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The BulleTin • Thursday, May 20, 2021 A7 NBA PLAYOFFS DEAR ABBY Write to Dear Abby online at dearabby.com or by mail at P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069 Dear Abby: My physician husband recently had a total hip replacement. (Orthope- dics is not his specialty.) I’m a board-certified registered nurse with 40 years of ex- perience who used to work inpatient orthopedics. He re- fuses to follow the surgeon’s directions or mine, which are the same. He believes he knows more than all of us combined. However, when the home health nurse and physical therapist came, he accepted everything they told him. When I told him he doesn’t respect my profes- sional opinion, he didn’t re- spond. Then I told him he’d insulted my integrity, and he blew up and accused me of being crazy. History will soon repeat itself because he has to have his other hip done in a few months. I am to the point of letting the chips fall where they may and letting his out- comes (good or bad) be his sole responsibility. However, this is difficult to do as a wife and nurse. Plus, I will have to live with the fallout of any suboptimal outcomes. Your advice? — Hip Service in Florida Dear Hip Service: Whether caused by a painful recov- ery or the drugs he has been prescribed, your husband’s behavior is self-defeating. Because he ignores your and his surgeon’s advice, you have no choice but to let the chips fall where they may. You can suggest and warn until you’re hoarse, and your husband will continue to tune you out. The person who will have to live with the consequences is your noncompliant husband. Allow me to offer a sugges- tion: Hire a nurse to tend to him after the second hip re- placement and stay safely out of the line of fire. The peace of mind will be worth the money. Dear Abby: I have a niece who is bipolar. She was put into rehab at the age of 20 and has been clean and so- ber for the last three years. We have always been close, but on a family visit, she asked my opinion about a job choice, and I was honest with her. Because it wasn’t what she wanted to hear, she is extremely distant now. I am no longer “Auntie.” She calls me by my first name only. Weekly calls have ceased. I have championed my niece, supported her emo- tionally when she had prob- lems and helped her out fi- nancially. Her mother says if you don’t agree with her (even though she solicits your opinion), you are then “against” her. What’s the best way to reach out to her? Due to extreme drug abuse for many years, she seems emo- tionally stuck at age 14. — Auntie No More in California Dear Auntie: With the clear understanding that I am not a psychotherapist, may I point out that some individ- uals who suffer from mental illness find it necessary to place people into two cate- gories: friends and enemies. Disagreeing with your niece has landed you in the latter. Her mother has explained this to you, so try not to take it personally. I don’t think this trou- bled young woman will be receptive to a reconciliation until she has found another target. In the meantime, re- main open, stay cordial and fill your life with activities that bring you joy rather than pain. I’m sure her mother will update you on your niece’s progress. YOUR HOROSCOPE By Georgia Nicols Stars show the kind of day you’ll have DYNAMIC | POSITIVE | AVERAGE | SO-SO | DIFFICULT MOON ALERT: There are no restrictions to shopping or important deci- sions today. The Moon is in Virgo. HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021: You’re nurturing, warm and loving. You also have a finely developed sense of intuition. You crave security, but you are also restless and impulsive. Your an- alytical mind is constantly alive! You have an interesting year ahead, because this will be a year when you will have to make an important choice. It will be more social and friendlier. ARIES (March 21-April 19) The pace of your days will accelerate in the next four weeks because you have places to go, things to do and people to see. Enjoy all this to-ing and fro-ing with others. Tonight: Get organized and boost your health. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) In the next four weeks, you will think more about what you value and what you own. When it comes to your stuff, does it serve your needs or is it a burden? Sort out what you want to keep for the ride. Tonight: I’s a fun-loving, flirtatious time! GEMINI (May 21-June 20) The Sun is in Gemini for the next four weeks, which is your chance to boost your energy and recharge your batteries for the months ahead. The Sun in your sign will attract people and favorable circumstances to you. Bo- nus! Tonight: Expect a lively discussion with a female relative. CANCER (June 21-July 22) Your personal year is ending, but your new year does not begin until your birthday. Use the next four weeks to think about what you want for your new year ahead. If you define goals, it’s easier to achieve them. Tonight: Enjoy a meaningful discussion. