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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. »
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