Conference 7.286::sports_90

    Well the boys came through just as I said they would!  Final was 121-118 
    in OT.  I didn't get to watch the game, but I listened to the second half 
    on the radio.  It sounded like a great game, but not very pretty.  LA 
    wasn't the only team missing free throws last night.  Phoenix could've 
    won in regulation if they hit their average from the line.
    
    In the OT, LA was missing the free throws and Phoenix started hitting
    them.  That's what happens to old guys I guess :-)  
    
    Magic was Tragic in missing the free throw that would've put LA up by 3
    with less than a minute left.  Then he committed that really stupid
    foul in OT that sent Hornacek to the line after a Phoenix miss.  I
    think that put the Suns up by 4.
    
    Brilliant move by Cotton having the boys foul Byron Scott in OT with
    11 seconds left.  LA was only down by 3, so they fouled Scott (who
    hadn't been to the line all night), giving LA only a chance for 2. 
    Scott was so shocked he threw up an air ball on the first attempt!
    
    You have to be old and tired to lose a 12 point lead too!  I'll savor
    this until LA's next loss in Phoenix (which will be the next regular
    season meeting).
    
    Mike

    To me,the Suns appeared to be a cocky team at the begginning of the
    season.But I think that they are finally realizing that you have to
    work to win inthe NBA.
    

    Mike,
    
    How can you get on Magic?  He had like 2 points or so entering the
    4th quarter, and then scored like 14 in the quarter, not to mention
    the numerous assists.  Thank Pat Riley for resting Magic at the
    end of the 3rd, and letting the Suns get real close.  A 3-point
    win, at home, in OT, isn't exactly a thrashing.  Kevin Johnson and
    Magic Johnson were both superb last night - a treat for a basketball
    fan to watch - no matter who their favorite team was.
    
    And to me, Woolridge really was a goat - besides the goaltend, he
    also threw up quite a few ill-advised shots down the stretch.  
    
    JD

    No, Mike, you didn't "forget" to start up this note earlier.  You just
    didn't care to talk about the Suns after the way they started the
    season.  Now that they've finally beaten the Lakers (first time in last
    6 outings) you have something to talk about.  God knows you aren't
    saying much about your favorite team's historic performance in the
    Meadowlands the other night. ;)
    
    Also, the only reason the Suns won the other night is because of an
    ex-Laker.  They finally managed to get someone on that team who knows
    something about winning!
    
    Laker_Ken

    The Suns have given Rambis a new nickname, "Dirty Kurt" (reference to
    his trench work, not his style of play).
    
    Ken, say what you want, but I remember the Suns doing a lot better when
    they had their own note in SPORTS :-).
    
    Re: Celtics
    
    I'm not to blame for their lack of intensity on the road without Bird.
    For some reason, he makes them stay into the road games.
    
    Re: Rambis reason for win
    
    Yeah along with KJ's and Chamber's 30+ points, and West rejecting everyone
    inside.  West, Rambis, and Majerle all had 11+ boards.  They killed the
    Lakers off the glass.
    
    Mike
    
    

    When did the Suns get Rambis, and for whom/what?
    
    Shows ya how much I live for sports, eh?  :-)
    
    Hawk

    Suns have improved their record with Rambis.  Gilliam seems to be a
    half court player at best.
    
    Mike

This is a trade that has helped both teams, it seems. Armon has been big
for the Hornets. I hated to see Captain Kurt traded (too bad y'all
wouldn't let us pay you to take Kelly) but I'm glad Armon is here. In
fact, on another topic of discussion, JR is very glad Armon is here.

TTom

    The Suns may obtain the best end of the deal.  Remember they still have
    2 picks from the Hornets as part of the swap.
    
    Mike

2 second round draft picks, right?

Yeah, and also, Charlotte has to resign Armon at the end of this year.

TTom

    Yeah 2nd rounders, but they should be early.
    
    Mike

BTW, Mike, these weren't ours to begin with. Over the last couple of
pre-seasons, we've accumulated more than our share. So I'm not sure if
the #2s are ours, which would be good, early 2nds, or some one else's,
like Portland's.

TTom

    Suns won a big one at McNichols Arena, Saturday night, against the
    Nuggetts.  I believe that was only Denver's second loss at home.  Suns
    lead most of the way and were up by 15 at one point.  Final was
    119-111.
    
    Phoenix has now won 3 in a row.  Armond Gilliam, with Charlotte, makes
    his first re-appearance tonight in Phoenix.
    
    Mike

    
    Good game, huh Mike? Early on it looked like they were trying to run
    eachother into the floor. It was fast and furious. Then Phoenix
    couldn't miss and the Nuggets couldn't buy a hoop. Then both went cold.
    I thought the Nuggets were going to pull out another of their patented
    come from behind wins. But the Suns hung on for the win. Exciting game.
    
    Before that game I saw about the first three qtrs. of the
    Celtics-Orlando (or was it Miami? one of those expansion teams). Glenn
    Rice was feasting on Bird. Bird didn't have a chance guarding him. The
    Celtics coach finally got a clue and switched Bird off of him. That was
    the first time I had seen Rice in the NBA. If that was any indication,
    he is going to be a star. I don't know who won, they changed it to the
    Nuggets game, but the Celtics looked bad.
    
                                                   HOOT
    

    	HOOT you obviously haven't seen Larry Bird play defense this
    year.  He's made a lot of guys look like All Stars.  In one close
    game this year Rogers was substituting for Bird when the Celtics
    were on defense.  Larry was never a good defensive player, but he
    seems to have lost a lot.
    
    				/Don

    re.15:
    
    Glenn Rice plays for Miami.
    
    
    py

    Wasn't pretty, but the Suns made it 4 in a row last night over the
    Hornets in OT.  Gilliam looks good in his new role!
    
    Game was pretty close throughout, but the Suns took control in OT to
    win by 10.  TC (Tommy Gun) had 40; KJ led the way in OT with 6.
    
    Suns have now won 9 of their last 11, including 4 in a row.
    
    Mike

    Suns blew out the Mavs in Dallas tonight, 108-88.  That makes the
    streak 5 in a row and the last 10 of 12.
    
    This team is really starting to gel, so the West better watch out. 
    Rambis' tenacity for rebounding has become contagious and the Suns'
    team defense is loads better than what they showed in the West. Conf.
    finals last year.
    
    They killed their opponents on the boards yet again to the tune of
    53-33.  Anytime you hold Dallas to 88 points at home, you're doing
    okay!
    
    Don't you love it when one of your favorites are on a roll!!    
    Mike

    >Don't you love it when one of your favorites are on a roll!!    
    
    yup...
    
    -Walt

    >Don't you love it when one of your favorites are on a roll!!    

Like the Nets, winners of 4 of their last 6.  For the Nets, that's a roll that
would make Roseanne Barr proud.

Dan

    Yeah maybe but didn't ya hear that Roseanne was accidentally shot
    at
    
    
    
    
    By some Ivory poachers???
    
    HTH
    
    Kev_OW(tm)
   

    Good News:
    
    Suns made it 6 in a row last night over Minnesota.  Won by 20+. 
    They've now won 11 of their last 13.
    
    Bad News:
    
    Eddie Johnson dislocated his shoulder.  He'll be X-rayed today.  No
    announcements have been made yet as to how long he'll be out.
    
    Mike

    
    Gee, no Suns note until January 10th... they must be doing a little
    better lately... time for the Suns fans to come out of the woodwork
    again...
    

    
    Have the Suns played the Cavs this year?
    

    
    Kevin Johnson is an excellent player, but Chambers is an over-rated
    stiff...!
    

    Is this REALLY necessary?

what's the word on Eddie Johnson. I saw - but didn't hear - something
about an injury last  night on ESPN.

TTom

    Hey Rock, there is always the , key on your keypad.  Do you have a chip
    on your shoulder or what?  Go home and beat your dog for awhile.
    
    Suns played in Cleveland on December 30th and won.  Don't remember the
    score.  Cavs come to the valley on March 4th.  I believe that game was
    supposed to be on CBS because it has a Noon start time.
    
    Mike

    
    
    Uh... better go back and check your scorebook... Cavs played Suns
    in Cleveland in December and the CAVS won... not the Suns...
    
    Chip on my shoulder... no, you were harassing me about putting a
    note in the Cavs note so I figured I'd give you a little harassment.
    

    EJ separated his shoulder.  X-rays revealed no fractures, but it isn't
    known how long he'll be out (as of this morning's paper).
    
    Suns shot a season high 61% from the floor last night.  Wolves were the
    first team to outrebound the Suns since the Rambis trade.
    
    Mike

    Paul, I didn't intend for it to come across as harassment.  That is
    against DEC policy :-)
    
    Some of us are getting tired of the X is better than Y arguments,
    especially where it can't be proven (which is most situations).
    
    Mike

    
    Maybe you should use your own advice... there's always the , key if you
    don't want to read what I've got to say about the Cavs...!
    
           <<< OURGNG::SYS$SYSDEVICE:[NOTES$LIBRARY]SPORTS.NOTE;1 >>>
                               -< SON OF SPORTS >-
================================================================================
Note 34.7                   CLEVELAND Cavaliers note                     7 of 32
PNO::HEISER "summertime all year round"               3 lines  17-JAN-1990 15:44
                                   -< yawn >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Here we go again.  Different sport this time
    
    Mike
    

    
    BTW, I actually like the Suns... go back into the old Sports notesfile
    and you'll see who started the Phoenix Suns note...
    
    December 30th, 1989.
    PHOENIX            25   35   22   20  -  102
    CLEVELAND          30   24   29   27  -  110

RE.< Note 109.32 by PNO::HEISER "Zamfir don't know Diddley" >

>    Some of us are getting tired of the X is better than Y arguments,
 
I don't know who this Y guy is, but I'm sure X-man is better than him. We're
talking toast-a-roma in a 1-on-1 setting.

;-)
Brian

    Something to make the day of every Laker fan:
    
    Suns are only 6 games behind LA now, and Phoenix has played less games.
    
    Mike

    don't hold your breath...
    
    sean

    I vividly remember Laker fans holding their breath last year when
    Phoenix only finished 2 games behind them.
    
    This year's version is improving and is currently on a roll!
    
    Mike

    
    	Personally, I think Portland is a much better team than Phoenix,
    and should finish ahead of them in the West division, behind the
    Lakers of course...
    
    sean

    .37:
    
    Call me when they take over first place. I might still be alive. 
    
    I wish I had a penny for every pretender to the Lakers throne these
    last 10 years - I could retire.
    
    Sameer (who is sick of rhethoric)

    
    	just look at how phoenix fared against LA last season in the
    playoffs after finishing *just* 2 games behind...
    
    sean

    C'mon Mike, ease off the Peyote buttons!  6 games is 6 games no
    matter how many have been played.  Are you telling me that LA
    will lose the next 6 and Phoenix will win the next 6.  I see
    from my complimentary Suns schedule that the Suns are starting
    an eastern road trip tonight.  Playing in Orlando, Miami, Charlotte,
    Detriot and Boston.  Orlando has been playing the spoiler this
    year and Detroit and Boston will be anything but easy.  Actually
    I see Portland will have its chance to beat both the Lakers and
    Suns just prior to the All-Star break.  Suns are in Portland on
    the 4th and Lakers on the 6th.  At any rate, don't go blowin' off
    just yet Mike, remember all that tasty crow with jalapenos last
    year and I still want one of those "1989 WESTERN CONFERENCE 
    CHAMPIONS - PHOENIX SUNS" tee shirts!  :^)  Got any 1990 ones yet?
    All I can say is the Suns have to catch and we shall see.
    
    Bret

    
    I would be real surprised of the Suns lose more than one game on that
    road trip, Detroit.

    	As much as I *dislike* Boston, I don't think Phoenix is as good
    a team as them and should not beat them at the Garden.
    	
    did I just say that?  quick, someone show me a Worthy clip!
    :)
    sean

    Doesn't take much to rattle a few cages in Here!!! :-)  Admittedly, the
    road trip will be a little tougher since EJ is out on IR with a
    dislocated shoulder.
    
>    	As much as I *dislike* Boston, I don't think Phoenix is as good
>    a team as them and should not beat them at the Garden.
    
    This will be a good game.  I like both teams.  Last year, nobody gave
    the Suns a chance, even without Bird playing.  Suns went out and beat
    Boston at the Garden for the first time in 10 years.
    
    The rest of the teams, outside of Detroit and Boston, shouldn't be a
    problem.  Even without EJ, the Suns have been on a roll lately.  
    
    Last I looked, Phoenix has played about 3 or 4 games less than everyone
    else.  Don't ask me why...
    
    Mike

    Suns continued the streak last night by blowing away the Magic in
    Orlando by 25 points.  The streak is now 8 in a row and 13 of their
    last 15.
    
    Tonight (vs. Miami) they have a chance to tie the league's best streak 
    so far this season.   The previous streak of 9 is shared by the Knicks
    (Suns ended that streak) and the Lakers (Suns contributed to that
    streak).
    
    Suns have a team streak record of 9 also (set last year).  A victory
    tonight and Thursday (at Charlotte) will break the team record.
    
    With the injury to EJ (out 4-6 weeks), Cotton was forced to go deeper into
    his bench.  Lang, Battle, and Grant all received increased playing time
    last night and all played well.  Battle looked as if he was gaining
    confidence the more he played and did a super job on the boards.
    
    Mike
    

    The All-Star West voting is more of a farce than the East.  There is no way
    Steve Johnson (injured all season) and Pervis Ellison (major
    disappointment) should be on there when guys like Mark West are having
    career years.
    
    As for the guards, Pooh Richardson and Maurice Cheeks?!?!?!  Quote from
    Bernie Bickerstaff after Seattle's Saturday night loss to Phoenix,
    "Jeff Hornacek is the most underrated guard in the NBA!"
    
    Both West and Hornacek have season averages well above their career
    averages.
    
    Mike
    
    

    The Suns tied the club record and the league's season record for longest 
    winning streaks last night.  The streak is now 9 in a row and counting, 
    14 of the last 16.  Phoenix is only 5 1/2 games back of LA (thanks to 
    the Knicks).
    
    I know treat you to the game summary as reported by a Miami fan.
    
    Mike
            <<< TERRA::MASA3:[NOTES$LIBRARY]BOSTON_CELTICS.NOTE;1 >>>
                        -< Boston Celtics (volume IV) >-
================================================================================
Note 15.148                      The Miami Heat                       148 of 149
LACV01::PETRIE "expansion noter"                     66 lines  24-JAN-1990 10:46
                     -< pass the Solarcaine.  118-99 Suns >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    Personally, *I* liked the first half :^) - when Kevin Johnson and 
    Tom Chambers were having trouble getting them to drop while the 
    Heat matched the Suns shot for shot.  Phoenix did a nice job of 
    cranking their game up another level in the second half.  If the 
    Heat had another level to go to, it seemed to be down...though 
    they staged a late-Q3 comeback run on the strength of Pat 
    Cummings' defense.  (Life is _full_ of surprises :^)  It wasn't 
    enough:  the Suns dominated the offensive boards and traveled 
    unerringly to the line in Q4.  The Heat traveled and turned_over.
    
