OKI 5/E VENTS
The Locker Room
NBA PLAYOFF COACHING RECORDS
(p rio r lo 1990 NBA Plav oils)
by Ullysses Tucker, Jr.
M ost C a re e r V ic to rie s
Norm Nixon: “There Is Life After Basketball”
by Ullysses Tucker, Jr.
Like former teammate Kareem A b­
dul-Jabbar, “ Storm in’’ Norman Nixon
has found happiness and peace o f mind
after basketball. He now has the time to
spend with his family and take care o f
the business ventures he involved him ­
self in as a player.
Nixon was in Portland recendy to
solidify a big real estate (apartment
complex) deal in Gresham , Oregon.
Like most former players, who wander
up the Pacific Northwest, Nixon found
some time to check out the Portland
Trailblazers at Memorial Coliseum.
We had some great gam es in this
building,” he said, referring to his days
with the Los Angeles Lakers. Nixon
tinished his NBA career with the C lip­
pers in 1989.
When questioned about his adjust­
ment to the “ real w orld” and what he
has been doing since his retirement,
Nixon, one o f the fastest guards every
to play in the NBA, was ju st as quick
■with an answer.
«- “ There is a lot o f life after basket­
ball,” he laughed. “ I ’m spending a
great deal o f time with my fam ily. I
have two lovely kids (V ivian, 5 and
Norman Jr., 2), a beautiful w ife (enter­
tainer Debbie Allen), and som e great
projects to work on. By virture o f me
being hurt the last two weeks o f my
career, it made the transition much
smoother than if my career had been
abrupdy cut o ff.”
Nixon dam aged his knee in a benefit
softball game organized by his wife and
after some very intense rehabilitation,
he retired. In 768 games, Nixon scored
12,065 points and dished out 6,386 as­
sist. He averaged 15.7 points during his
career. Originaly drafted by the Lakers
out o f Duquesne University in 1977,
Nixon was traded to the Clippers along
with Eddie Jordan and two draft choices.
The Lakers received Byron Scott and
Swen Naler in the deal.
Nixon, who sported one of the two
W orld Championships rings he helped
(1980 & 1982) the Los Angeles Lakers
win, still maintain close relationships
with his old teammates. Basketball has
helped him to build some life-long friend­
ships and expose him to some business/
professional opportunities that may not
have m aterialized had it not been for
the sport. Nixon feels blessed and he is
thankful.
“ No doubt about it, basketball has
been great for m e,” said the native of
Macon, Georgia. Along with his wife
Debbie Allen, Nixon is involved in a
great deal more than real estate and
raising “ great kids” . He is definitely
making use o f every opportunity to
broaden his horizons.
* ‘R ight now, Debbie and I are w ork­
ing on veral projects. W e have pro­
d u ce i iive music videos, w e’re in pro­
duction rightnow foraspecial for ABC,
and we are working on a feature length
film for W arner Bros. W e are also
doing a movie for NBC. So, I’m stay­
in g .”
For those who can rem em ber, Nixon
once ran the floor with the likes to
George G ervin, Julius Erving, Artis
Gilmore, Gus W illiams, Randy Smith,
Maurice Lucas, Lionel H ollins, and a
host o f other “ soldiers” , who helped
Norman Nixon and wife,
Debbie Allen
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6
7.
8.
9.
10
11
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20
21
22.
23.
24
25.
Red A uerbach
Pai Riley
K.G. Jo n es
Billy C u n n in g h am
Jo h n K undla
Red Holzinan
Dick Motta
Bill Fitch
C huck l)alv
lo in H einsohn
J o h n MacLeod
Don Nelson
Alex H an n u m
J a ik Rainsav
Lenny W ilkens
L a m Costello
Bill S harm an
Bill Russell
Al Cervi
Fred Schaus
Doug Moe
Al Aides
Joe Lapchick
G ene Shue
Richie G uerin
R e c o rd s o f A c tiv e C o a c h e s
99-69
98-42
79-54
66-39
60-35
58-47
56-70
54-48
47-26
47-33
47-51
46-50
45-34
44-58
41 -38
37-23
35-27
34-27
33-26
33-38
33-47
31-30
30-30
30-47
26-34
.589
.700
.594
.629
.632
.552
.444
.529
.644
.588
.480
.479
.570
.431
.519
.617
.565
.557
.559
.465
.413
.508
.500
.390
.433
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Pal Riley
Dick M otta
Bill F ilth
C huck Daly
Don Nelson
Lenny M ilkens
Doug Moe
Del H arris
C otton Fitzsim m ons
B ernie Bickerstafl
II.
M att G u o k a s
12 Larry Brown
13. Wes Unseld
14 J e rry Sloan
15. Don C haney
16. Rick A delm an
17 Jim Lynam
18 Jim m y R odgers
.644
.479
.519
.413
.444
.385
.444
.471
.381
.400
.222
.250
.000
.000
.000
The following active coaches have no previous NBA
Playoff head coaching experience: Richie A d u b ato ,
Phil Ja c k so n , Stu J a c k s o n , G e n e L ittles, Bill
M usselm an, Ron R othstein an d Dick Versace.
