Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 22, 1992)
'9 * 9 9 J 0 J 0 0 0 9 0 0 9 0 9 0 0 0 * 1 April 22, 1992...The Portland ()bserver...Page 5 1st Round NBA Playoffs Lakers vs Blazers Playoffs: Blazers are Ready by “ It is a great feeling, coming here, w orking hard in camp, making the team,” says Pack. “ Everything has just been getting better everyday. Il feels good because right now my college season would have been over. Now it looks like I ’ m starting another season so I'm getting m yself mentally and physically prepared to go into the play offs. We have a lot o f veterans here and I ’m sure I ’ ll be watching to see how they respond to the playoffs, and I hope it w ill rub o ff on me." Even after the loss to the Lakers last Saturday Pack says “ The team came into the locker room saying ‘ Now it ’ s time for the real stu ff to start.’ They were real positive, they put that game behind them, and we’ re ready to practice Monday in prepara tion fo r the playoffs. W inning the D ivision was good. It was an accom plishment, but now we have to move on towards the big champagne day. M y folks are real pleased; they have been behind me a ll the way.” One man who has certainly paid his dues fo r the opportunity to play in the Big Show is Ennis Whatley. A lo t o f fans have forgotten that he was taken as a sophomore (Alabama ’ 83) in the draft as one o f the top fifteen players in the country. In fact he was picked Number 13 that year, and an other T ra il Blazer was picked Number 14 (Clyde D rcxler). Kansas C ity took him in the first round. He averaged eight assists a game. Then he went to Chicago. One night w ith the Bulls he had 22 assists! That record s till stands. A fte r a few years, he h it the skids w ith some personal problems and played B ill B arber w ith Cleveland, Washington, San A nto nio, Atlanta and the L A Clippers on a down h ill slide towards the C B A . He even played in the Philippines for a while. A fter getting him self together (you w ill read more about him in an upcoming exclusive Portland Observer interview ) the Portland T ra il Blazers gave Ennis another shot at the N BA . “ When I firstcam chcre.I wasasurecast out not to make it. Now, all o f a sudden, to be in the rotation is very exciting. I ’ ve definitely paid my dues, but one thing I ’ ve always believed in is my belief in God. Another thing was, 1 never stopped. I never gave up. I just continued to work hard, trust in him and w ail on my tim e.” For years Whatley struggled. Last year he was named the M V P o f the C B A ’ s Playoffs. “ When you have been in the C B A , and you have seen some o f the hard play there, and what the guys have to go through there, you begin to appre ciate being on this level. Being w ith a team like the T ra il Blazers, it really feels great!” “ I know some o f the fans arc a l ready talking about us w inning the Championship,” said Terry Porter. “ For us on the team we are taking it one scries at a tim e, one game at a time. T hat’ s the approach you have to take. The first game o f the first round is our most im portant game. A fte r that the second game is T H E most important game. Y ou have to take it one game at a time. A ll games arc equally important,” con cluded Porter. M ark Bryant, is another one o f those players who is grateful for the opportu nity he has been presented w ith . Bryant, is known to be a man o f few words, but people around the league are starting to lake him more seriously when he says, “ I t ’s great to be on a contender but I ’ m s till trying to be level headed about the playoffs... u ntil we w in it.” There was a rum or going around the country that the Lakers were going to activate Magic Johnson fo r the play offs. Johnson wasn’ t on the Lakers rosier submitted to the N B A on M on day, which means he w ill be ineligible to play in the playoffs. James W orthy who recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on March 20 w ill also not be playing in the playoffs this year. It was not a big surprise to sec Sam Perkins re-activated alter having been out w ith a painful shoulder injury. Portland coach R ick Adelman said “ I ’ m not surprised they didn’ t activate Magic. But I w ou ldn ’ t have been surprised i f they had e ither." Adelman paused, and then w ith longue in cheek remarked, “ I expected M agic and W orthy, and I thought Kareem Abdul-Jabbar m ight be there, too.” He made no mention o f Jerry West coming out o f his front office retirem ent to help