    Funny:  it looked to me like the Heat shot abominably and the Suns 
    better from the field.  In fact, their FG stats were pretty close:  
    Suns 45-97 = 46.4%; Heat 43-95 = 45.3%.  Must be Rice (7-21) and 
    Seikaly (4-13) skewing my vision.  The Suns had 57 rebounds to 
    Miami's 39, and were 28-33 from the line - the Heat were 13-23 
    (and those mostly in Q1/Q2).
    
    scoring by quarter:
    
    Heat     25    27    23    24 -- 99
    Suns     27    27    30    34 --118
    
    Q1:  Rice fouls at the tip-off.  Chambers leads an 8-0 run.  Heat 
      begin to score: Seikaly blocks & jams, Rice grabs own miss. Heat 
      rebounding now and passing better; Phoenix maintaining :^) at 
      6:00, 15-8 Suns.  Frank enters hungry to bring it within 1, 21-20 
      Suns at the 2:00 mark.  Sparrow fouls KJohnson (2-2), Frank again 
      & grabs Suns' miss; Long, fouled by Chambers, makes 1-2 to tie.  
      Douglas twists & turns his way into KJ (_someone_ learned McHale's 
      move); Hornacek misses.  Douglas eats too much clock and wastes 
      the play.  Hornacek makes his FT's.  27-25 Suns
    
    Q2:  Terrific passing puts Suns up 31-29.  Cummings a basket as 
      Sundvold and Majerle play bumpercars.  Miami band plays "Walking 
      on Sunshine" while the Mascot & assorted kids stomp all over Suns 
      pennants...cute.  Cummings boxing out and rebounding like an All 
      Star, but also fouls.  Seikaly back in.  Heads_up plays on both 
      sides as well as airballs and flubs.  Heat step ahead on a BT jam 
      and Douglas layup: at 3:08, 47-45 Heat.  Wild scrambles; Chambers 
      picks up fouls #2 and #3, Battle drives and dunks.  54-52 Suns
    
    Q3:  38 seconds of Heat brilliance.  Suns' timeout at 11:22, 56-54 
      Heat.  New Improved Suns on a 10-0 run as KJ finds his shot.  
      Chambers picks up foul #4 at 5:14, 75-64 Suns.  Cummings in.  A 
      mortifying bucket_brigade Heat passing play ends with Pat passing 
      to the scorers' table (o humiliation). 4:04, 79-64 Suns.  Heat 
      regroup as Cummings gets involved: screens for Sparrow, drives (!) 
      to hoop, steals to feed Frank, scrambles for rebound, pops a hand 
      in to force a turnover, intercepts a pass -> Douglas drives it in.  
      At 0:55, 81-73 Suns.  Douglas again eats too much clock on the 
      last play and misses.  Nice of KJ to miss, too.  84-75 Suns
    
    Q4:  Douglas kicked in shin, sits briefly.  Suns getting second, 
      third and fourth chances, while Heat miss their first try *and* 
      the rebound.  Not ready to die yet, Miami pulls within 17.  Let 
      Mike Heiser tell you how the Suns shone (sob*). 118-99 Suns
    
    -----------                              
    Tonight you *won't* see Scott Haffner or Terry Davis (knee & flu, 
    respectively), but the Heat will try to win anyway ;^)  I'll be in 
    a meeting all morning:  expect the Heat perspective on the game 
    around 1:00 p.m.
    
    go Heat!! go Celtics!!  (why does someone have to lose?)
    Kathy

    Is CBS going to carry the Suns-Celtics game on Sunday?
    
    Mike

    Yup!

    Suns made it 10 in a row last night over Charlotte in a BIG way!  That
    is the new club record and season high for the league!  They have now
    won 15 of their last 17 and are only 5 games in back of the
    Lackers(tm).  Best thing about the streak is that the Suns are blowing
    away the teams that they are supposed to blow away, and they're doing it 
    on the road too!
    
    Next stop is in Detroit tonight!  Going for 11...
    
    Mike

    Wow, CBS is going to break into their Super Bowl hype to put on a
    basketball game!

    
    Good thing they did Mac, cause the basketball game was far more
    entertaining than the SB. What a pest that Kevin Johnson is. If
    he wasn't scoring he was dishing that ball to someone to keep
    the Suns in this game. The way the Celtics were playing they should
    have blown them out. Chambers had a bundle (39 I think) but still
    shot a bit too much, possibly because of no EJ. Some nice pass from
    Mchale yesterday and Bags came up big going 5-5 from the field and
    most with very little time on the clock.....
    
    it's wins like this one that keep the Jihad alive  ;^)
    
    mike

    I watched both Phoenix losses this weekend.  The Detroit game was a super 
    contest.  If it wasn't for Lamebrain's above average performance, the Suns 
    would've blown them out.  They had the lead at the half but didn't protect 
    it in the 2nd half.  I couldn't believe the way Lamebrain was knocking down
    the 3's.  He was unconscious!  Isiah and KJ put on a show!  Neither one
    could stop the other, but it was one of the best performances of "1 up-
    manship" I've seen since Bird vs. Wilkins in that 4th quarter of the
    '87 playoffs.  Final was 107-103.
    
    Celtics game wasn't as close as I thought it would be.  Suns did look a
    little tired since it was their 5th game in 6 days, but that is part of
    the game.  I also won't mention certain injuries as excuses* as Lacker*
    fans do, but we all know why Boston's bench outscored Phoenix's to the
    tune of 48-3.  Final was 126-118.
    
    The best team won both games.  I still see similar problems with the
    Suns that the Lackers exposed in last season's playoffs.  They fixed a
    problem with inside play by adding Rambis.  Boston is the #1 defensive
    rebounding team in the NBA so what happened yesterday didn't surprise
    me.  What the Detroit and Boston games pointed out was that the Suns
    have an average at best halfcourt game when they can't run.  Not many
    teams can run with them, but those teams that play defense and/or cut
    off the lanes (like Boston & Detroit) force Phoenix into a 2 man game
    of TC and KJ.  Looks to me like they need to improve the � court game.
    I think they're still 1 player away.
    
    That was the first time I saw the Celts since mid-December.  They
    looked much better yesterday.  The passing was crisp, their team
    defense looked great at times, and they had good movement without the
    ball.  The 2nd quarter was a killer.  McHale said afterwards that they
    felt good and were aggressive.  He said they need to maintain that
    aggressive attitude to make a run, especially after the All-Star game
    where only 17 of 41 games will be at home.  They have to learn how to
    beat .500+ teams on the road - FAST!  Their west coast swing doesn't
    have an "automatic" on the schedule!
    
    Surprise:  Cotton interviewed Pat Riley on his weekly show last night. 
    Pat (who used to play for the Suns) was praised by Cotton for being
    able to motivate his group of stars, year after year.  He was also
    complimented for the way he handled last year's loss in the finals,
    knowing it wouldn't have been a sweep if all were healthy.  He did say
    that Detroit wouldn't have been denied last year though.  He also said
    he was blessed with a talented group because when he took over LA, he
    didn't really know anything about coaching, and learned "on the job".
    
    Suns are now 7 games behind LA, but they are not setting by no means.  
    Expect another streak to resume Tuesday night.  After taking out their 
    frustration on the Nets at home, I believe the Suns will have completed a 
    14-3 January.  Don't forget that Phoenix was 10-11 games behind LA in 
    December.  7 games is just a stepping stone on the way up.
    
    EJ was also on the tube last night.  He should be back in mid-February.
    
    Mike

    However Mike.....the Lakers are currently at 10-3 for January with
    2 "home" games left.  Against the Spurs tonight in the Forum and
    tomorrow night in the L.A. Arena against the Clippers.  The Suns schedule
    only shows 16 games for January, so unless the Lakers lose one or
    both of the next games, the Suns will not have made any ground on
    the Lakers this month.  I also notice they both have 12 games next
    month, both with only 5 road games.  I wouldn't expect the gap to
    close much if at all next month either.  But one day at a time, 
    right?  To quote, "Isn't it great when your team is on a roll or
    on top?"  Something to that effect.  The answer is "yes", while it
    lasts for whoever is on top for the present.  It can always change.
    
    Bret  :^)

    I see that the Celts are Mike's No 1 team for now ..... :-)

    He's having a tough time choosing between the two these days, Doc.  We
    didn't hear a peep out of him about the Suns until a couple weeks ago. 
    And even then, the only reason he's had yell about Phoenix is because
    they picked up an ex-Laker to show them how to win.  ;)
    
    Laker_Ken

>    <<< Note 109.57 by EARRTH::BROOKS "Remember the Massachusetts 54th !" >>>
>                  -< I'm sure this will change by April ... >-
>    I see that the Celts are Mike's No 1 team for now ..... :-)
    
    Doc, you saw my jacket at Prince's so you know who's number one.  Last
    April, team #1 exited early while team #2 continued.
    
    Correction: I previously stated in error that the Suns could go 14-3. 
    My schedule shows that 13-3 is the best they can do for January.
    
    I still say 7 games back isn't as bad as 11.
    
    Mike

>   <<< Note 109.58 by CUPTAY::TESSIER "Number 14 UCONN set to kill umass" >>>
>                       -< Rambis will always be a Laker >-
>    He's having a tough time choosing between the two these days, Doc.  We
>    didn't hear a peep out of him about the Suns until a couple weeks ago. 
>    And even then, the only reason he's had yell about Phoenix is because
>    they picked up an ex-Laker to show them how to win.  ;)
    
    Like when LA picked up an ex-Sun as their coach so they could win a few
    rings and keep everyone motivated.
    
    Mike
    

    Sorry Mike, but Riley had his best years as a Laker.
    
    Keep dreaming in the desert heat ....

and as a Kentucky Wildcat.

TTom

    Actually, Riley never had a good year as a player.  I remember when he
    was on the Lakers in the early 70s.  Every time he would come in to
    spell Goodrich or West, I'd cringe.  We were sure to be treated to a
    few turnovers.  Funny how it seems that mediocre players often make the
    best coaches, whereas great players seldom last long as
    coaches/managers.
    
    Laker_Ken

>               -< The Suns can't even wear real (Laker) purple >-
    
    Doc, thanks for clueing me in.  I thought it was LA that screwed up 
    all this time!

>    Keep dreaming in the desert heat ....
    
    Not this time of year.  Who you rooting for this year, Doc?
    
    On to less trivial matters...
    
    Suns beat the Nets Tuesday night 120-95 to finish a 13-3 January.  Thanks 
    to the Spurs' & Clips' wins*** over the Lackers, Suns are 5� games out 
    now.  Phoenix was as much as 11 games out in December.
    
    Atlanta comes to town tonight.
    
    Mike

    Suns took the Hawks 102-90 to win their 10th straight home game.  Hawks
    have the pleasure of going to the Forum next.
    
    Mike

    Suns won their 11th straight at home on Saturday night by bombing
    Houston 130-105!!!  That's right Doc, no typo there!  Those Rockets are
    on a roll aren't they!

    Sunday they went to Portland to take on the surprising Blazers.  The
    game was on local TV so I got to see the Blazers for the first time
    this season.  The first half showed the Blazers doing no wrong and 
    building up an 18 point lead in the second.  They led by 16 at the half.  

    In the 3rd quarter, Suns outscored the Blazers 32-18 to cut Portland's
    lead to 2 after 3.  The 4th quarter was a beauty!  The lead changed
    hands 10 times and was tied on 12 different occasions.  Blazers
    finally edged out a 123-121 win at the end of regulation.  Suns have
    lost 2 games in Portland this year by a total of 3 points (lost 110-109
    earlier this season).

    Personally, I don't see what is so great about the Portland team!  They
    didn't impress me so I don't see what all the fuss is about.  They are
    definitely beatable by any of the other top 7 playoff teams.

    Mike

>    Personally, I don't see what is so great about the Portland team!  They
>    didn't impress me so I don't see what all the fuss is about.  They are
>    definitely beatable by any of the other top 7 playoff teams.
 
    	If you look at their record (no paper today) they are at least
    the third best team in terms of record in the NBA and may be tied
    for second with Utah.  Drexler and Williams are the key, along with
    Jerome.  They may be beatable, but they have beaten some pretty
    good teams to have the record they have.
    
    sean

    Mike,
    
    man for man, the Blazer's starting lineup is better than the SUns.
    The Suns bench is a better, though.
    
    JD

�    The Suns bench is a better, though.
    
Yes, I agree.  From what I hear, it is finely sanded to prevent splinters
from entering the gluteus maximus of the individual players.  As some
basketball players have a gluteus maximus which is large enough to stack
plates on, it would seem that this is quite an advantage, since a larger
gluteus maximus would have more surface area into which splinters could
enter.

If you have fewer (or no) splinters in your gluteus maximus, then you
will be able to play the game better...

So, remember, the team with the better bench will usually win...

Help this hopes (w/o flies),
Chainsaw

    Clyde is always the same, he'll get his 30 no matter what you do. 
    Portland's big edge last night was rebounding, especially on the
    offensive side.  They have a big line with Sir Duckworth and Buck
    Williams.  They killed the Suns inside last night, but they are a half
    court team.  When the Suns started to run in the second half, Portland
    couldn't keep up.  The Suns kept catching them falling asleep in their
    defensive transition.   Of course it help that Drexler got into foul
    trouble, but he came back in when the Portland lead was down to 5.
    Kersey was unconscious in the first half, but cooled off when they
    switched Majerle on him.  Majerle can get physical and Kersey didn't
    seem to appreciate it.  
    
    Their bench is poor too.  Deep in the 4th, a graphic was displayed
    showing that Phoenix's bench outscored the Blazer's bench 30-3.  All 5
    Portland starters hit double figures and pretty much did all their
    damage.  They had some guys coming off the bench that I never heard of 
    (i.e., Danny Young, Petrovich from Yugoslavia?).
    
    Bottomline, Portland is an excellent half court team that CAN run when
    the opportunity presents itself (i.e., controlled fast break).  Phoenix
    is the other way around.  They have an excellent running game but a
    poor halfcourt game.  Not too many teams can run with the Suns.
    
    Mike

    I wish I could've seen the Sonics-Suns game last night, but some guy
    with HUGE lats was blocking the camera lens!
    
    Suns won 128-124, but it was ugly.  Phoenix almost blew it when
    Chambers fouled out with 2 minutes left.  Like I said before, they are
    a 2 man team (maybe 3 with a healthy EJ), that are weak rebounders and
    have a pathetic half court game because of it.  They only win when they
    can run!
    
    The Sonics killed them on the boards, most of the playoff teams do.  
    The encouraging thing about their 28-17 record at the break is that it
    is about the same last year when they had the big turnaround season.
    
    Last year they surprise many teams on the road and the victims would
    cry "horrible loss".  This year, teams are ready for them and they are
    still winning at the same pace.  The victims also refer to it as a 
    "tough loss" this year.
    
    All-Star notes:  Kenny Battle (who had a decent game last night) will
    be in the Slam Dunk contest.  KJ was going to sit out because of a
    groin problem that needs resting, but decided not to after the league
    pressured Barkley to be there.
    
    Mike

    Yup, good win for the Setting_Suns- especially since it seemed that 
    Seattle had been getting their act together the last week or so.
    
    They are still 6 games back of the Lakers, however, and unless the
    Lakers go belly up, I can't see them catching up.  The Lakers would
    have to go something like 18-18 and the setting_suns 25-12 for this to
    happen.  Somehow, I find it hard to imagine.
     
    Sameer

    How did KJ do?
    
    NAZZ

    I don't have the details, but I think he was the high scorer with 33
    points.  Might as well throw in his average of 10 assists too.
    
    Mike

Here you go, Nazz:

PHOENIX (128) AT SEATTLE (124)

PHOENIX
                                               REBOUNDS
PLAYER           POS  MIN  FGM-FGA  FTM-FTA  OFF-DEF-TOT  AST  PF  ST  TO  PTS
======           ===  ===  =======  =======  ===========  ===  ==  ==  ==  ===

CHAMBERS          F    31    9-13    11-13     0   5   5    0   6   0   0   29
RAMBIS            F    31    2-3      4-4      1   5   6    0   4   2   0    8
WEST              C    32    3-4      2-3      1   2   3    1   5   1   3    8
K JOHNSON         G    43    8-20    17-18     1   2   3   11   0   2   9   33
HORNACEK          G    38   12-20     6-6      2   5   7    4   1   1   1   30
MAJERLE                20    1-6      0-0      1   3   4    1   1   0   0    3
BATTLE                 29    5-6      3-4      3   1   4    2   2   2   1   13
LANG                   15    1-2      2-2      0   1   1    0   4   0   1    4
PERRY                   1    0-0      0-0      0   0   0    0   0   0   0    0

TOTALS                240   41-74    45-50     9  24  33   19  23   8  15  128
                            (.554)   (.900)  TEAM REBS: 10

SEATTLE
                                               REBOUNDS
PLAYER           POS  MIN  FGM-FGA  FTM-FTA  OFF-DEF-TOT  AST  PF  ST  TO  PTS
======           ===  ===  =======  =======  ===========  ===  ==  ==  ==  ===

MCDANIEL          F    33   10-21     3-4      1   2   3    0   5   0   3   23
MCKEY             F    39    8-13    10-11     6   1   7    3   3   1   4   26
CAGE              C    31    2-3      2-3      3   3   6    1   1   0   0    6
MCMILLAN          G    28    3-5      0-0      1   3   4    8   6   3   5    6
BARROS            G    31    9-20     2-2      1   2   3    4   5   1   0   22
KEMP                   19    2-6      1-2      2   5   7    0   6   1   2    5
DAILEY                 24   10-15     2-2      0   0   0    0   4   1   1   22
POLYNICE               19    3-7      3-5      5   3   8    1   2   0   0    9
FARMER                 10    2-4      1-1      0   1   1    2   1   0   0    5
SELLERS                 3    0-0      0-0      0   0   0    0   0   0   0    0
JOHNSON                 3    0-1      0-0      0   0   0    0   0   1   0    0

TOTALS                240   49-95    24-30    19  20  39   19  33   8  15  124
                            (.516)   (.800)  TEAM REBS: 8

   PHOENIX            34   33   26   35  -  128
   SEATTLE            20   39   33   32  -  124

BLOCKED SHOTS: PHO - WEST 5, LANG 2. SEA - MCKEY, MCMILLAN, KEMP. 
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: PHO 1-2 (.500), CHAMBERS 0-1,
MAJERLE 1-1. SEA 2-5 (.400), MCKEY 0-1, BARROS 2-4.
TECHNICALS: PHO - ILLEGAL DEFENSE 2, HEAD COACH FITZSIMMONS, LANG. 
SEA - ILLEGAL DEFENSE, POLYNICE, MCDANIEL.
OFFICIALS: BAVETTA, JAVIE, BERNHARDT.
A - 11,420. 

