
dence that you can go out there and
get the jo b done. A slam-dunk is a
great way to put the finishing touch
on a good move or a good play."
FRI. SAT. SUN.
I
FREE FREE FREE
USE THIS COUPON
FOR FREE ADMISSION
POST TIME I
W E D ■» F R I- 7 : 0 0 PM >
SAT., S U N . 1 30 RM I
TO ANY AREA DURING THE WEEKS OF 2/4 & 2/11
|
■•••rvattoM. Oreap Informal!«« ( B O 3 ) 2 8 8 - 0 1 4 4
I 5 AT DELTA PARK
I
|
PORTLAND MEADOWS!
T h e o n e s u r e t h i n g Is a g o o d r i m e f