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) You will be more popular with friends and groups in the next four weeks. Take a moment to think about the role your friends play in your life. What kind of friend are you? Tonight: Shopping and financial matters will be your focus. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Once a year, the Sun sits at the top of your chart for four weeks, thrust- ing you in the limelight, which is why people notice you more. Note: This spotlight is flattering, which means others admire you. Now is the time to make your pitch! Tonight: You are confident and shining! LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Feelings of escapism are strong in the next four weeks. You want to travel, which is probably not possible with COVID restrictions. Therefore, trav- el online and learn new things to feel excited about life. Tonight: You want to cocoon or enjoy your own solitude. Time to catch your breath. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) You will have strong psychological compulsions in the next four weeks. You want to get to know yourself better, which is why everything will feel more intense. You don’t want to skate along on the surface of things. Not now. Tonight: A conversation with a friend is important. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) You need more sleep in the next four weeks because the Sun is symbolically as far away from your sign as it can get all year, and the Sun rep- resents your energy. This is a great time to learn more about how you relate to others. Tonight: You are high-viz! People notice you. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Roll up your sleeves, because you’re keen to work in the next four weeks. You want to work smart and get results for your efforts. This same high standard will extend to your health. (You want it all!) Tonight: You have strong opinions about testy subjects. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) One of the most playful, lighthearted times of the year awaits you in the next four weeks. Do anything that resembles a vacation. Enjoy fun activ- ities with kids. The bottom line is to please yourself and have fun! Tonight: Passions are running high! PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Home and family will be your focus in the next four weeks. Many of you will be more involved than usual with a parent. You will learn something from quiet introspection as memories of the past surface. Tonight: Enjoy a heart-to-heart talk with someone. Blazers need team effort to defend Nuggets’ Jokic BY AARON FENTRESS The Oregonian Jusuf Nurkic’s NBA career began in Denver, where he played alongside and devel- oped a friendship with Nikola Jokic that still continues four years after Nurkic was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in 2017. The pandemic has prevented them from hanging out much in the past year, other than at the NBA bubble last summer. But starting Saturday, they will be seeing a lot of each other on the court during the first round of the NBA playoffs. Nurkic will be asked to de- fend Jokic, the favorite to be named league MVP. “If (Damian Lillard) is not going to win MVP, I think (Jo- kic) should win MVP,” Nur- kic said. “I will not be mad at all. I would be happy for him, for real. Obviously, everything goes around him. They have a great system they put together for him. He has really ridicu- lous numbers, so I think he’s supposed to be the MVP. … He deserves it for sure.” The Blazers’ defense, which has undergone a dramatic transformation over the last 12 games, will face a tough challenge against the Nuggets. Denver ranks fifth in offen- sive rating (118) and eighth in points per game (115.1). At the heart of those numbers is Jokic, who averaged 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists while shooting 56.7% from the field and 38.8% on 3s. The Nuggets will miss All- Star guard Jamal Murray, lost for the season with a knee in- jury on April 12. But they still pack a loaded frontcourt and strong role players who com- plement Jokic and his play- making abilities. “It takes a team effort to guard a player