    As the box score shows, teh Suns got all the calls last night -
    50 more free throws.  It was obvious that no one was allowed to
    touch Chambers, especially in the second half.  The refs took the
    X-man out of the game, by whistling him with 2 quick fouls in the
    first 30 seconds of the second half.
    
    The refs blew a few down the stretch, including a monumental one
    with 1:04 left, which resulted in a 4 point swing.
    
    KJ played as a one man team for great stretches of the game,
    singlehandedly helping the Sonics erase a 13-point deficit.
    
    JD

I noticed in the box that Quintin Dailey had 22 points against the Suns.
How did he look?  Is he still fat, or has he slimmed down.  I was glad to
see the Lakers cut him in preseason, but it's apparent that he can still fill
it up I guess.

Laker_Ken

    Dailey is still a little chunky, which is a liability on defense
    against a fast guy like KJ, but I'll tell ya, Quinten can sure shoot.
    His shot looked good, and he's providing some spark, which is what
    the SOnics need.  He'd be doing (offensively) a much better job
    for the Lakers than their 3rd guard is right now.
    
    JD

    re .78:
    
    Which 3rd guard you talking about, JD?  Coop?  Drew?
    
    If its either of those, then I would much rather have them on the team
    than Dailey.  Coop is playing **outstanding** defence, and his shot is
    improving as the season goes on.  Drew is doing a **terrific** job
    spelling Magic and running the offence, leaving Coop to play D and spot
    up for the open J.
    
    You can keep Dailey.
    
    Sameer

    Sameer,
    
    I don't want Dailey, I merely answered Ken's question.  Drew is
    doing okay, but not terrific.  For sheer offense, IMO, Dailey would
    have fit in well with the Lakers, but he was woefully out of shape.
    After all, Dailey is in the same mold as both McAdoo and Woolridge,
    two players Riley was able to get the most out of.  As for Coop,
    his defense has always been good.  But his shot is still not hitting
    the way it should.
    
    So I merely said that offensively, as in scoring points, Dailey
    is better than the Lakers Drew or Coop.  Notice I didn't say he
    was better, period.  Big, big difference.
    
    JD

    THanks for the box, Jeff!
    
    NAZZ

    Suns won again on the road, this one was expected though.  Utah comes
    to town tonight.
    
    Mike

    The Suns buried the Jazz last night in Phoenix 114-103.  The Suns led the
    whole game and the final score really isn't indicative of the game. 
    The lead was trimmed during garbage time the last few minutes.  The
    Suns' lead was up around the high teens to twenties most of the time.
    
    Battle of the guards between Stockton and KJ.  KJ won this one.  Season
    series is tied 1-1 now with 2 more meetings to go at each site.  Malone
    only had around 21 points.
    
    Suns have now won 16 of their last 19 to improve to 30-17.  Best part
    about this is that the Celts beat the Spurs (2-0 on the road!!!!
    Alright!!!) and LA lost.  Suns are only 2 games behind the Spurs, 5
    behind LA.  
    
    Phoenix has to make a run for the 2nd or 3rd spot for the playoffs.  I
    still don't think they'll last in the playoffs long without a decent
    power forward.
    
    Mike

    Suns went 2-0 this weekend by sweeping a home & away series with Golden
    St.  Suns are 3-0 against the Warriors this season and have scored 130+
    in each victory.  Both games were blowouts, especially yesterday's win
    in Oakland.
    
    Highlights: Tom Chambers set a club record for points scored with 56
    yesterday.  Old record was a 10 year old mark of 49 set by Paul
    Westphal against the Pistons.  TC also broke Golden St.'s 25 year old 
    record of most points scored in a half by an opponent.  Wilt scored 36
    in a half against the Warriors 25 years ago.  TC hit for 40 in the
    first half.
    
    This game was over soon after it started.  Suns were up by 25 early in
    the second quarter and led by 21 at the half.  The Warriors never got
    closer than 12 in the second half.
    
    Next up:  Celtics invade Phoenix on Tuesday.  Suns have been on a roll,
    which bothers me in this game.  Celts need to save face and grab a win.
    If the Celts can dictate the tempo (Suns like to run) then they'll win
    by 5.  Celts will outrebound Phoenix (as most teams do) so that is a
    plus.
    
    If the Suns are allowed to play their game, they'll beat Boston by a
    double-digit margin.
    
    Mike

    Cut the crap Mike. WHO ARE YOU ROOTING FOR !

    
    re: Midnight
    
    	well if you're asking me, i'd love to see a disqualification
    by both teams resulting in a double loss  8^)
    
    sean

    You're funny Doc.  Even my objectivity riles you! :-)

    I didn't see the game last night, but listened to the first half on the
    radio.  From the sounds of things, I'm glad I missed it.
    
    Celts have to make a move fast!
    
    Mike

>                    -< Kevin Johnson is one helluva player >-
    
    I'd love to see him in THE Kelly Green!

    
    ...but who would the Bucks trade for him?
    

    	Never happen Mike.  I was impressed when he blocked McHale's
    shot.  Now Kevin was going to the basket pretty lazily, but when
    a guy that's 6'2" can block a layup from someone the size of Kevin,
    it's pretty impressive.  I would take him over Mark Jackson or Rod
    Strickland anyday.  Right Dan?
    
    				/Don

    - Suns are tied for the 4th playoff spot with San Antonio now.  They've
      gained 3 games on the Spurs since the All-Star break.
    - Eddie Johnson will return next week.  His injury was sort of a
      blessing in disguise.  Suns have improved their bench because of the
      performances from Grant, Lang, and Battle due to increased playing
      time.
    - Suns invade Sacramento tonight.
    
    Interesting rumor in today's paper:  Ainge is on the trading block and
    current rumors have him going to the Clippers for a #1 and Joe Wolf.
    
    Mike

    
    re: -1
    
    The celtics can probably get Ainge for Pinckney, Kleine and a 
    1st round pick.

    Suns pulled out a surprisingly close one last night, 104-98, over
    Sacramento.  Phoenix is now 12-12 on the road, .500 for the first time
    this season.  They've also started another streak, which is currently
    at 7 in a row.
    
    Philly comes to town tomorrow night.
    
    Mike

    Suns bombed Philly 126-99 on Saturday night.  This game was over early 
    and the score could've been a lot worse!
    
    Suns have now won 15 in a row at home and have an 8 game winning
    streak.  They've won 23 of their last 27, only 4 losses so far in '90.
    With LA's loss, they should only be about 4 games behind the Lakers and
    should be moving in on the #3 spot in the playoff seedings.
    
    Denver comes to town on Tuesday.
    
    Mike

    The Cotton Express continued to roll last night to the tune of a 120-101
    lashing of Denver.  Both teams went into the game shorthanded: Denver was
    without Walter Davis & Michael Adams, Phoenix was without Jeff Hornacek &
    Kurt Rambis.

    Denver came out strong and had a 2 point lead at the half, but Phoenix
    broke it open in the 3rd by outscoring the Nuggetts 39-24.  It was all
    downhill from there.

    Bad News for the rest of the league:  As if the Suns weren't playing well
    enough already, Eddie Johnson had his first game back last night.  He
    looked fine to me, especially after tossing in a few 3 pointers!
    
    Check out these stats: Suns have now won 16 in a row at home, 9 in a
    row overall.  They are 24-4 in 1990 thus far (13-3 in January, 11-1 in
    February).  Their record is now 36-17.
    
    My only concern now is that I hope they aren't peaking too early,
    unless this peak lasts through May-June :-).  Sure would love to see
    them play the Lakers about now!
    
    Suns travel to the Lone Star state for games against Houston (Thursday) and
    Dallas (Friday).  Sunday they'll be back at home to face Cleveland on CBS.
    
    Mike

    
    	re: .99
    
    	How are Detroit and LA doing for records in the 1990's?  I have
    to believe they are doing better than Pheonix...
    
    sean

    If the Suns were healthy at the beggining of the season they would have
    the best;or second best record in the league!!
    
    O_J
        
                 				

    According to my Lakers schedule (courtesy of Bret) it looks like they
    are 21-6 in '90 with 1 game tonight in Seattle.
    
    The six losses are (correct me if I'm wrong):
    
    1/9  @Phoenix
    1/19 @Milwaukee
    1/29 San Antonio
    1/30 LA Clippers
    
    2/14 Portland
    2/25 Utah
    
    There might be more.
    
    Mike

    
    	hmm.. that's interesting.  you wouldn't happen to have detroit's
    would you?  seems to me they've only lost like 2 games at the most
    (I can only remember one.. the recent one against Atlanta). thanks.
    
    sean

    Sorry, don't have Detroit's schedule.  Walt didn't send me one :-)
    
    Nice to have Phoenix being compared with LA & Detroit though.  They've
    come a long way!
    
    Mike

    I think Detroit has lost only 3 times in`90
    
    
    
    L.A. Lackers
    Philly
    Atlanta
    
    O_J

>   <<< Note 109.106 by VAXWRK::NEEDLE "Money talks. Mine says "Good-Bye."" >>>
>             -< I have the full NBA schedule.  What do you need? >-
    
    Ok Mr. USA Today :-)  We're trying to figure out how many losses
    Detroit has had so far in 1990.  
    
    This we do know:
    
    Suns 24-4
    LA   21-6
    Det  ?

--- JAN ---
 2 WON  115 113 at ORLANDO
 3 WON  84 80 LA CLIPPERS
 5 WON  122 99 INDIANA
 6 WON  117 106 NEW YORK
 9 WON  100 90 CHICAGO
10 LOST 97 104 at BOSTON
12 WON  97 86 MINNESOTA
13 WON  111 106 PORTLAND
17 LOST 108 112 at PHILADELPHIA
19 WON  125 118 GOLDEN STATE
21 LOST 97 107 LA LAKERS
23 WON  107 95 at CHICAGO
26 WON  107 103 PHOENIX
27 WON  85 83 at MINNESOTA
30 WON  112 95 at ATLANTA
31 WON  133 109 WASHINGTON

--- FEB ---
 3 WON  105 100 at CLEVELAND
 4 WON  115 83 UTAH
 6 WON  105 96 CLEVELAND
 8 WON  104 101 at MILWAUKEE
13 WON  106 96 DENVER
17 WON  97 79 at MIAMI
19 WON  94 85 MIAMI
21 WON  140 109 ORLANDO
23 LOST 103 112 at ATLANTA
25 WON  98 87 at NEW YORK
27 WON  106 102 HOUSTON

    re .102
    
    Mike- The Clippers loss was @clippers, not at home. Otherwise you are
    correct.
    
    Sameer

    So the final tally for 1990, thus far, shows:
    
    Phoenix 24-4
    Detroit 23-4
    LA      22-6
    
    I'd say that's pretty good company the Suns are keeping pace with!
    
    Golden St. beat San Antonio in OT last night so I know that Phoenix has
    the #4 seed all to themselves now.  The goal of the Suns right now is
    to get to the #2 seed at a minimum.  That would increase the chances of
    a rematch in the Western Conference Finals.
    
    Mike
    

    re .110:
    
    Suns will only be able to get the #2 seed if the following occurs:
    
    a) They win the Pacific Division
    b) The winner of the Midwest has a better record than Phoenix (assuming
       (a) holds)
    
    If you mean #2 seed in the Pacific, that makes more sense, then they
    would meet the Lakers no earlier than the Western Conf. Finals if both
    teams happen to make it there.
    
    Sameer  

    Thanks Sameer.  I forgot that the division winner with the next best
    record automatically gets the #2 seed.  I doubt that the Midwest leader
    would have a better record than the Pacific leader.  Looks like it is
    #3 or #1 to shoot for.
    
    Mike

    I give the Suns a chance to overtake the Lakers inthe Pacific.But they
    have to play perfect "Championship" basketball.
    
    
    
    
    
    O_J

>    I give the Suns a chance to overtake the Lakers inthe Pacific.But they
>    have to play perfect "Championship" basketball.
    
    I guess anything is possible, but I don't even believe they can keep up
    their current pace.  I do enjoy watching them go for it though. :-)
    
    Mike

    
    	Anyone got any info on the Suns-Houston game?  I know Houston
    won but was looking for some numbers (akeem??? 8^). thanks.
    
    sean

    Akeem had 41 points, Rockets won 112-104.

    Mike, the last time I checked there were 2 Midwest teams with better
    records than the second place Pacific team.

    
    	re: Mac
    
    	As of today it goes:
    	
    	LA  	42-13
    	Uta	41-16
    	Por     39-18
    	SA      38-19
    	Phe     37-19
    
    sean

    The Rockets kicked the Puns butt again !
    
    HAHAHAHAHA 

>  <<< Note 109.120 by FRSBEE::BROOKS "But P.W. Botha gets the Gas Face..." >>>
>    The Rockets kicked the Puns butt again !
    
    Doc, you need to re-read .66 in here.  Only takes 3 lines, if you can
    handle that.  
    

    Suns went 1-1 over the weekend.  They lost to Dallas, 108-102, for
    their second road loss in a row on Friday night.  They came home and
    beat Cleveland for their 17th consecutive home win (new club record).  
    Don't remember the score but it was something like 106-96.  KJ had his
    24th birthday on Sunday.

    Cotton won Coach of the Month for February.  Suns were 11-1 last month.
    
    Suns have a 5 game road trip coming up this week so they're going to
    have to get their act together (again) to stay in the hunt.  The Cotton
    Express will stop at:

    Atlanta    - tonight
    Washington - Wednesday
    Indiana    - Friday
    Minnesota  - Saturday
    Utah       - next Tuesday
    
    Since LA is also on the road, chances are that the Suns won't gain any 
    ground this week.  They'll probably lose ground.

    Mike

    If the suns don't gain ground now, they can forget about winning the
    Pacific Division and shoot for the 3rd seed in the Conference.  I can't
    see the Lakers letting up after this week to the tune of 4-5 games.
    
    Sameer

>    If the suns don't gain ground now, they can forget about winning the
>    Pacific Division and shoot for the 3rd seed in the Conference.  I can't
>    see the Lakers letting up after this week to the tune of 4-5 games.
    
    Sameer, what you say is true, but stranger things have happened.  I'm
    sure we all felt that way last season too, and then the Suns came
    within 1 or 2 games when the season ended.
    
    Mike

    re .121
    
    Spoken like a true Celts fan eh ? A LOT of empahsis on ancient history.
    
    Do you have any predictions on the Puns chances of winner the Pacific ?
     
    Looks to me like the Lakers (barring major injuries) have it signed
    sealed and delivered.
    
    Doc

    Doc,
    
    Any predictions on the sub-.500 Rockets winning the Midwest Division?
    
    Just curious........
    
    Nelly

>    <<< Note 109.125 by FRSBEE::BROOKS "Real men don't *DO* House Music" >>>
>                      -< .66 is from when - 1976 ??? :-) >-
>    Spoken like a true Celts fan eh ? A LOT of empahsis on ancient history.
    
    A 1 month old note isn't even close to ancient history, no matter how
    much you try to think it is!
    
>    Do you have any predictions on the Puns chances of winner the Pacific ?
    
    Sorry Doc, I don't understand what you are asking.
     
>    Looks to me like the Lakers (barring major injuries) have it signed
>    sealed and delivered.
    
    I agree!  Looks have been deceiving before though, especially those
    with Purple & Baby S__t Yellow.
    
    Mike

    > Baby S--t Yellow
    
    Ugh. I don't have kids, so I'll defer to your extensive experience.
    
    :-)

    Suns pulled out a nail biter in Atlanta last night, 113-111.  I didn't
    see nor listen to the game, but it sounds like Chambers & Wilkins had a
    decent duel going.  
    