H ie plavofl pool foi 199») is the same as 1989. a total of $2.4 million to be distrib u ted in th e following m an-
ner:
make the NBA what it is today.
If you jog your memory a little more,
you will also remember that Norm Nixon
danced into the arms o f Debbie Allen in
an episode o f “ Fam e” several years
ago. “ M agic” has a basketball court in
his Los Angeles home, but Norman and
Debbie have a dance studio. Both have
been known to kick up their heels a bit
. . . Hollywood style. “ I ’m staying
busy,” he smiled.
Best Record in NBA: .....................................................................................................................
$70 000
Best Record in C onference, $67.500 each: ....................................................................................................
135 000
Second Best Record in C onference. $55.000 each: ......................................................................................... ] 10,000
T h ird Best Record in C onference, $40,000 each: ............................................................................................ 80,000
F ourth Best Record in C o n feren te. $35,000 each: .......................................................................................... 70,000
Fifth Best Record in C onference. $27,500 each: .......................................................................................
55 000
S ix th B est R e c o rd in C onference. $ 2 0 .0 0 0 e a c h : ............................................................................................................. 40,000
T eam s Participating in First R ound, $34,375 e a c h : ...............................................................
550,000
I earns Participating in C onference Sem ifinals. $41,250 each: ......................................................................330,000
T eam s Participating in C onference Finals, $68,750 each: ..............................................................................275,000
W inning l earn. NBA F in a ls :..................................................................................................................................... 410.000
Losing T eam . NBA Finals: ........................................................................................................................................275.000
...................................................................................................................................................... $ 2 ,4 0 0 ,0 0 0
NBA PLAYOFF NOTEBOOK
Pistons in set ond place (.883) lot the best won-lost p e r­
centage in a playoff series. T h e 1983 Philadelphia
76ers hold the record, a .923 percentage, with a 12-1
m ark. I he 1988 Lakers, by the way, hold the record
for most gam es played in one playoff series with 24.
In o th er 1990 D raft news, several team s currently own
m ultiple first-round draft choices as a result o f trades.
1 he LA ( Clippers have th eir own pit k plus C leveland’s
(H arp er-F erry , R Williams 11/89); Dallas has its own
plus In d ian a’s (G arnett, Stansbury 10/84) an d W ash­
ington's (J. V incent 9 86); and M innesota has its own
plus P hiladelphia’s (M ahorn 10/89). O f course, this
may be affected by last m inute trades. As the NBA is
e n terin g its Plavoffs. the CBA is finishing u p its post­
season in which tfie cham pionship series m atched the
Rapid City (SD) T h rillers against the La C rosse (W I)
C atbirds. La C rosse Coach F lip S au n d ers had placed
for B ill M usselm an, the fath er o f rookie Rapid City
C oach Eric M usselm an, in college at the University o f
M innesota. The e ld er M usselm an’s Tim berw olves
w ere one of only two NBA team s to hold th eir o p p o ­
nents u n d er 100 points a gam e (the o th e r team being
the Detroit Pistons) M usselm an’s 1987-88 Albany Pa­
li o n u s set the c u rre n t CBA record for fewest points al­
lowed with 97.5. In o th e r CBA news, A lbany’s V in cen t
Askew was nam ed MVP. Pensacola's C liffo rd Lett was
Rookie of the Year. T opeka's D uane Ferrell was CBA
N ew com er of the Vear an d A lbany’s G erald O liv er
was Coach of the Vear.
Peninsula Park Little League
I he 1990 NBA W orld C ham pions may have to plav
26 gam es en ro u te to the title. I h a t’s a m axim um ol
live gam es in the First R ound (2-2-1 form at), seven
( a inference Sem ifinals G am es (2-2-1-I-1), seven C o n ­
ference Finals gam es (2-2-1-1-1) and seven NBA Fi­
nals gam es (2-3-2). Last year it took the Detroit Pistons
only I 7 ol the possible 26 gam es to win the title, as they
swept Boston in the First R ound, M ilwaukee in the
C onference Sem ifinals and the Lakers in the f inals
D etroit’s only two losses ta m e against Chit ago in the
f astern C onferen ce Finals. T h a t 15-2 re to ld put the
Terry Tims And Chuck Washington . . .
Little League coaches, express optimism about league competition
Lottery, Draft on TV
this season and have set goals o f on-field discipline and team
leadership.
I he NBA’s Draft Lottery will once again be tele-
v 1 sed live In CBS on Sunday Mav 20. at approxi matelv Despite fielding a less mature team this year, the two coaches were
2 15 FS I , d u rin g halftim e ol an Eastern C onference enthused over last week's resounding victory by team KETIV
Plavof, gam e. I N I will air both ro u n d s o f the NBA (sponsored by KETIV Technology) 22-2 over its Peninsula Park
Draft on W ednesday, June 27, starting at 7:30 p in.
league opponent.