the Lakers in their tim e o f need. It is typical o f coach Adelman to be more concerned w ith how his own players are doing rather than what is going on w ith the other team .C lyde Drexler and Jerome Kersey are back after missing the last three regular season games. Adelman con cluded that “ Clyde looked good and strong. He was running pretty freely.” D rcxler hasn’ t played since A p ril 10th. C lyde summed it up in tw o words; “ I ’ m ready.” The Center forC om m unity Mental Health w ill hold their Annual Meeting o f the Board o f Directors on Tuesday, april 28, 1992 at 6:00 p.m. at Bethel A .M £ . Church located at 5828 N.E. 8th. The evening’ s festivities include a keynote address by Dr. D arryl Tukufu, President and CEO o f the Urban League o f Portland, presentation o f the annual Ocie Trotter Aw ard to Rev. Rodney Page, Executive D irector o f Ecum eni cal M inistries o f Oregon, and musical entertainmentby talented singer Tracey Harris. This event is open to the public. I f you wish to attend, please RSVP by calling 289-1167 by Friday, A p ril 24, 1992. Vintage Trolley Car The tremendous successof the V in tage T rolley line has underscored the need for an additional car. L lo y d Center has sponsored the operation o f car #513, which w ill be brought into service amidst a day o f celebration, learning, music and art on thursday A p ril 23rd. As part o f a curriculum section provided by L lo yd Center and Vintage Trolley, Invington Grade School 3rd and 4th grade history classes w ill tour and ride the new car. A special art contest among students w ill be held. Oregon Business Network Business After Hours Networking $3.00 - Members - $5.00 Non- Members/Gucsts V is a -M a s te rc a rd -D is c o v e r & Am erican Express Checks & Cash A c cepted W e A ls o A c c e p t T ra v e lh o s t Cheques (or charge it...and we w ill b ill you later Business Card Drawing For Use o f Corporate S-T-R -E-T-C -H Limousine T o T ake Y o u T o W o rk A n d Date: Wednesday, A p ril 22, 1992 Time: 6:31 PM Where: Travelodge Hotel - 1441 NE 2nd - Portland Increase your sales, leads, con tacts, v is ib ility & public relations. Meet OtherBusinesses, Profession als Remember... i t ’ s no longer what you kn o w ...it’ s who you know! *N o Host Bar * Hors'dourves * Bring Plenty O f Cards & Brochures Home...Or For Use D uring Lunch O th e r S m a ll D o o r P rize s W elcom ed...But N ot Required RSVP Preferred, But NotRequired- Voice: 244-2689, Ext. 38 The Blazers will face the Los Angeles Lakers In the first round of the playoffs. #3 Sedale Threatt of the Lakers hit a 15 foot jump shot Sunday Night against the Los Angeles Clippers to give his team a 109 to 108 overtime victory and a spot in the playoffs. The best of 5 series begins Thursday night in Portland at 7:30 pm. A D V E R T IS E " in th e Center for Community Mental Health Annual Meeting Dedication ceremonies w ill be con ducted at 12:20 pm, and prizes w ill be awarded to the winners o f a student art contest. Regular Vintage T ro lle y service is offered weekends and holidays from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. A suggested fare o f $1.00 is requested. Vintage T ro lley cars run on the M A X tracks from L lo yd Center to The Galleria. \ />. 9. » L ■ J U i n ....... The 1992 Dodge Dynasty: Yours tor tinder $16, 300!* If your taste tor luxury is grander than your bank account, the new Dodge Dynasty was made just tor you. Each one comes packed with more luxury features than you'd ever expect from the sticker price. Like air condition ing, a powerful 3.3 liter V-6 engine, Speed Control, AM/FM Stereo Cassette, Power Door Locks, a Tilt Steering Wheel and a standard driver's side airbag. You'll enjoy full-sized, luxury comfort with . •. . ■ . . . r • . • * •• « ♦ • * plenty of room to spoil six passengers. And to top it all off, you can choose between Chryslers 7-year/70,000-mile power-train protection or 3-year/36,000- jraaf« mile bumper-to-bumper warranty** AU for under $16,300. W hich makes the 1992 Dodge Dynasty a luxury you can afford. For free information call 1-800-4-A-DODGE. C I M V ***S O W O TH f W u i O tT W lC U A * ■ - ■ • & á MSRP *A 16 ,2W .M at tim e o t p r in tin g w it h p at ka ge 26C, tx< h id e s tax a n d d e s tin a tio n < b arge, th e se lim ite d w a rra n tie s at d e a le rs . Rv*tri< tio n s applv. V 16 p m lo d e s n o rm a l 4 m a tn lc n a n i e, a d ju s tm e n ts a n d w ea r item s. BUCKIE UP FOR SAFETY . . . Z • • - ' .• ; 0