    From the highlights, Hornacek was the hero of the game.  With the score
    tied at 111, and time running out (< 30 secs.), KJ drove the lane and
    was fouled.  He then missed the front end of a 1-1, but some Sun
    grabbed the board and tossed it out to Hornacek at the top of the key
    and Jeff drilled it.  Score: 113-111
    
    In Atlanta's last possession, (< 10secs.) Wilkins was fouled.  He tried 
    bang the ball off the glass to get a better shot (instead of hitting
    both free throws) and Hornacek won the scramble on the floor for the
    rebound.  Time then ran out.
    
    Suns are now 13-14 on the road.  Portland won a big game in MSG last
    night and the Lakers were crushed in the Summit.
    
    Phoenix plays at the Capital Centre tonight.
    
    Mike

    Testing  1 ... 2 .... 3  8^)
    
    Is it just me or does Phoenix look more like a mortal team after
    the last week or so. 8^)
    
    Go Celtics.
    
    The Wizard

    Suns won another nail biter by the same score as the night before, 
    113-111.  This time the Bullets were the victims.  Chambers drained 44 
    points, which set a record for most points by a visitor in the Capitol
    Centre.  Suns are now 14-14 on the road.  
    
    LA also won, and the Celts didn't help us against Portland.  On to Indiana 
    for Friday night.  That should be a real test.

    Now for something completely different:  

    First it was Larry Bird wiping his shoes.  Then it was Magic and his
    whine.  Jordan came along with the tongue for all to see.  Now there is
    a new antic for playground all-stars to mimic.

    Has anyone seen the routines the Suns go through when they're
    introduced?  They give a new meaning to the "low 5" by substituting
    hands with feet, plus some WWF moves.  It's hilarious!
    
    Mike

    Suns are now 4-0 on their current 5 game road trip.  Friday night they
    beat Indiana, in Market Sq. Arena, 134-130 in a real shooters match.
    Chambers had 44 points and Phoenix shot 64% from the floor for the
    game.  Indiana shot 59% from the floor for the game.
    
    Saturday night, the Suns beat the 'Woofs 101-98 in OT.  I didn't see
    it, but it sounds like it wasn't pretty.  KJ led the Suns with 24 and
    Campbell led the 'Woofs with 27.
    
    It is nice to see them win on the road.  Suns are now 16-14 on the road
    for the season and join the elite with a winning road record.  Problem
    is that LA and Portland are also having impressive road trips so it is
    "business as usual".
    
    Suns visit the Jazz tomorrow night in a big Western confrontation. 
    Stockton lifted them to a big win over Denver @ McNichols last night by
    draining a 3 with 4 secs. left.  Final was 110-109.
    
    Mike

     Suns came away with a HUGE, HUGE win last night in the Salt Palace!
     They beat the Jazz 114-106, which was only Utah's 4th loss at home
     all season.  Eddie Johnson was the main man with 27 points, the
     Mailman delivered 33.  Suns were behind the whole game, even though
     they kept it close (largest lead for the Jazz was 6).  Suns took the
     lead for the first time at the 9 minute mark of the 4th quarter.  They
     kept the crowd and the Mailman (he only had 7 points in the 2nd half)
     out of it during crunch time and the other Jazz stars couldn't produce.

     Phoenix finishes up by sweeping this 5 game road trip and now have a 6
     game homestand coming up.  Denver is up first tonight with Miami, San
     Antonio, Charlotte, Minnesota, and Seattle following.

     Suns are 6-2 so far in March, 30-6 in 1990, and 42-19 overall.  Where
     are the folks that say Phoenix hasn't beaten any playoff teams on the
     road now?!?!?!  Suns took care of Utah and Indiana during the last
     week alone!  Phoenix's road record is 17-14.

     Mike

    Mike do you have a liist of all the games the Suns are playing from
    here on out???Just curious.
    
    
    
    P.S. I lost the schedule you gave me.....
    O_J

Wed    MAR-14    Denver         7:30
Fri    MAR-16    Miami          7:30
Mon    MAR-19    San Antonio    7:30     ASPN
Wed    MAR-21    Charlotte      7:30     
Fri    MAR-23    Minnesota      7:30
Sat    MAR-24    Seattle        7:30     ASPN
Mon    MAR-26 At Chicago        6:30     KUTP
Tue    MAR-27 At Milwaukee      6:30     KUTP
Thu    MAR-29 At Charlotte      5:30     KUTP
Fri    MAR-30 At New Jersey     5:30
Sun    APR-01 At Philadelphia   5:30
Tue    APR-03    Dallas         7:30     ASPN
Fri    APR-06    LA Lakers      7:30     ASPN
Sat    APR-07 At LA Clippers    7:30     KUTP
Mon    APR-09    Utah           7:30
Thu    APR-12 At Sacramento     7:30     KUTP
Sat    APR-14 At Seattle        8:30     KUTP
Mon    APR-16 At Golden State   7:30     ASPN
Wed    APR-18    Portland       7:30     ASPN
Fri    APR-20    Golden State   7:30     
Sun    APR-22 At San Antonio    6:30     CBS

    That eastern road trip could hurt them a bit in their chase of the
    Blazers.  Chicago, Milwaukee, and Philly on the road are tough.
    
    Still can't get over that win at the Salt Mines last night.  
    
    Laker_Ken

    
    Did you see the game last night, Mike? Great game for about 3 qtrs.
    then Denver, as they have been prone to do lately, completely fell
    apart and got slaughtered in the 4th qtr./end of the 3rd and lost
    132-102. The Suns were smoking the net. They couldn't miss and rarely
    hit the rim. Doug Moe tried to double team the ball all night,
    resulting in several illegal defense calls. Not a bad idea considering
    the match-ups but the Suns sure can find the open man, every time.
    Denver goes to Dallas tomorrow. They are currently tied after Denver
    getting spanked last night and Dallas thrashing the Celtics. For any of
    you gamblers out there, take Dallas. Denver rarely wins there.
    
                                                   HOOT
    

    Thanks Hoot.  I don't know much about what happened though.  I tuned out 
    with 8 minutes left in the game and the Suns only had a 9 point lead.  
    The local paper reported the score as 138-108, so I was really curious
    as to what happened.
    
    That's makes 18 in a row at home.

    Mike

    Lakers lose in Philly.  That puts them only 4 games ahead of Phoenix. 
    Portland is only 1 ahead of Phoenix.
    
    Mike

    
    Mike,
    I turned it of about the same time. Phoenix turned it up a notch and
    Denver turned it down about two notches. One of the funniest plays was
    when Schayes knocked the ball away from KJ and then beat him down court
    to the ball and the lay up. I couldn't believe it and I don't think KJ
    did either. He looked over and saw this big lumbering ox coming at him
    and seemed to just get out of the way.
    
                                                   HOOT
    

I suppose you can read whatever you want into this, but last night as I
was perusing the team stats, I noticed that Phoenix has the largest difference
between Avg. Pts. Scored and Avg. Pts. Allowed.  I believe it is an 8-point
difference.  The Lakers have the second largest difference (7.3), and the
Pistons are third at 6.5.

Also, the Lakers are the only team ranked in the top five in both offense 
and defense.

Laker_Ken

    Another interesting stat:  Suns are currently 5 games AHEAD of last
    year's pace (same date 1 year ago).  
    
    Remember last year they recorded the 3rd best turnaround in NBA
    history.
    
    Mike

    Some tidbits from today's local paper:
    
    - Last night was the Suns' highest scoring output of the season (138).
    - It was the largest margin of victory ever over the Nuggetts.
    - Suns blew open the game with a 41-18 fourth quarter.
    
    Now for the bad news:
    
    Jeff Hornacek reinjured his knee last night.  He twisted it last night
    and may face surgery.  Hornacek leads all NBA guards with a 53.6 field
    goal percentage.  He was also runnerup for player of the month in
    February.  His name has also been mentioned in connection with the league's
    Most Improved player award for this year.
    
    He had the same knee scoped in college (Iowa State).  Team doctors said
    that it is common to re-injure the same cartilage.  The decision has
    been left up to Jeff.  If they scope it now, he'll be out 5 weeks, but
    will be back in time for the playoffs.  If not, he'll have to do it
    this summer.  He initially suffered the injury at Atlanta on March 6
    and missed 1 game.  Hornacek claims he reinjures it almost every game
    but last night was the worst.
    
    Jerry Colangelo said he plans to renegotiate Hornacek's contract after
    this season.  He has 2 seasons remaining on the current one that pay
    him $400K per season.
    
    Mike

    Suns blasted Miami on Friday night, 129-103.  Spurs come to town
    tonight.
    
    Jeff Hornacek had his knee scoped and will miss the balance of the
    season.
    
    Mike

           <<< CHCAGO::MASA3:[NOTES$LIBRARY]BOSTON_CELTICS.NOTE;1 >>>
                        -< Boston Celtics (volume IV) >-
================================================================================
Note 15.183                      The Miami Heat                       183 of 183
LACV01::PETRIE "foulweather fan"                     71 lines  19-MAR-1990 13:33
                 -< scorched_earth basketball:  129-103 Suns >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    >>Suns blasted Miami
    
    Mike, I appreciate the gentlemanly restraint    
    
                  ...especially when you _could_ have said stuff like 
    
    * "Kevin Johnson exposed Sherman Douglas's every defensive 
         weakness"
    
    * "too bad the Heat missed so many of their first chances, since 
         they surrendered the boards to the Suns" 
    
    * "congratulations:  every Heat player scored, from Grant Long's 1 
         point on up"
    
    I wouldn't exactly call it the Heat's finest hour on the road, as 
    the Suns outplayed them from the FG 71% shooting in Q1, through 
    the Q2 cool_down and Q3 26-point lead, into a mess of Heat 
    turnovers in Q4.  Seikaly's lackluster play was blamed on an 
    intestinal problem that's supposedly been dogging him throughout 
    the trip (you *know* you can't drink the water out West ;^) but 
    everyone else was just as ineffective.  Congrats to the Suns.
    
    Tom Chambers pulled a hamstring in Q3.  How serious is it?
    
    scoring by quarter:
    
    Heat    31    24    25    23 -- 103
    Suns    39    31    36    23 -- 129
    
    Q1:	 Kevin Johnson ignores Douglas's presence on the floor; Rice 
       connecting from the outside over Rambis.  Seikaly flubs an 
       early slamdunk.  At 4:31, 21-16 Suns; Rice & KEdwards pull it 
       in to 25-22, but Rony travels on the alleyoop, Heat turnover 
       and 2 Suns breaks.  Heat shooting 64%, but Suns have 71%; Rice 
       14 points, Chambers 12.  39-31 Suns
    
    Q2:	 Sparrow/Haffner/Davis and BT in and missing shots.  Chambers 
       runs into Davis and talks trash...cool down period imposed.  KJ 
       hitting from 20', drawing fouls.  At 6:30, 55-39 Suns.  Frank 
       and KEdwards collect themselves to draw to 57-47 Suns, then KJ 
       steals from Douglas and the Suns grab all the o_rebounds.
       70-55 Suns
    
    Q3: (Dozed off from sheer grief) Chambers pulls hamstring and 
       sits: no problem - at 5:00, 93-69 Suns.  Eddie Johnson and 
       Grant running the floor.  Long fouls out.  106-80 Suns
    
    Q4:  BT comes in & jams one, then draws foul and sits while Frank 
       (5 fouls of his own) enters.  EJohnson and Battle are all over 
       the floor; Heat turning over, missing and no rebounds.  6:35, 
       116-90 Suns.  Grant scores, then steals in-bound pass for 
       another.  Sundvold in with Haffner, BT dunking when possible.  
       Battle everywhere.  129-103 Suns
    
    ------------------------- 
    We'll just kind of fast-forward thru the loss to the Spurs on 
    Saturday, 111-98.  I was happy leaving the movies (having been
    dragged off for anti-depressant treatment: "no!  you are *not*
    going to listen to the Spurs game!!") to discover that the Heat
    were only down by 7 at the half, having dragged San Antonio down a
    level after a hot Spurs Q1.  The Heat pretty much kept pace in the
    second half but never found the wherewithal to get ahead.   
    
    Rony at least was back in form, with 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 
    4-11 shooting from the line :^)
    
    my team, win or (mostly) lose,
    Kathy
                              

    Chambers is questionable for tonight's game against the Spurs.  He
    strained his hamstring against Miami on Friday night.  His status will
    be determined after today's workout.
    
    Suns have a club record streak of 19 games at home.  One more would tie
    the the NBA's season high set by the Spurs.  Phoenix has won 17 of 19
    and 30 of 35. 
    
    Suns are 16-2 since the All-Star break, Spurs 10-7.  Spurs are 16-16 on
    the road, Suns 27-5 at home.  Spurs lead the season series 2-0.  Both
    teams are fighting for the 4th playoff seed (Suns currently own it).
    
    Mike

    Nice to see the Pacific & Atlantic races tightening up!  Great thing
    about the Pacific is that 3 games separate 3 teams that are all playing
    .700 ball or better!
    
    Mike

    
    	San Antonio spanked Phoenix last night at home, ending the home
    game winning streak.  What does that make for SA, 4 in a row?  Utah
    revenged it's OT loss to Sacramento last night so there was no ground
    gained.  Portland and Houston go at it tonight (Portland's 9 game
    winning streak is on the line).  Should be a great game to watch.
    The team that outrebounds the other should win.
    
    sean

    KJ was named NBA player of the week. In three games during last week KJ
    averaged 26.5 points and 14 assists.
    
    Mike

    It was bad enough having Hornacek out, having Chambers out too didn't
    help at all.  Chambers was in uniform, but didn't play.  No word yet on
    when he'll be back.  That was the first game TC has missed this year.
    
    The Suns almost pulled off the upset anyway.  It was an extremely close 
    game until the 3 minute mark of the 4th quarter.  There must have been 
    20 ties and lead changes in the first 9 minutes of the 4th alone.  No
    spanking at all here.
    
    Spurs went on a 16-5 run after that to break the game open.  Final was
    113-102.  KJ had 36, EJ and West had 18 apiece.  Robinson had 34
    points, 14 rebounds, 7 blocks, and 7 assists.  Cummings added 23.  
    
    Tough part about this is that the Spurs are 3-0 against Phoenix this
    year now, including 2 victories in Phoenix (first win in Phoenix was
    the Suns last home loss, December 22).  If there is a tie for the #4
    seed, Spurs would get the nod.
    
    Mike

    
    	Mike, how long is Chambers going to be out anyways?  Not having
    him could seriously hurt this team!
    
    sean

    I know, takes all the fun out of it!  This morning's local paper didn't
    have an update.
    
    Maybe Jeff Needle can supply an update from USA Today, if they printed
    anything on Chambers.
    
    Mike

    Last night was the Suns' 18th sellout of the season.  They've played 33
    home games thus far.
    
    Big change from the drug scandal days! 

    
    Just a guess...
    
    I doubt if Chambers is gone long. If he dressed last night it should be
    less than 10 days or he would have been put on the injured list, right?
    
                                                  HOOT
    

    Hoot, I think that is correct.  With Charlotte tomorrow and Minnesota
    on Friday, they'll probably leave him out.
    
    If they can't beat those 2 without him, they might as well go home now.
    
    Mike

>>    Maybe Jeff Needle can supply an update from USA Today, if they printed
>>    anything on Chambers.

Day to day.  He was listed as doubtful for last night's game and there has been
no update as of yet.  If I hear anything, I'll post it.

j.

    Majerle joins the injured with a class 2 shoulder separation.
    
    Mike

    Majerle's fall was nasty.  I fell exactly like that (actually I was
    hurdling this little wall on my way to class and misjudged it - really
    embarassing).  Just like Majerle, I jumped right up and worked my
    shoulder joint for a couple minutes, but later it was diagnosed I'd
    suffered the same injury: a "second-degree shoulder separation." I
    continued swimming for Ohio U the rest of that, my junior, year.  But
    the shoulder was never the same and I was forced to forego my senior
    season.  And to this day I still get twinges of pain.
    
    Majerle is tough, but I'll be surprised if that shoulder is ever again
    100% for the rest of his life.
    
    	--dan'l

    	Phoenix lost again last night in OT to Charlotte.  This team
    is hurtin' big time.

    Go Hornets ...  What a team !!!
    
    This was only their third road win of the year.  Their first road
    win came against Denver a few months ago and then, a few nights
    ago, they got the 2nd against the Clippers.
    
    Now a road W against the Phoenix Suns !!!
    
    Definitely the Hornets' biggest win of the year.
    