E S I.
.700
.444
.529
1990 NBA PLAYOFF POOL
Total P la y o ff Pool:
For the first tim e in 14 years the NBA Plavoffs will
take place w ithout fo rm er LA Lakers cen ter K areem
Xbdul-Jabbar W ith A bdul-Jabbar, who is the all time
NBA playoff lead er in several categories having re ­
tired. o th e r league veterans have becom e the leading
active players in playoff statistics. Boston's Larry Bird
is the top active scorer in playoff history with 3.559
points, cu rren tly in sixth place overall behind W ilt
C ham berlain (3,607). Bird also leads all active plavers
in field goals attem p ted (2,797) and m ade ( 1,331), and
m free throw s m ade (825). B ird’s Celtic team m ate,
D ennis Jo h n so n , is the leader in playoff gam es placed
(175), m inutes played (6,842) an d personal fouls
(558). Chicago's M ichael Jordan is already at the top
ol the all-time list for the highest scoring average in
playoff com petition with 35.4 ppg. T h e criteria calls
for a m inim um o f 625 points scored o r 25 gam es
played, an d J o rd a n has scored 1,309 points in only 37
games. J e r ry W est ranks second with 29.1 ppg —
1,457 points in 153 gam es . . . LA Lakers Coach Pat
R iley (98-42) needs only o n e m ore plavoff victors to
tie fo rm er Celtic Coach R ed A uerbach (99-69) for
most career playoff victories. But A uerbach holds a
big lead in n u m b er o f titles won with nine to Rilev's
tour. In betw een these two, in second place tor most
titles won, is J o h n K undla o f the M inneapolis Lakers
with five . . . O ver the past 10 years. Edge NBA Most
Valuable Players have com bined to average 26.5
points an d 9.9 reb o u n d s per gam e while shooting 52.2
percent from th e field and 82.7 percent from the free
throw line. T h o se plavers have also led th eir team s to
an average o f 59.7 victories pet season . . . In the 2 1
years since the NBA Finals Most V aluable Plaver
Award has been given out, on only six occasions has
the reg u lar season MVP and the Finals M V P been won
by the same player, file first was N e w V o lk ’s W illis
Reed in 1970. T h e o th er double-w inners were
K areem A bdul-Jabbar for M ilwaukee (1971), M o se s
M alone lor Philadelphia (1983), Boston s L arry B ird
(1984 and 1986) and the Lakers’ M agic Johnson
(1987).
98-42
56-70
54-48
47-26
46-50
41-38
33-47
20-25
20-32
12-15
8-9
8-13
2-3
2-7
1-3
0-3
0-3
0-3
Aluminum Bats Hurt Baseball
The rise of the aluminum baseball bat over the last decade has created
one of the biggest controversies in sports. Is use of the aluminum bat at
the high school and college level helping or hurting the game? I definitely
think the aluminum bat is hurting baseball.
Aluminum hats are fine for young kids. At the Little League level they
make great economic sense. Baseball is an expensive sport, and it costs a
lot to start a decent program. Unlike wooden bats, which can crack and
break, aluminum bats will last for years and can be used by team after
team.
But aluminum bats keep kids from learning many of the fundamentals
of the game. By the time a young player gets to the high school level, he
should he using wooden bats. At the time when a kid could be getting
serious about his game, he still only needs ,0 get his bat on the ball to hit it
out of a park. Everything is magnified with an aluminum bat. The real art
of hitting isn't learned.
Pitching also is affected. Young pitchers don't learn to throw inside
because they can't throw inside to hitters with aluminum bats. An inside
pitch will “jam '' a hitter with a wooden bat. The hitter can't do any­
thing But again, with an aluminum bat, a hitter just has to get part of the
bat on the ball to get a decent hit.
It's very aggravating for pro scouts to watch a game and have no idea
what young players actually can do. A guy who is hitting one home run
after another with an aluminum hat may not be able to do anything with a
wooden bat They don't get a real idea of a hitter’s strength and rhythm
Pitchers can't show all their stuff.
At the college level, the economic arguments for aluminum bats no
longer make sense. I think any college that can afford to have a baseball
program should be able to afford wixxlen bats. It should be a rule.
I sincerely hope that it never gets to the point where aluminum bats are
used in the major leagues. Not only for the most obvious reasons. Of
course it would take a lot less time for hitters to break a lot of long-stand­
ing hitting records, including my own, and pitching would go downhill.
But more important, the game's safety would be affected It’s already
dangerous enough trying to get out of the way of a foul-back off a
wixxlen bat In the hands of some of the sluggers in the majors, a foul-
back off an aluminum bat could be deadly.
So for children, the aluminum bat is fine But real baseball should be
played with real bats—wixxlen bats, hl
Hank Aurnn is the lop home run hitter of all lime with 755 homers. A member of
baseball's Hall of tam e. Hank is senior s ice president of the Atlanta Braves.
< 1990 PM Editorial Services