like that in a system like that,” Nurkic said. “It takes more than just one player. Like guarding LeBron James or Kevin Durant, he can really pass the ball. He’s a will- ing passer.” The Blazers went 1-2 against Denver during the regular sea- Steve Dykes/AP Portland Trail Blazers’ Jusuf Nurkic (27) defends Denver Nuggets’ Ni- kola Jokic (15) on Sunday in Portland. son but were without Nurkic and C.J. McCollum while los- ing the first meeting at Denver on Feb. 23. Portland also fell to Denver 106-105 at home on April 21 while Lillard was still mired in his April slump. In Sunday’s regular-season finale, the Blazers were playing for sixth place, while Denver didn’t have much to lose and didn’t play its starters in the second half. So, on paper, there are many reasons to believe that the Blazers have a good chance to win the series with one of the main variables being the ab- sence of Murray, who averaged 21.2 points and 4.8 assists per game. Portland coach Terry Stotts said Tuesday that he had just watched the Feb. 23 game and commented on how Murray and Jokic took over that game in the fourth quarter to bring home the win. “The fourth quarter was all Murray and Jokic,” Stotts said. “Arguably the best two-man game in the league.” Murray scored 19 points in the quarter and Jokic had six points and three assists af- ter having scored 12 points in the third. He finished with 41. Murray had 24. Denver won 111-106. “Obviously, they are short- handed without Murray,” Nur- kic said. “But they are still a dangerous team.” What makes the rest of the Nuggets such threats is the 6-foot-11 Jokic’s abilities as a playmaker. “His passing is as much of a threat as his scoring,” Stotts said. “He gets the ball in all kinds of different positions.” That, along with his ability to score inside, outside and ev- erywhere between, makes it difficult to focus on one aspect of Jokic as an offensive threat. “There’s such a variety to his game that it’s not like we can do a steady diet to take away one thing because he does so many things,” Stotts said. Having Nurkic will give the Blazers a big body to run at Jokic. In their first meeting this season, Nurkic struggled offensively, scoring just eight points on 3 of 11 shooting. But it was the second of a back-to- back while he was still working within a minutes restriction. Jokic that night had 25 points and nine rebounds. Nurkic won’t have to worry about back-to-backs during the playoffs, but even still, he said it would take a team effort to handle Jokic. Nurkic didn’t get a chance to go up against Jokic during the second round of the 2019 playoffs because he broke his leg that March. Jo- kic in that series averaged 27.1 points, 13.9 rebounds and 7.7 assists. “Certainly, having Nurkic changes our ability to keep a big body on him,” Stotts said. “And Nurk and his defensive “My instincts tell me the pitching is getting better. The hitting is too, but I do think that the way the arms are, the velocity the pitchers are throwing, the ability to spin the ball incredibly well, it’s just a tough combination. MLB Continued from A5 “I think it’s still really hard,” said Texas manager Chris Woodward, who was on the losing end when Joe Musgrove threw the first no-hitter in San Diego Padres history last month. “It’s one of the hard- est things to do in sports. Any time it’s happening, any game I’m watching … if a guy has a no-hitter through four, I’m al- ways kind of like intrigued.” It’s hard to separate all these no-hitters from the context of what baseball looks like in 2021. Entering Wednesday, there was an average of 7.83 hits per team in a game. Only one season has ended with a lower figure, in 1908, during the dead ball era. The other seasons when hits were the scarcest were 1968, remem- bered as the Year of the Pitch- erm, and dead ball seasons of 1909 and 1907. Remarkably, there wasn’t a single no-hitter in 1909 and only two in 1907. But there were six in 1908 and five in 1968. The highest hits per game average since 1900 was in 1930 at 10.37 per team. Next up were 1925, 1921, 1936 and 1929. Not surprisingly, there were only two no-hitters com- bined in those five seasons. “My instincts tell me the pitching is getting better,” said Cincinnati Reds manager Da- vid Bell, whose team produced one of this year’s no-hitters when Wade Miley threw his May 7. “The hitting is too, but I do think that the way the arms are, the velocity the pitchers are throwing, the ability to spin the ball incredibly well, it’s just a tough combination. And you get a guy on a good night when he’s locked in, the scouting re- ports have