    Bob Hunt

    Charlotte came to play last night.  They beat the Suns in Phoenix,
    115-114 in OT.  Del Curry was unconscious with his 3's and Mugsy did a
    good job running the offense.
    
    Chambers had 30 in the first 3 quarters, but the game was still pretty
    much a 3 point affair.  Chambers sat out the first 10 minutes of the
    4th (hamstring again).  Charlotte built up a 5 point lead by the 2
    minute mark and Cotton sent TC in again.
    
    Phoenix then went on a run (6 by TC) and had a 5 point lead with less
    than a minute left.  Curry sank some 3's (Suns had 1 free throw) to
    send it into OT.
    
    Curry hit some more 3's in OT to give Charlotte a 6 point lead. 
    Phoenix came within 1 and had the ball with 9 secs. left.  Eddie
    Johnson missed a 15ft. jumper to end the game.
    
    Something's wrong here!  Besides having a depth & injury problem, it
    looks like they might've peaked too early.  No way should they have
    struggled with this team.  Maybe the continuity is gone because of the
    injuries.
    
    Mike

     Suns had a pretty good weekend.  Friday night they blew out the Woofs
     120-99.  Saturday night they blew out the Sonics 121-95.  Chambers set
     a couple records in that game.  New club high of 60 points in a game
     was set, broke his month old record of 56.  The other record was most
     points by any player in a first half at the Coliseum, which was 35.

     Some hamstring right? ;-)  I did notice he had both of his thighs
     wrapped with ACEs.

     Suns start a 5 game trip tonight in Chicago.  The rest of the stops
     include Milwaukee, Charlotte, New Jersey, and Philadelphia.

     My oldest boy and I (along with some friends) have tickets for next
     Tuesday's Dallas game.  Look for the guy with the lats. ;-)

     Mike

PHOENIX SUNS - *Starting power forward Kurt Rambis (sore ankle)
started and saw considerable action in Saturday's game. Key reserve
swingman Dan Majerle (separated right shoulder) is on the injured
list and is expected to be sidelined until at least the first week
in April. Starting shooting guard Jeff Hornacek (left knee surgery)
will be sidelined until at least mid-April but has yet to be placed
on the injured list. Reserve swingman Ricky Blanton (knee surgery)
is on the injured list and will miss the remainder of the season.

    Hornacek was placed on the injured reserve yesterday and the Suns
    signed someone for the rest of the season.
    
    The Suns dropped one to Chicago last night.

    Hey Mike how'd theSuns do last night?

    Give me a chance, there's a time difference you know!
    
    Suns were handed their worst defeat of the season last night, 121-92.
    Chicago really spanked them!  Bulls also did a great job of eliminating
    the Phoenix running game, unless the Suns felt as pathetic as they
    looked.
    
    They were one player away as it was, losing Hornacek is starting to
    take its toll.  The good news is that Jeff is shooting around already
    and the media says he looks good.
    
    On to Milwaukee tonight...
    
    Suns signed some CBA player, and also Mike McGee (remember him?) 
    from Europe.  Both saw PT in last night's blowout.
    
    Mike

    	Mike, I heard on the radio that one more win and Phoenix gets
    an automatic playoff berth?   The injuries definitely hurt Phoenix
    last night.  Once they get Hornacek back they'll be back in the
    groove.  Just be glad it wasn't KJ who's injured!  8^)
    
    sean

><<< Note 109.166 by HOTSHT::SCHNEIDER "Our chief weapon is fear and surprise." >>>
>     -< Sure, but does Chambers ever have his huge games on a Tuesday?   >-
    
    No but he does better than most as it is.  I've been tracking my team's
    Tuesday only production.  Here's Chambers line:
    
   Player    Pos   G   Pts Rebs  Ast  Ttl  PpG  RpG  ApG DEC PpG  
-----------------------------------------------------------------
  Chambers   F/C   20  515  141   44  700 25.8  7.1  2.2      35  
    
Best Game  Pts Rebs  Ast DEC PpG
----------------------------------
            30   14    3      47

    Suns lost again to Milwaukee in a close game.  Final was 133-127.
    KJ had a career high of 43 points.
    
    Mike

    After the Phoenix blowout the other night, coach Fitzimmons walked into
    the locker room, flushed a couple of toilets and said "It's time to
    move on to Milwaukee".

    	Big Mac, a sensitive native of Milwaukee could take that statement
    the wrong way.  8^)
    
    				/Don

    Jay Humphries had a great game last night against his old team mates.
    Fifi Lohaus hit for a few 3s too.  What a waste of a 7 footer he is.
    He's too big to have that kind of shooting touch. ;-)
    
    Mike

><<< Note 109.177 by WNDMLL::SCHNEIDER "Our chief weapon is fear and surprise." >>>
>          -< And, Mike, I noticed Chambers got a big 18 this Tuesday >-
    
    Yeah, but he had about 4 boards and 4 assists I think, which is a 26
    point night.  
    
    Besides, you should've drafted KJ too, he had 44 points alone ;-)
    
    Mike

    >Besides, you should've drafted KJ too, he had 44 points alone ;-)

You're right, now with Dumars hurt I could use a KJ to be my off-the-bench
guard.

Dan

>            -< Loaded in the backcourt:  Jordan, Miller, Dumars... >-
    
    Funny Dan!  KJ is a lot better than Miller.  I'll look it up, but I bet
    KJ's DEChoops average is higher than Miller's.
    
    Mike

I'll grant you it's gotta be close, but good coach that I am, I'm nursing Reggie
along.  I can afford to do it.

Dan

>I'm nursing Reggie along.  I can afford to do it.
>
>Dan

Are your nipples sore?

    
    	HE SAID THE "N" WORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  "N" WORD ALERT!!!!!!!!!
    
    "o father..."

Well, you can always call them

		Breasticular Appendages....

HTH,
'Saw

    KJ had a 5 point DEChoops Average lead on Miller after the first 12
    weeks.  Not sure what it is now (week 20).  Miller seems to have
    slacked off since the All-Star game, while KJ is playing better since
    then.
    
    I can tell some of you guys in here are single or have been married a
    LONG time.  Cold Showers are in order for all of you tonight.
    
    Mike

    Suns beat Charlotte, 105-92 last night.
    
    For you Hornet fans, how's that guy doing that got carried off on a
    stretcher?
    
    Mike

>        For you Hornet fans, how's that guy doing that got carried off on a
>    stretcher?
 	
    	Someone decked Shinn????   oh well... wishful thinking.

No. Unfortunately it was not Shinn. It was Brian Rowsom. It was sort of a
freak accident. It looked like one of the Suns landed on him. He's OK. He
was taken to a local hospital for observation. On the way on - on the
stretcher - you could see him moving his fingers. It also looked like he
was talking freely to the attending doctors.

TTom

    Mike, how did the Suns do this weekend? How did the Lakers do?
    
    Looks like the Suns are setting. 
    
    the devil dog
    
    P.S. I am still trying to find you that shirt.  8^)

    OK Jess, the Puns got blown out yesterday.  You know what they say about 
    paybacks...  Philly paid back Phoenix for that 35+ point spanking the Suns 
    gave them in Phoenix back on 2/24/90.
    
    I have no idea how they did on Friday night in Joisey.
    
    Hopefully the Suns can do a 180� turn before Friday night, when those
    clowns from LA visit.
    
    Mike

    Suns beat the Mavs 117-111.  Chambers hit for 34.

    Mike, you forgot to title your reply, "The Cotton Express continues to
    roll!"  :-)
    
    HTH.
    
    H�wk

    Thanks Hawk!  Question is which direction are they rolling in ;-)

    So mikey, did the Suns beat "those clowns from L.A."?
    
    Hope this helps.
    
    the devil dog
    
    p.s. does 7 � mean anything to you. Guess your propaganda was wrong.
    8^)

>    So mikey, did the Suns beat "those clowns from L.A."?
    
    Yeah Jess, they wailed on the Clips last Saturday night!
    
    Also beat the Jazz last night in OT.
    
    Re: 7�
    
    Pretty small feet you got there Jess.  Know what women say about guys
    with small feet don't ya?
    
    Mike

    	Mike, what was the thing I read this morning about Phoenix beating
    the all time record for FT attempts?  Something like 61?
    
    sean

    .200!
    
    Sean, I think that might be a club record.  Not sure.  Phoenix had no
    business winning that game last night.  They played patheticly!
    
    They had a 9 point lead (led most of the game) with 3 minutes left and
    started turning the ball over every trip down.  Utah outscored them
    12-4 to send it into OT.
    
    Mike

    Hornacek returned to the Suns lineup last night, leg wrap and all.
    
    BTW - They squeeked by the Kings 116-114 in Sacramento
    
    Mike

    Suns lost a barnburner last night, at home to the Portland Buttholes,
    by a score of 128-120 in OT.  KJ had a triple double in a losing cause.
    
    Suns blew a 13 point lead, and had to come from behind to keep things
    tight in the 4th.  The lead changed hands about a dozen times in the
    last 6 minutes.  Phoenix had a 3 point lead with 8 seconds left when
    Clyde the Slide hit a 3-pointer to send it into OT.  Everyone in the
    building knew Portland needed 3 and Clyde was W I D E   O P E N!!! 
    Phoenix didn't score in their final possession in regulation.
    
    Again the lead changed hands quite a bit in OT, but Portland built up
    the final margin on free throws in garbage time.
    
    Spurs should have #4 wrapped up now.  Too bad, Suns and Spurs meet in
    San Antonio for the last game on Sunday.  Hopefully, the Spurs will
    lose Friday to make this game interesting.
    
    Mike

From: [email protected]
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Jazz look to defense against Phoenix
Date: 24 Apr 90 03:25:11 GMT
 
 
	SALT LAKE CITY (UPI) -- Utah Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan believes the
best way to beat the Phoenix Suns in their opening-round NBA playoff
series is with an intense defense.
	``We have to get out on the perimeter. We have to go right at
them,'' Sloan said Monday. ``And our concentration on defense has to be
good for the entire game.''
	The first two games in the best-of-five series are Friday and
Sunday nights in the Salt Palace. The series moves to Phoenix on May 2
for the third game. A fourth game, if necessary, would be played May 4
in Phoenix, with a Game 5 set for May 6 at Utah.
	Utah finished fourth in the Western Conference with a 55-27 record,
the team's best mark ever. Phoenix was one game behind at 54-28.
	But in their four regular-season games, the Jazz won the opener
102-95 in Salt Lake City and the Suns took the next three, including a
119-115 overtime decision April 9 in the Salt Palace that was among
seven Utah loses in 12 games this month.
	The Jazz won 50 of their first 70 games this season before the
slide during April. But Sloan said he isn't worried about his players
rebounding for the playoffs.
	``They expect a lot out of themselves,'' he said. ``There are more
talented teams in the NBA, but we have terrific players. Now each man
has to assess himself and see how good he wants to be.''
	Sloan indicated he probably would give his starters more playing
time during the postseason, adding, ``we'll keep our front-line people
on the floor.''
	Utah is led by forward Karl Malone, second in the NBA in scoring
with a 31-point average and fourth in rebounding at 11.1, and by guard
John Stockton, who broke his NBA assists record with 1,134 this season.
Stockton averaged 17.2 points and 2.65 steals per game.
	Forward Tom Chambers led Phoenix in scoring, averaging 27.2 points
per game. Gguard Kevin Johnson averaged 22.5 points and was third in the
league in assists with an 11.4 average.

     Suns have been holding closed practice sessions all week.  I think
    they might be taking the playoffs seriously this year ;-)
    
    Mike

    >> Suns have been holding closed practice sessions all week.  I think
    >> they might be taking the playoffs seriously this year ;-)
    
    That still won't help.

    Suns have also closed practice to the press in Utah also.  Local news had 
    to settle for showing clips of the team getting on and off the buses at the
    2 airports (Phoenix and Salt Lake).
    
    We did see highlights of the Jazz workout though ;-)

With KJ back in the lineup, the Suns mauled the Jazz 105-87, to become the
first and only visiting team to win in the playoffs thus far.  A few points
of interest:

- Jazz this year are 2-0 against Phoenix with KJ out of the lineup (they
  won the season opener in Salt Lake when KJ was out with his hamstring
  injury).  They are 0-4 with KJ in the lineup.

- "Rambo" Kurt Rambis is laying some monster D on the Mailman.  He held him
  to 21 pts Friday night (4 in the first half) and 20 yesterday.  Mark West
  has also been helping out with the double team.

- Mark West tied the club playoff record of most rebounds in a game
  yesterday by pulling down 21.  Paul Silas was the first to reach this.
  West also had about 5 monster jams over Mark Eaton.

- Suns won without much offensive help from Chambers.  TC did put in a
  super game on the defensive end.  Go figure...

- Majerle appears to be a "gamer" in much the same mold as DJ.  This guy
  LOVES the playoffs.  He's doubled his season averages thus far.

- Even though the Jazz won Friday night, they didn't play very well.  They
  also played lousy yesterday.  This team hasn't played well the last month
  and I'd be surprised if this series goes back to Salt Lake.

- The Suns, on the other hand, looked to be back in synch.  Yesterday's
  game was the best I've seen them play since February when they were the
  hottest team in the NBA.

Mike

    There are rumors that the job of Jazz coach Jerry Sloan is in trouble
    if the Jazz don't make it out of the first round.  It seems likely to
    me that they wouldn't.
    
    Dan

    Re: Utah coaches
    
    One of the cameramen focused in on Frank Layden, who was sitting behind
    the Utah bench in last night's massacre.
    
    BTW - This year's Suns are the first 50+ game winner to NOT have home
    court advantage since they started the best of 5 in round 1.
    
    The West sure has improved!
    
    Mike

From: [email protected] (RALPH WAKLEY)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Jazz 113, Suns 96
Date: 28 Apr 90 05:31:21 GMT
 
 
	SALT LAKE CITY (UPI) -- The Utah Jazz still don't know if they can
beat Phoenix this year with a healthy Kevin Johnson in the Suns lineup.
	With Johnson on the bench most of the night suffering from the flu,
Karl Malone scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half Friday night,
leading the Utah Jazz to a 113-96 victory over the Suns in Game 1 of
their Western Conference playoff series.
	Game 2 in the best-of-five series is scheduled for Sunday night in
Salt Lake City.
	``They had Kevin Johnson out of the game and they still hung right
in there and that shows what kind of team they are. I'm sure Johnson
will be ready to play on Sunday,'' Utah Coach Jerry Sloan said.
	Suns Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons said Johnson ``probably should have
stayed in the hotel, but he wanted to try and play and that's what he
tried to do and he couldn't.''
	Malone, held to just one basket in both the first and second
periods on 2-for-10 shooting, scored 10 points in the third quarter and
7 in the fourth and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
	John Stockton added 17 assists and Stockton, Thurl Bailey and Bobby
Hansen each had 16 points for the Jazz. Blue Edwards added 11 points and
Darrell Griffith 10.
	Reserve Dan Majerle led Phoenix with 23 points. Jeff Hornacek added
20 points, Tom Chambers 19 and Eddie Johnson 11.
	``We were not in sync all night,'' Majerle said. ``And we didn't
handle their trap very well.''
	Eric Leckner's three-point basket with no time left at the end of
the first quarter broke a 24-24 tie and started the Jazz on a 15-3 run.
Utah led 58-47 at halftime despite getting only 4 points from Malone
before intermission.
	Johnson averaged 33.3 points against the Jazz in three
regular-season games, all won by Phoenix. In the only regular-season
game he missed, because of a leg injury, the Jazz won 102-95.
	``This was the playoffs, so I just wanted to try,'' said Johnson,
who was scoreless in the first half and did not play in the second. ``I
was hoping to maybe give us a shot in the arm, but I just had no energy
at all and couldn't really exert myself.''
	Fitzsimmons said he was ``not going to use Kevin Johnson as an
excuse. We didn't play real smart basketball and Utah was the aggessor
and they won the game. They forced us into mistakes.''
	The Suns used a 9-0 run to pull within 63-58 midway through the
third period. But Utah responded with its own 9-0 spurt, outscoring
Phoenix 20-9 at the end of the third quarter to lead 83-67.
	The Jazz took their biggest lead at 89-68 with 10:22 left. After
the Suns closed within 103-96 with 2:07 remaining, Utah scored the
game's final 10 points to protect its home-court advantage.
	``We have to play with the same intensity we had tonight the rest
of the way,'' Malone said. We are not going to accept anything else.''
	The Jazz outshot the Suns from the floor, 55 percent to 43 percent,
and blocked eight Phoenix shots.

From: [email protected] (RALPH WAKLEY)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Suns 105, Jazz 87
Date: 30 Apr 90 05:05:48 GMT
 
 
	SALT LAKE CITY (UPI) -- Kevin Johnson wasn't sure he was over a bout
with the flu until early in Game 2 of the Phoenix Suns' playoff series
against Utah. It didn't take long to prove to everybody he was OK.
	``I thought I was about 75 percent when the game started. But once
the game got going, I felt 100 percent,'' said Johnson, who scored 22
points Sunday night to go with Mark West's 21 rebounds as the Suns
pounded the Jazz 105-87.
	The Suns' victory evened the series 1-1 heading into Game 3,
scheduled for Wednesday night in Phoenix.
	The Jazz suffered their widest margin of defeat in a home playoff
game and their second-lowest scoring output in a playoff. Utah's
previous worst home playoff loss was 132-116 to Denver in 1984, and its
fewest points in a playoff was a 102-82 loss to the Suns in the sixth
and final game of their '84 series.
	``They said a man couldn't survive on bread and water alone, but I
was able to do it and finally keep something down today,'' Johnson said.
``As the day went on, the bread and the cheese and the honey and the
prayers really paid off. As the day went on, I progressively felt better
and better.''
	The Jazz have yet to beat the Suns this year when Johnson led
Phoenix in scoring. He missed the Suns' only loss to Utah in four
regular-season games with an injured leg and was scoreless in Game 1,
which the Jazz won 113-96 as Johnson was limited to 9 minutes of play
because of the viral infection.
	``We found what we were looking for, as far as the intensity
level,'' said Johnson, who also held Utah's John Stockton to just 12
points and 8 assists. ``If we could bottle that and keep that going, win
or lose, I think we'll all be satisfied. We epitomized what a team is
supposed to play like.''
	Phoenix Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons said Johnson's presence ``has a
lot to do with me being coach of the Suns and how successful we are. His
presence means a lot. I do like the way Kevin wins.''
	Jeff Hornacek and Eddie Johnson each added 16 points for the Suns,
who host the next two games in Phoenix. Dan Majerle and West each
contributed 14 points and Tom Chambers had 12.
	Karl Malone led Utah with 20 points -- 11 below his season average --
before fouling out late in the final period. Thurl Bailey added 15
points and Bobby Hansen 11.
	``They outworked us tonight in every aspect of the game,'' Malone
said. ``They wanted it more than we did and it showed in the way they
played. I don't know if it was a lack of what we did or what they did a
lot of, but it worked. We have to be disappointed in the way we
played.''
	The Suns, trailing 11-10 in the first quarter, went on a 21-6 run
to take a 31-17 lead and held a 33-21 advantage after the period. Utah
pulled within eight points in the second quarter, but Phoenix thwarted
the rally to lead 57-43 at halftime.
	Phoenix held Utah to just 38 percent shooting from the floor and
outrebounded the taller Jazz 51-41.
	``Right from the very beginning of the game, they came to us
offensively. They really took it to us offensively and really stretched
us out,'' Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan said. ``When you give up 33 points in
the first quarter at home, that's tough for you. When they break you
down like that, you're really in trouble.''

    - The Suns had their first film session in 6 weeks following Game 1. 
      They all commented on how pathetic they looked on defense.  Could it
      be a coincidence that they've struggled since the last film session?
    
    - Suns are now responsible for handing Utah its worst and second worst
      playoff losses.  Game 2 was the second worst.  Suns also beat the
      Jazz, 102-82 back in Round 2 of the '84 playoffs.
    
    - Utah led the league in FG% (> 50%) this season.  Game 2 they were
      held to 38.2%.
    
    - Karl "Mailman" Malone has yet to deliver in this series.  Rambis and
      West have shooting a collective 15 for 40.  He had the second highest 
      scoring average during the season (31.0 per game) and has hit for 21
      and 20 points thus far in the series.
    
    Mike

    
         I heard on some playoff preview that the Jazz are something 
    like 4-33 against the Suns in games played in Phoenix.  That goes 
    all the way back to when the franchise was located in 'Nawlins.
    
                                                  Glen J.
     

From: [email protected] (IRA KAUFMAN, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: NBA Playoff Roundup

	Life on the road can be disheartening -- especially during the NBA
playoffs.
	Seven of the eight first-round series stand at 2-0 in favor of the
home teams as action renews Tuesday night with six games. Only the
Phoenix Suns managed to split on the road, using Sunday's 105-87 rout in
Salt Lake City to gain the homecourt advantage against the Utah Jazz.
	Phoenix can wrap up the best-of-five series with two victories at
Veterans Memorial Coliseum, where Utah has not won since 1986 and is
just 4-33 overall.
	The home side has ruled completely in the Eastern Conference, where
New York, Cleveland, Indiana and Milwaukee seek to force a decisive Game
5 with a pair of victories in friendly confines. In the West, Los
Angeles, Portland and San Antonio pack a suitcase looking to complete
three-game sweeps.
	While most of Sunday's attention was focused on the outstanding
play of Phoenix guard Kevin Johnson, the Suns received a huge lift from
center Mark West, who grabbed 21 rebounds and outscored Mark Eaton 14-2.
Johnson, hampered by the flu in Friday's opening-game loss, scored 22
points as the Suns played inspired defense against All-Stars Karl Malone
and John Stockton.
	``We're going into that place kind of like going into a fire with
gasoline on your back,'' says Utah Coach Jerry Sloan of his team's
journey to Phoenix. ``You always have to give yourself a chance. You
don't want go over there with the idea that you don't have a chance. I'd
like to think we're going to play as hard as we can.''
	Malone, the league's No. 2 scorer behind Michael Jordan, shot just
7 for 21 from the floor before fouling out with 20 points while Stockton
was limited to 12 points and eight assists.
	``They gave us trouble all year long,'' says Sloan. ``As everyone
knows, when this team is healthy, this is probably a better team than we
are.''
	The Cavaliers, 27-14 at the Richfield Coliseum, have been unable to
stop Philadelphia forward Charles Barkley in dropping two close games at
the Spectrum. Barkley scored 38 points in Game 1, then responded with 32
points in Sunday's 107-101 triumph, spinning past John Williams twice on
the baseline down the stretch. Guards Craig Ehlo and Steve Kerr hurt
Cleveland in Game 2 by combining to hit on just 3 of 18 field goal
attempts.
	``Charles was just spectacular,'' Cleveland Coach Lenny Wilkens
said. ``He came up big when he had to.''
	The Knicks, 29-12 at Madison Square Garden, appear unable to solve
Boston's halfcourt offense. The Celtics were so efficient in Saturday's
157-128 blitz, Larry Bird didn't need to shoot. Instead, the unselfish
forward repeatedly fed Kevin McHale and Robert Parish in the post and
watched the Celtics make the extra pass that made New York pay for the
double team.
	Milwaukee's 27-14 mark at home will be tested by the surging Bulls,
who continue to ride hot shooting and Jordan's wondrous talents. Jordan
and Scottie Pippen combined for 68 points in Sunday's tense 109-102
triumph. The Bucks appeared defenseless in the final minutes of Game 2
as Jordan converted a pair of 3-point plays and provided the
back-breaking basket on a baseline jumper with 36 seconds left.
	Detroit's league-leading defense has suffocated Indiana as the
Pacers head to the sanctuary of Market Square Arena, where they won 28
of 41 games.
	``As long as we take care of ourselves, we'll come out on top,''
says Detroit's Bill Laimbeer, who scored 20 of his 22 points in the
second half on 9 for 10 shooting. ``Our confidence level is always high.
We think we can win any game we play.''
	Dallas, 0-6 against Portland this year, is 30-11 at Reunion Arena.
Home cooking won't help the Mavericks nearly as much as a helping of
rebounding prowess against the NBA's most powerful club off the boards.
Portland forward Buck Williams has turned in a pair of formidable
efforts while Clyde Drexler has been a defensive demon against Rolando
Blackmon in a physical battle between All-Star guards.
	Rookie of the Year David Robinson has sparked the Spurs to a 2-0
lead against Denver heading into Tuesday's matchup at McNichols Arena.
Robinson is too quick for Nugget centers Joe Barry Carroll and Blair
Rasmussen and Denver's Fat Lever has received little offensive help.
	The Lakers rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit to beat Houston
104-100 in Game 2 Sunday. The Rockets wilted down the stretch, being
outscored 11-2 in the final 2:36, and All-Star center Akeem Olajuwon is
struggling offensively.
	``At halftime, a spirited oration is not what happened,'' recalls
Laker Coach Pat Riley, who passed Red Auerbach for the top spot with his
100th playoff victory. ``Halftime was about being outplayed, being
outrebounded and getting our tails kicked.''

Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Jazz try to snap losing streak at Phoenix
Date: 1 May 90 23:27:35 GMT

	PHOENIX (UPI) -- The Utah Jazz face some formidable history
Wednesday night when they face the Phoenix Suns in Game 3 of their
Western Conference playoff series.
	The Jazz, tied 1-1 after splitting the first two games at the Salt
Palace, must break a nine-game losing streak in Phoenix to return the
series to Salt Lake City. The Jazz haven't won at Arizona Veterans
Memorial Coliseum since March 1986.
	``We can't get overwhelmed by it to the point we forget that we
still have work to do,'' Utah forward Thurl Bailey said. ``This isn't
even close to being over.''
	The Suns will be looking for a repeat of Sunday's 105-87 victory,
which Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons said was one of their better efforts
since they suffered a letdown in the last six weeks of the season.
	Fitzsimmons said he got after his team before Sunday's game and
made them watch film of the defensive lapses in the opening game, which
Utah won 113-96.
	Phoenix forward Tom Chambers said the film ``was embarrassing'' and
prompted the Suns to come out with ``the best defensive game we've put
together since I can remember.''
	Utah's 87 points Sunday was the team's second-lowest point output
in playoff history. The lowest was 82 against Phoenix in their 1984
series.
	While Fitzsimmons and Utah Coach Jerry Sloan are preaching defense,
the top scorers for both teams -- Chambers and Utah's Karl Malone -- still
are looking for their shooting touch.
	Malone, the NBA's No. 2 scorer during the regular season with a
31-point average, has averaged 20.5 points in the first two playoff
games, making only 15 of 41 field-goal attempts.
	Chambers, the Suns' leading scorer with a 27.2-point season
average, has averaged 15.5 points in the playoffs, connecting on only 7
of 28 shots from the floor.
	Bailey has averaged 21.6 points for the Jazz, and guards Dan
Majerle and Jeff Hornacek have picked up the slack for Phoenix -- Majerle
averaging 18.5 points and Hornacek 18 points.
	Phoenix guard Kevin Johnson is expected to be near full strength
Wednesday night after missing all but nine minutes of the first game and
being slowed somewhat in the second by intestinal flu.
	Johnson averaged 33.3 points and more than 11 assists in three
regular-season games against Utah, all won by Phoenix. A hamstring
injury kept him out of an early game at Salt Lake City, which the Jazz
won.
	Game 4 of the best-of-five series will be Friday night at Phoenix.

    Game 3 was a WAR!  This was the first playoff type game in this series
    too, complete with the jawing, pushing, shoving, short tempers, all
    that great stuff! ;-)  Final was Phoenix 120, Jazz 105.
    
    The first 3 quarters were VERY close, with each team taking its turn at
    scoring spurts.  Jazz would go up by 9, then Phoenix would go on a run
    and go up by 7.  Back and forth, etc.  You get the idea.
    
    Jazz had a 9 point lead about midway through the 3rd when Phoenix went
    on a 25-10 run and put the game away.  Chambers found his shooting
    touch in the 4th and hit 16 in the quarter.  The Mailman is still
    looking for his.
    
    Thurl Bailey had a monster game in losing cause with 30 points.  KJ had
    his typical 30, but the Suns are receiving VERY balanced scoring.  Mark
    West continues to really produce in the pivot.  He's having a great
    series!
    
    Could be all over Friday night!
    
    Mike

    
    
    Go Suns!

    Here's the box score from last night's game.  Suns showed great balance
    with 6 guys in double figures!  Check out West too!
    
    May 02, 1990
    Result
    
    Phoenix Suns       120
    Player       Min  FG-A   FT-A   R  A  P  T
    T. Chambers   32   6-12  11-12  4  1  4 23
    K. Rambis     19   0-2    2-2   8  0  5  2
    M. West       38   6-10   6-8  10  0  5 18
    J. Hornacek   41   7-14   5-6   2  5  3 19
    K. Johnson    43  10-27   9-11  4 12  2 29
    D. Majerle    34   3-7    8-10  6  2  3 14
    E. Johnson    26   6-13   1-1   9  1  1 13
    K. Battle      2   0-0    0-0   0  0  1  0
    T. Perry       5   1-4    0-0   4  0  2  2
    Totals       240  39-89  42-50 47 21 26 120
    
    3-point goals -  Chambers 0-1, EJohnson 0-1, Hornacek 0-2, KJohnson 0-2
    Team Rebounds - 14
    Blocked Shots -  3 (West 2, Chambers)
    Turnovers     - 13 (KJohnson 6, Chambers 2, West, Hornacek, Majerle, 
                       EJohnson, Perry)
    Steals        - 11 (KJohnson 3, Majerle 3, Chambers, Rambis, Hornacek,
                       EJohnson, Perry)
    Tech. Fouls   -  Ill. D
    
    Utah Jazz      105
    Player       Min  FG-A   FG-A   R  A  P  T
    T. Bailey     38  11-15   8-10  4  2  6 30
    K. Malone     42   8-21  10-11 11  3  4 26
    M. Eaton      22   1-3    0-0   5  0  2  2
    B. Hansen     23   2-5    0-0   1  0  3  4
    J. Stockton   41   8-18   5-6   3 19  5 22
    M. Brown      12   0-0    2-2   1  1  4  2
    D. Rudd        7   0-3    0-0   0  1  2  0
    T. Edwards    22   5-6    2-3   5  1  4 12
    E. Leckner     4   1-1    1-4   1  0  0  3
    D. Griffith   29   2-7    0-0   3  0  2  4
    Totals       240  38-79  28-36 34 27 32 105
    
    3-point goals -  Stockton 1-5, Malone 0-1, Rudd 0-1, Griffith 0-1
    Team Rebounds - 12
    Blocked Shots -  8 (Eaton 4, Malone 2, Bailey, Griffith)
    Turnovers     - 18 (MBrown 4, Bailey 4, Stockton 3, Malone 2, Hansen,
                       Rudd)
    Steals        -  7 (Stockton 3, Griffith 2, MBrown, Edwards)
    Tech. Fouls   -  Ill. D(3)
    
    Phoenix Suns       25  31  34  30 - 120
    Utah Jazz          22  33  26  24 - 105
    
    Att:14,487
    
    

Wow, great game by West indeed.  Those are Vlade Divac numbers! :)

    Hopefully Phoenix will dust off Utah tonight so we can continue this
    rematch business with you know who ;-)
    
    Mike

    I'd like that. 

>  <<< Note 109.221 by CSC32::J_HERNANDEZ "AFool&HisMoneyAreSoonPartying!!" >>>
>    I'd like that. 
    
    You may not when it's over! ;-)

    Mike, how do you feel about the Suns' chances against the Lakers?
    This may be a bit premature considering the Suns haven't won...
    YET!  I don't see Phoenix winning any more than 2 games at this
    point.  You otta get some tee shirts printed up like last year! :^)
    I'd love to have one!  
    
    BTW thanks for the UPI reports.  I enjoy reading them.
    Bret

    Are you ready for this?
    
    No T-Shirts this year 'cause
    
    The Suns and I have turned over a new leaf.
    
    I'm not the optimist I once was ;-) Suns are still a year away.  
    
    Lakers in 7 and I hope I'm wrong! ;-)  For your sake (and the rest of
    the LA fans), you better hope I'm right!  I've got an SA600 worth of
    snide remarks and insults to pay back ;-)
    
    Mike

    Hey Mikey-
    
    You got any T's from last year?  I'd love one, and I know you really
    have printed ones for this year- so send me one of those as well (I
    promise not to tell anyone).  Many ;-)'s
    
    Sameer

>                         -< Put me on the dist. list >-
    
    Yeah! That's the ticket!  The news SUNS.DIS in the same vein as
    Wardlevane!

>    You got any T's from last year?  I'd love one, and I know you really
>    have printed ones for this year- so send me one of those as well (I
>    promise not to tell anyone).  Many ;-)'s
    
    That was a hoax just to agitate you LA fans.  They're non-existent.
    If Phoenix makes me a liar and upsets LA, I WILL MAKE T's!!!
    