gotten more exact, and it can make for a tough night.” One of the more unusual stretches for no-hitters came between 1988 and 1992. During that stretch, the hits per game numbers stayed be- tween 8.62 and 8.75 every sea- abilities versus Enes (Kanter), it is different. So, from that as- pect, there’s no question that we’ll be able to do some things differently than we did two years ago with regard to Jokic.” But this time around, Jokic has the 6-10 Michael Porter Jr. and the 6-8 Aaron Gordon at power forward, while Paul Millsap comes off the bench. “Aaron Gordon is a younger version of Paul Millsap and Porter is coming into his own as a wing shooter,” Stotts said. “They may not be quite as deep as they were when we played them in the playoffs, but the guys that are out there are pretty good.” The backcourt will miss Murray, and Will Barton (hamstring) is questionable. But Monte Morris shot 38.1% on threes and Austin Rivers shot 37.5%. The Blazers raised their level of defensive play while closing the regular season with 10 wins in 12 outings. Blazers guard Norman Powell said he expects the improved play to continue against Denver. “I think we measure really well with them,” Powell said. “I think that we have multiple ways to guard and multiple lineups that we can provide them offensively and defen- sively to get the looks and take advantage of the matchups that we see fit.” Teammate Robert Coving- ton agreed. “I think our mindset and ev- erything’s in a much different place, and I think everyone’s approach is much better than what it was before,” he said. “Everybody’s mentally locked in, understanding that we’re all we’ve got. At the end of the day, what we put in is what we get out.” Whatever the Blazers chose to do defensively against Jokic and Denver, the anchor will be Nurkic. “To have him at full strength, healthy, being able to play his full minutes,” Stotts said, “it’s really important for our team and that’s probably an understatement.” — David Bell , Cincinnati Reds manager Tony Gutierrez/AP New York Yankees starting pitcher Corey Kluber throws to a Texas Rangers batter during the sixth inning in Arlington, Texas, on Wednes- day night. Kluber pitched the season’s sixth no-hitter one night after Detroit’s Spencer Turnbull no-hit the Seattle Mariners. son, but the number of no-hit- ters varied widely. There was one in 1988, followed by zero in 1989, then seven each in 1990 and 1991. Then it was back to just one in 1992. From 2002-06, there were only five no-hitters. In that 2006 season, teams averaged 9.28 hits per game. That num- ber has steadily decreased since then, and no-hitters have been more common. There were seven each in 2012 and 2015. In this era of hard-throwing relievers and fewer complete games, you might expect more combined no-hitters, but this year’s have all been solo efforts. “I think the surprising thing is that, you know, maybe in the age of pitchers not going 100 pitches, that they’re actually be- ing able to finish these games off. Because typically nowadays it’s hard for a guy to get through six innings with less than 100 pitches,” Woodward said. “That’s probably more surpris- ing to me. And there hasn’t been a 160-pitch no-hitter yet, which is like gut-wrenching for a manager. I can’t even imagine having to deal with that.” The number of strikeouts hasn’t really been out of the or- dinary in these no-hitters, and that might be part of the rea- son pitch counts weren’t out of control. The average number of strikeouts in this year’s no-hit- ters has been 9.2. Carlos Rodón of the Chicago White Sox had only seven in his no-hitter against Cleveland last month. Perhaps the trend will sub- side a bit, but as long as hits are this hard to come by, a no-hit- ter will be a constant possibil- ity. The question is whether these feats will still draw as much attention. “Every time you get close, that excitement, you can feel it in the dugout — I hope that never leaves,” Kansas City manager Mike Matheny said. “There’s some excitement when you see, you know, this is track- ing really well, we’ve had some really great plays, the innings are going by, maybe this could happen. I really hope fans don’t start to think it’s common.” CENTRAL OREGON GOLF RESORTS AND COURSES GET READY TO TEE OFF • Dedicated to the golf enthusiasts of Central Oregon and includes information on approximately 30 courses throughout the region. • Comprehensive tournament schedule, clinics and special events in Central Oregon. • Highlighting the newest equipment on the market. 2021 CENTRAL OREGON Golf Preview IN THE BULLETIN ON SUNDAY, MAY 23!