    Mike

re: lakers in 7

Should be a great series even if our resident SUN FAN is doing a little
bit of hedging.

TTom

    Yo Laker dudes, after L.A. Brooms KJ and the desert rats (tm) we can
    mail Laker stuff to 'ol Mikey. Mikey how 'bout painting your house
    Purple and gold? 

    I like it Jesse.  Whaddyathink Mike?  Gold with purple trim or
    vice-versa?
    
    Lakers in 6, hopefully :^)
    
    Bret

>Should be a great series even if our resident SUN FAN is doing a little
>bit of hedging.
    
    I wouldn't call it hedging.  You can't get more direct and absolute
    than Lakers in 7.
    
    Re: Jesse 
    
    If you really want the REAL address of my house, you'll have to try
    harder than that.  I knew you'd set me up if I gave you the real
    address!
    
    Re: Bret & Purple
    
    You fail to remember that the Suns also wear purple.
    
    Mike

Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Suns 120, Jazz 105

	PHOENIX (UPI) -- Kevin Johnson scored 14 points in the last eight
minutes of the third quarter, helping the Phoenix Suns battle back from
a nine-point deficit to go ahead by nine on the way to 120-105 victory
over the Utah Jazz.
	Johnson finished with 29 points and Tom Chambers added 23 for the
Suns, who took a 2-1 lead over the Jazz in the first-round series of the
NBA Western Conference playoffs.
	Utah, trailing 56-55 at halftime, broke away to a 69-60 lead, its
largest margin, four minutes into the second half.
	But Johnson led the Suns on a 30-12 run in the next eight minutes
to give them a 90-81 lead entering the fourth quarter. The Jazz never
got closer than five points after that.
	Jeff Hornacek scored 19 points, Mark West 18, Dan Majerle 14 and
Eddie Johnson 13 for Phoenix.
	Thurl Bailey led Utah with 30 points, followed by Karl Malone with
26 and John Stockton with 22.
	Utah suffered its 10th straight loss at Phoenix dating back to
March 1986. Overall, the Jazz are 4-34 at Phoenix, where game four of
the best-of-five series will be played Friday.
	Chambers, after shooting 25 percent from the floor in the first two
games of the series, made 6 of 12 field goal attempts Wednesday.
	The Suns as shot only 44 percent, but were able to control the
boards, grabbing 47 rebounds to Utah's 34. Mark West pulled down 10,
Eddie Johnson had nine and Kurt Rambis eight.
	Malone, who has been hobbled by the defense of Rambis and West,
failed to improve on his 37 percent shooting for the series, hitting 8
of 21.
	Utah gave up 18 points off 18 turnovers. Phoenix had 13 turnovers
which the Jazz converted to 18 points.

Hedging as in hedging your bet.
As in wanting the Suns to win but being on record as saying the Lakers
will win.

TTom

         
         Mike, once you get settled into your beatiful new house, we'll
    supply you with wonderful music for maximum listening pleasure:
    
    
     "I Love L.A." by Randy Newman. :-)
     
         Like have a totally wicked day doode! :-)
    
                                                 Glen J.
    

    Let the games begin!

    Re: Hedging
    
    Okay try this on for size:
    
    - Suns will take LA in 6.  Suns can only do this in 6 because they'll
      never win a Game 7 at the Forum.
    
    and if that doesn't work:
    
    - Celts will take LA in 6.  Celts will split first 2 in LA, lose one
      in Boston, and take game 6 in LA.
    
    Let's just skip the conference semis & conference finals and get right
    to the series that counts! ;-)
    
    Mike

    After what happened to the Celts on Sunday, I'm not making any bets
    even if LA goes up by a 3-0 margin.
    
    Sameer

    The Suns woke up in time to take this game.  I was 3 points away from
    not having a team to root for (thanks to the Celts and the lackluster
    play of the Suns).  
    
    To quote EJ, "The Lakers taught us a lesson last year, that being that 
    a game is 48 minutes.  We used that today.  We were never in this game, 
    but we never gave up, we wore Utah down, and we took it from them in the 
    last few seconds.  That tells me a lot about this team."
    
    Quick summary:
    
    Player              Points         Boards        Assists
    
    Chambers            32             6
    EJ                  23             4             2
    KJ                  26             1             9
    
    Mike

    - Chambers scored 14 points in the 4th quarter.
    - Majerle played some "in your face" D on the Mailman and held him to 2
      points in the final 5:23.
    - EJ broke his vow of silence to the press after yesterday, but said
      he'll continue it for the Laker series.
    - You could tell KJ was bothered by his hip pointer.  I don't recall
      him slicing down the lane at all in his usual fashion.  He seemed
      restricted to bringing the ball down for the halfcourt style setups.
    - Fans started camping out right after yesterday's game for tickets.
      Tickets go on sale at 10am today.  This city is going wild over this
      win yesterday, complete with a mob greeting the team when their plane
      landed at Sky Harbor.
    
    LA series schedule:
    -------------------
    
    Tuesday @LA
    Thursday @LA
    Saturday @Phoenix
    Sunday @Phoenix
    Tuesday, May 15, @LA
    Thursday, May 17, @Phoenix
    Saturday, May 19, @LA

Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Jazz 105, Suns 94

	PHOENIX (UPI) -- Karl Malone was more impressed with his five steals
and the Utah defense than with his 33 points Friday after the Jazz
stayed alive in the NBA playoffs.
	``Forget the offense, our defense did it,'' Malone said after Utah
beat Phoenix 105-94 to even the best-of-five Western Conference series
at two games apiece and send it to a deciding game Sunday at Salt Lake
City.
	The winner meets the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference
semifinals.
	``We got into our offense so easily because we played solid
defense,'' said Malone. ``Anytime you go and shut down some of their
players, it gives you more motivation. I saw big guys stripping the ball
from Kevin Johnson and that's when I knew we came to play defense.''
	Malone had five of Utah's 12 steals which led to 16 Phoenix
turnovers and 14 Jazz points.
	Utah coach Jerry Sloan, whose team had lost 10 straight games at
Phoenix dating back to March 1986, said, ``We knew we were up against
the wall. You've got to play almost a perfect game in this situation and
I thought that our guys gave it a tremendous effort... I could go down
and list every guy that was in the game that helped us win it.''
	Phoenix coach Cotton Fitzsimmons agreed Utah did a good job on
defense, especially on Suns' leading scorer Tom Chambers, who struggled
to 14 points on 4 of 14 shooting and had nine turnovers.
	``They did a good job on Tom Chambers, they roughed him up pretty
good,'' Fitzsimmons said. ``But they had the lead and we were trying to
catch up. Everything went the Jazz' way.''
	Phoenix guard Jeff Hornacek said the Jazz wanted the win more.
	``They got every loose ball,'' Hornacek said. ``They got the
offensive rebounds and we let them get easy shots... We just let them
get too many easy things. It was a lack of concentration or we just
didn't rotate and pick up the open guy.''
	Malone, who shot only 37 percent from the floor in the first three
games, hit 13 of 24 Friday.
	Six of Malone's points came in the final five minutes of the third
quarter when the Jazz broke away from a 65-65 tie to take the lead
79-69.
	Darrell Griffith had a pair of three-point goals during the span
when the Jazz outscored Phoenix 14-4.
	Utah led by as many as 12 points midway in the fourth, but the Suns
closed within 97-94 with 1:39 remaining on a three-point shot by Eddie
Johnson.
	Thurl Bailey hit a jump shot, off a Malone assist, with 1:19 left
to end Phoenix's last threat.
	Bailey finished with 18 points, John Stockton with 16 and Griffith
and Bobby Hansen with 11 each.
	Eddie Johnson came off the bench to lead Phoenix with 33 points,
hitting six of seven from three-point range. Kevin Johnson had 22 points
and Hornacek 16 for the Suns.
	Utah shot 47 percent from the floor to 42 percent for Phoenix and
outrebounded the Suns 44-40, with Malone getting 11 boards.
	Utah scored the opening basket and never trailed until Eddie
Johnson's first three-pointer of the night gave Phoenix a 33-31 lead
with 7:25 left in the first half. The Suns pulled out by as many as
four, but the Jazz rallied to a 49-48 lead at halftime.
	Utah led throughout the second half except for the 65-65 tie with
4:54 left in the third.

Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Suns 104, Jazz 102

	SALT LAKE CITY (UPI) -- Kevin Johnson sank a jumper with
eight-tenths of a second left Sunday to lift the Phoenix Suns to a
104-102 victory over the Utah Jazz in the deciding game of their
best-of-five, opening-round playoff series.
	With the 3-2 series triumph, Phoenix advances to the Western
Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Game 1 in the
best-of-seven series against is Tuesday night at the Forum.
	Tom Chambers and Eddie Johnson brought the Suns back from an 89-79
deficit with 9:02 left in the game. Chambers scored 14 of his 32 points
down the stretch and Eddie Johnson 9 of his 23. Kevin Johnson, who hit
the game-winner from the foul line, had 26 for Phoenix.
	Karl Malone and Thurl Bailey each had 26 points to lead the Jazz,
who were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs for the second
straight season. Malone spent more than 7 of the final 17 minutes on the
bench in foul trouble.
	Bailey, who converted just 11 of 29 shots from the field, sank a
running one-hander to put Utah up 100-99. But Eddie Johnson was fouled
on a jumper from the lane and made the free throw, giving Phoenix a
102-100 lead.
	Malone's 20-footer tied the score 102-102 with 14.9 seconds left.
But after a timeout, Kevin Johnson kicked the ball in to Mark West, who
passed back to the wide open guard. Kevin Johnson, who had been bothered
by a hip pointer suffered earlier in the series, canned his jumper from
the foul line with eight-tenths of a second remaining.
	The game started slowly, with Utah leading 9-6 after six minutes.
The Jazz pushed out to a 20-13 advantage before a 12-2 spurt by each
team. The Suns' run, including Eddie Johnson's basket to open the second
period, put them in front 25-22. But, early in the second period, the
Jazz answered with an identical run and never trailed again until the
3-point play by Eddie Johnson with 1:17 left.
	The Suns hit 30 of 35 free throws, including 16 for 16 by Chambers.
They outscored the Jazz 30-15 from the foul line.

Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Suns 104, Jazz 102
    
	SALT LAKE CITY (UPI) -- Phoenix Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons never had a
doubt the Suns opening-round playoff series would be decided in the
final seconds.
	Fortunately for him the decision went to Phoenix as Kevin Johnson
hit a jumper from the foul line with eight-tenths of a second remaining,
giving the Suns a 104-102 triumph over the Utah Jazz in the deciding
fifth game of their playoff series.
	With the Jazz winning 55 regular-season games and the Suns 54,
``how else should it end?'' Fitzsimmons said. ``No other way, three
games to two, coming to the wire right at the end.''
	``Two good teams played,'' he said. ``It's a shame one of them
doesn't get to go on, and I mean that. If it had been us (losing), I
would have felt the same way. I wouldn't have a complaint either way.''
	On the final play Utah's John Stockton helped double-team Mike
McGee of Phoenix, leaving Johnson wide open.
	``I was supposed to penetrate as close as I could,'' Johnson said.
``I did that, then spotted Mike McGee on the side and hit him with a
pass. I thought he might take the shot, but he fired it back to me and I
put it up.''
	``John let me get back to the left for the pass from Mike. I then
had the shot. It was a great win.''
	With the 3-2 series triumph, Phoenix advances to the Western
Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Game 1 in the
best-of-seven series against the Lakers is Tuesday night at the Forum.
	``The last play is a 1-4 situation with Kevin taking the ball,''
Fitzsimmons said. ``He has the option of beating his man and shooting.''
	Rather than force the shot in traffic, with Stockton chasing the
ball, Fitzsimmons said, McGee ``went right back to Kevin and Kevin
buried it.''
	``I think it was the series I said it would be,'' he said.
	Tom Chambers and Eddie Johnson brought the Suns back from an 89-79
deficit with 9:02 left in the game. Chambers scored 14 of his 32 points
down the stretch and Eddie Johnson 9 of his 23. Kevin Johnson had 26 for
Phoenix.
	Chambers called the series ``a great fight. It was the hardest five
games I've ever played in my career.''
	Karl Malone and Thurl Bailey each had 26 points to lead the Jazz,
who were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs for the second
straight season. But Malone spent more than 7 of the final 17 minutes on
the bench in foul trouble.
	``We played hard and were right there and had an opportunity to win
it. We just didn't get it done,'' said Malone. ``It's just an empty
feeling right now.''
	Bailey, who converted just 11 of 29 shots from the field, sank a
running one-hander to put Utah up 100-99 with a minute left. But Eddie
Johnson was fouled on a jumper from the lane and also made the free
throw, giving Phoenix a 102-100 lead.
	Malone's 20-footer tied the score 102-102 with 14.9 seconds left.
But after a timeout, Kevin Johnson kicked the ball in to McGee, who
passed back to the wide open guard. Kevin Johnson, who had been bothered
by a hip pointer suffered earlier in the series, canned his jumper from
the foul line with eight-tenths of a second remaining.
	``If I put my thumb on it, they hit the big shots, we didn't,''
said Stockton, who had 17 assists but only 9 points. ``If we both could
have hit our big shots then, with our lead, we could have pulled it out.
They did, but we didn't.''
	Utah Coach Jerry Sloan said, ``We had a nice lead on them, but I
thought we broke down a little bit. Karl got in foul trouble and we took
him out of the game and it seemed like our momemtum slipped away from
us, both offensively and defensively.''
	``We did a poor job shooting the free throw shots we got,'' said
Sloan. ``That's a big difference in the ball game.''
	The Suns hit 30 of 35 free throws, including 16 for 16 by Chambers.
They outscored the Jazz 30-15 from the foul line.
	The game started slowly, with Utah leading 9-6 after six minutes.
The Jazz pushed out to a 20-13 advantage before a 12-2 spurt by each
team. The Suns' run, including Eddie Johnson's basket to open the second
period, put them in front 25-22. But, early in the second period, the
Jazz answered with an identical run and never trailed again until the
3-point play by Eddie Johnson with 1:17 left.

Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Eddie Johnson wanted a special playoffs

	SALT LAKE CITY (UPI) -- Eddie Johnson wasn't happy with his play for
the Phoenix Suns during the 1989-90 NBA season. But the eight-year
veteran felt an outstanding playoff would prove he was back.
	``I dedicated this playoff to try to get my game back,'' said
Johnson, who scored 9 of his 23 points Sunday in the final 7:32 of Game
5 against the Utah Jazz, including a basket and free throw with 1:17
left that gave the Suns a 102-100 lead.
	After Utah's Karl Malone tied the score for the final time at
102-102 with 14.9 seconds left, the Suns' other Johnson, Kevin, hit a
jumper from the foul line with eight-tenths of a second remaining,
lifting Phoenix to a 104-102 victory.
	With the 3-2 series triumph, Phoenix advances to the Western
Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Game 1 in the
best-of-seven Suns-Lakers series is Tuesday night at the Forum.
	A separated shoulder benched Eddie Johnson for 18 games during the
regular season, and he averaged just 16.9 points per game and shot only
45.3 percent from the field in the other 64 games.
	But, in the five playoff games against Utah, he improved his field
goal shooting to 55 percent, averaged 19.2 points per game, and canned
12 3-point baskets, including one that gave Phoenix its first lead in
the first half, 99-98 with 1:17 left.
	In three previous NBA postseason appearances -- with Kansas City,
Sacramento and Phoenix -- Eddie Johnson had averaged no better than 44
percent shooting. And, in 12 playoff games with the Suns last year, he
had 13 3-point baskets.
	``For a shooter, all you need to do is have one or two good games
and things start to snowball for you,'' he said. ``Hopefully, that's the
case for me.''
	Tom Chambers -- who had not scored more than 23 points in any of the
first four games against the Jazz -- led all players with 32 points
Sunday, and Kevin Johnson added 26.
	Malone and Thurl Bailey each had 26 points to lead the Jazz, who
were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the second
straight season. The only other Utah player in double figures was
Darrell Griffith with 15.
	Phoenix Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons refused to talk about the
Suns-Lakers series ``until tomorrow.''
	But Eddie Johnson predicted Phoenix will have a good chance
``because they've never blown us out this season. The game is always
close in the fourth quarter.''
	The Suns will probably spend Monday and early Tuesday ``practicing
the double-teaming defense we used on Thurl and Karl on doubling (Lakers
foward James) Worthy. If we don't let Worthy and Magic (Johnson)
dominate the series, I think we'll definitely have a chance.''
	The big difference in the Phoenix-Utah series was the free throw
shooting by the Suns. Phoenix hit 142 of 170 foul shots, 84 percent, to
just 92 of 127 for the Jazz, 72 percent.

    What inquiring minds want to know is:  What team were the LA fans
    rooting for yesterday?
    
    Mike

    Suns for sure Mike!  What would you expect with the color purple?
    Acutally I like the Suns quite a bit after the Lakers naturally.
    If they can manage to take this series, (which I don't really think
    they can), I would pull for them to take it all.  I like their players
    and style of play and I like the city as well.  But hopefully all for
    naught!
    
    Let the games begin,
    
    Bret

    
    plus Utah owned the Fakers this year.....
    
    mike

I didn't really care which team won.  I've got a lot of confidence in the Lakers
with respect to either the Suns or utah.  They'ed probably take care of
Utah easier, because Utah is so limited in their offense.

At this point, I also look to things like who will give the Lakers a good
test, so I'll enjoy the Suns series.  That will stretch them out a bit more.
Play D against Kevin Johnson, worry about the running game.  it will
be a good challange for the Lakers in getting their ass in gear.

The Suns should make it more interesting that it was in last year's sweep,
and help push them along for the rest of the playoffs.

Dan

    It doesn't matter - the Lakers will whip either team - BAD !
    
    I think the Jazz play better D, but the Suns have more offensive
    balance.
    
    Lakers in 6 - tops. Probably 5 games ...

    The Lakers did not want to play Utah for the same reason they didn't
    want to play Houston. Each team has a great shot blocker,whose presence
    deters Magic from driving to the basket.
    
    Phoenix is a much tougher team than the one that lost four straight a
    year ago. 

    I  wanted the SunStrokes to win so we'z can broom 'em again.
    
    Be watch'in the mail Mikey!!

I wouldn't get too comfortable if I was a Laker fan.  They are favored to
win and rightfully so.  The Suns are still labeled "Up and Coming" so they
have nothing to lose and everything to win.  Given Scott's shot can disappear
quicker than water on a Phoenix sidewalk in July, and the Lakers struggled
against Houston, ANYTHING could happen.  Maybe Smiley (Magic) will be driving
down the lane...wait...what's this...he's clutching his hamstring...Look's
like Smiley is out for the series.  Tough break for the Fakers.  The Lakers
without the Smiley are definitely the Fakers.  BUT, with him, as M.C. says,
"You can't touch this".

Jim

- Go Suns and I really don't want Smiley to go down with an injury...maybe
  an ingrown toe nail or something.

    Sorry no brooms this year!  The Revenge Factor is one of the worst
    things to deal with.  
    
    LA better be ready because the Suns are STILL talking about that
    series.  They wanted LA in the worst way!  That series is part of the
    reason for EJ's vow of silence.  
    
    LA is going to see a different EJ than the one that disappeared in last
    year's series.  We'll See how the Fakers can handle zoning KJ, EJ, and
    Chambers.  Last year they only had 2 to worry about.
    
    As Heinsohn said yesterday, "When EJ gets hot, it's LIGHTS OUT!"
    
    Mike

    
    What about Chambers though? He has disappeared often during the
    playoffs. He must come up big if the Suns are to have a chance.
    
    personal indulgence hidden behind form feed
    
    
    	It's not bad enough that I have to suffer through the Celts loss
    sunday well last night I have a dream and my two best buddies Mark
    Le-Fave (won't dare try the actual spelling) and Magic Johnson show
    up at my house. Well watching a hockey game and I'm cleaning house
    while they're laughing at me for doing women's work, my wife walks
    in and that kiss-ass Magic offers to wash the floor. We then fly out
    to Phoneix where the Lakers are kicking the Suns ass so bad that they
    call off the game in the third quarter and give us tickets to the next
    nights game in Chicago....the only saving grace was Magic didn't bring 
    Worthy with him........
    
    mike

    That was great Mike, I'm rolling!
    
    Bret

    I think Pat Riley put it best at the half time interview-
    
    (It goes something like this)
    
    "Everybody keeps saying that we (Lakers) don't want to play this team,
    and we don't want to play that team.  Pretty soon we won't want to play
    anybody.  We'll be ready for whoever we have to play."
    
    Could'nt have said it better myself.
    
    Sameer

    Mike, Magic and I go *way* back.
    
    Mark.

From: [email protected] (United Press International)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: NBA Playoff Capsules
Date: 8 May 90 00:13:50 GMT
    
                  Western Conference Semifinals
                        Los Angeles Lakers
	Coach -- Pat Riley.
	Finish -- 63-19 overall, 3-1 vs. opponent.
	Starting lineup -- pg Magic Johnson (19 ppg, 13.5 apg, 7 rpg), og
Byron Scott (13.8 ppg, 1.8 apg), c Mychal Thompson (9.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg),
pf A.C. Green (12.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg), sf James Worthy (28 ppg, 6.8 rpg).
	Bench -- f-g Michael Cooper (0.5 ppg, 2.5 apg), c-f Vlade Divac (10
ppg, 4.8 rpg), pf Orlando Woolridge (12 ppg, 2.0 rpg).
	Previous round -- Defeated Houston 3-1. Though they suffered their
first loss in the opening round since 1983, the Lakers advanced by
holding Akeem Olajuwon in check and getting 65 percent shooting and 28
points a game from Worthy.
	Key Stat -- Divac has been spectacular off the bench, hitting 14 of
his 17 field-goal attempts while adding 9 blocked shots.
	Outlook -- Lakers have not lost to Suns at home in 21 games dating
to 1984, and Suns Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons has not won at the Forum in
last 37 games. Los Angeles is also rested, having not played since
Thursday, while Phoenix needed a fifth game Sunday to eliminate Utah.
Lakers should have little trouble in series.
                               Vs.
                           Phoenix Suns
	Coach -- Cotton Fitzsimmons.
	Finish -- 54-28 overall, 1-3 vs. Lakers.
	Starting lineup -- sf-Tom Chambers (20.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg); pf-Kurt
Rambis (2.2ppg, 6-6 rpg); c-Mark West (9.6 ppg, 12.0 rpg); pg-Kevin
Johnson (19.8 ppg, 9.2 apg); og-Jeff Hornacek (16.2 ppg, 3.9 apg).
	Bench -- f-g Eddie Johnson (19.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg); g Dan Majerle (11.6
ppg, 4.8 rpg).
	Previous round -- Defeated Utah 3-2; the Suns rallied from 10-point
deficit in fourth quarter of final game to beat the Jazz on Kevin
Johnson's 15-foot jump shot with one second remaining.
	Key Stat -- Phoenix is 0-6 in playoff series with the Lakers dating
back to 1969-70 and have lost last seven playoff games against Lakers.
	Outlook -- Phoenix, after posting 12-1 record during February,
struggled last six weeks of regular season and against Utah. To beat the
Lakers, Tom Chambers must regain his shooting touch and Phoenix must
stop James Worthy.

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Lakers focus on KJ
Date: 8 May 90 00:23:21 GMT

	INGLEWOOD, Calif. (UPI) -- After devising a scheme to contain Akeem
Olajuwon in their previous series, the Los Angeles Lakers now must
create a plan to stop someone on the other end of the offensive
spectrum: Kevin Johnson of the Phoenix Suns.
	The Lakers did the job against Olajuwon, holding Houston's 7-foot
center in check in the opening round. They are hoping to do the same to
Phoenix's pint-sized penetrator in their Western Conference semifinal
series, which begins Tuesday night (10:35 p.m. EDT) at the Forum.
	``Johnson breaks down defenses; he's unstoppable,'' Los Angeles
Coach Pat Riley said Monday after practice. ``But we don't want our
players to get frustrated when he gets by them and make an uncontested
layup past a sea of defenders. It has to be a team effort.''
	Despite a variety of ailments and injuries, Johnson averaged 19.8
points and 9.2 assists in the five-game first-round victory over the
Utah Jazz. The Lakers plan on an occasional full-court press against the
6-foot-1 guard, with Byron Scott, Michael Cooper and Larry Drew hounding
him.
	``With the addition of Larry (this season) we have 18 fouls to
give,'' Scott said. ``And Mychal (Thompson) and Vlade (Divac) can block
shots when he gets past us. We can hammer him.''
	Said Cooper: ``We have to keep someone is his face at all times.
We'd like to wear him down, so sometime in the fourth quarter (the
pounding) will show some effect.''
	Johnson, 24, sounded tired just thinking about the Lakers.
	``First the flu, then a hip pointer, then going against John
(Stockton), and now getting to go against Magic (Johnson) -- I'm going to
be old by the time the playoffs are over,'' he said.
	If history hold true, this best-of-seven series will be over in a
hurry. The Lakers, who swept the Suns in the conference final last year,
have beaten Phoenix 21 straight times at the Forum. And Coach Cotton
Fitzsimmons has a personal 37-game losing streak on Los Angeles' court.
	``I don't think of anything that's happened in the past, it will be
a new game Tuesday night,'' Fitzsimmons said. ``We're just looking
forward to playing them. The Lakers are the best, we give them that
credit. We have everything to gain, nothing to lose.''
	Los Angeles won three of the four meetings this season, limiting
the Suns to 105.8 points and 46.8 percent shooting. Phoenix finished
second in the NBA with 114.9 points a game while hitting 49.6 percent of
its field-goal attempts.
	One Phoenix player with something to prove is sixth man Eddie
Johnson, who sank just 19 of 58 shots (32.8 percent) against the Lakers
in the playoffs last year. He averaged 19.2 points -- third on the club
behind Tom Chambers and Johnson -- on 55 percent shooting against Utah.
	Los Angeles, meanwhile, will count on James Worthy to continue his
sensational play. The 6-9 forward is averaging a team-best 28 points in
the playoffs, hitting 64.5 percent of his attempts.
	The Lakers will also play host to Game 2 Thursday night before the
series shifts to Phoenix for games Saturday and Sunday.

    - Suns are 6-23 against LA in the last 29 playoff games between the two
      teams.
    - Despite a 1-3 season record against LA, the Suns played them close. 
      The 2 losses in the Forum were by 2 points apiece (first game was
      where KJ and Magic were ejected early).  Suns won the first meeting
      in Phoenix in an OT thriller by 4 points.  LA won the last meeting in
      Phoenix, in April, when Phoenix was having their injury problems.  
    - Jerry Colangelo said last night that Games 1 & 2 will be on TNT.  Of
      course Games 3 & 4 will be on CBS.  Pencil Dick(tm) just had to have his
      Little Darlings(tm)!!!
    
    Mike

>    What about Chambers though? He has disappeared often during the
>    playoffs. He must come up big if the Suns are to have a chance.
    
    He sort of disappeared against Utah for personal reasons.  He's from
    the University of Utah and his family still lives around Salt Lake.
    He also has a ranch in the mountains around Salt Lake.  Sort of like
    the way Larry Bird plays in Indiana.  You know what I mean...
    
    In last year's series against LA, he set & broke 6 different Suns'
    playoff records including points scored.  He had over 40 in Game 4 last
    year.
    
    Mike

    >He sort of disappeared against Utah for personal reasons.  
    
    All time weak excuse.  Because his family is from Utah is no excuse to
    not play well.  A lot of players have trouble shooting against Utah
    what with Eaton in the middle, ready to swat.  Blame what happened on
    the court, not off it.
    
    >In last year's series against LA, he set & broke 6 different Suns'
    >playoff records including points scored.  He had over 40 in Game 4 last
    >year.
    
    Except for the last game of the series (which the Lakers won easily)
    Chambers was a disappointment against the Lakers.  Worthy man-handled
    him on both ends.
    
    Dan
    

    Has anyone tmmed (tm) Magic (Smiley) Johnson?
    
    Does anyone know if tmmed (tm) is spelled with one m or two?
    
    NAZZ

    NAZZ BABY, methinks tmmed should be tm'd, but only Constable Hendry
    knows for sure......
    
    And yes, definitely (tm) Smiley!
    
    HTH.
    
    H�wk

I threw Smiley in the tm note.  I also added a couple of others that I've 
found along the way.

    Official ruling - tm'd is legal.
    
    However, I saw several illegalities in the NHL note - Canadien's
    (sic), Bruin's (sic) and ref's (sic).  Watch out - the 'Police are
    watching and ever vigilant.
    
    Constable Hendry

Suns won lasted night if anybody's interested....

Slehp tshi poops,
'Saw

    Uh oh!  Heiser ALERT!!! Heiser ALERT!  DUCK!!!!  ----------------->
    
    8^)     

    
    SUNS = PUNS (no way)...
    
    LAKERS = FAKERS (that's the real equation)...
    
    

    I watched the whole game and LOVED IT!  Isn't ironic how all these
    "streaks" are falling this year?
    
    - Knicks win in the Garden for the first time since '84
    - Utah wins in Phoenix for the first time since '84
    - Phoenix wins in LA for the first time since '84
    
    '84 is a key factor here ;-)  In all fairness to Cotton and Phoenix,
    their previous teams didn't have the talent that this year's model has.
    
    Re: Running LA
    
    The Wall talked about this in another note.  I think Phoenix is one of
    the few teams that can do this effectively.  They have a lot of
    quickness on the Suns.
    
    Phoenix played very sloppy ball too and still won.  That is very
    encouraging.  They almost gave LA the game in the 3rd with all those
    careless turnovers.
    
    West had a monster game!  I told you guys before he's coming along! 
    Our local broadcasters had Pete Newell (of the Big Man's Camp fame) as
    the halftime guest.  West is one of his students and Newell was
    thrilled at how he's progressing.  West gets better every year.
    
    KJ and EJ had quiet games so West's performance was needed.  If KJ and
    EJ get on radar, LA will be in for some nightmares.  EJ did hit some
    clutch shots in the closing minutes though, like he did in Utah.
    
    I forgot about Majerle!  He always does well against Magic.  Cotton
    needs to keep Thunder Dan on him!
    
    1 down, 3 to go...
    
    Mike

From what I saw Pheonix played smart ZONE offense. 
West got 24 points from breaking to the basket when Chambers/KJ  was double 
teamed. 

Jeff 

    O.k. you guys got that one. That means we'll broom you the nexted 4.

    The concerned look on Riley's face during the closing minutes was
    priceless!
    
    I was rollward! ;-)
    
    Mike

    Phoenix Suns                 104 - Los Angeles Lakers*  102
    
    *host team
    
    Suns             104
    Player        Min  FG-A   FT-A   R  A  P  T
    T. Chambers    44  10-26   6-6   6  3  4 26
    K. Rambis      27   3-6    0-0   8  5  2  6
    M. West        47  10-17   4-7  16  0  2 24
    J. Hornacek    26   4-12   4-4   2  5  5 12
    K. Johnson     45   3-7    3-6   9 12  2  9
    D. Majerle     25   7-9    1-2   4  1  3 16
    E. Johnson     25   4-12   2-2   5  2  0 11
    A. Lang         1   0-0    0-0   0  0  2  0
    Totals        240  41-89  20-27 50 28 20 104
    
    3-point goals -  Majerle 1-1, EJohnson 1-3, Chambers 0-2, Hornacek 0-2
    Team Rebounds -  7
    Blocked Shots -  8 (West 7, EJohnson)
    Turnovers     - 13 (KJohnson 4, Hornacek 3, EJohnson 2, Majerle, West,
                       Rambis, Chambers)
    Steals        -  7 (Majerle 2, KJohnson 2, Hornacek 2, Rambis)
    
    Lakers            102
    Player       Min  FG-A   FT-A   R  A  P  T
    AC Green      27   7-12   2-3  13  0  2 16
    J. Worthy     39   9-26   4-4   2  1  0 22
    M. Thompson   22   1-2    3-4   3  0  5  5
    E. Johnson    41   4-14  14-15  7 14  5 22
    B. Scott      39   8-14   0-0   7  4  2 18
    V. Divac      26   3-7    2-2   7  0  3  8
    M. Cooper     20   0-5    0-0   3  2  2  0
    O. Woolridge  26   4-7    3-4   5  1  3 11
    Totals       240  36-87  28-32 47 22 22 102
    
    3-point goals -  Scott 2-3, Divac 0-1, Cooper 0-2, Johnson 0-3
    Team Rebounds -  6
    Blocked Shots -  5 (Divac 2, Cooper 2, Thompson)
    Turnovers     - 11 (Johnson 5, Woolridge 2, Thompson 2, Worthy, Cooper)
    Steals        - 11 (Worthy 2, Johnson 2, Scott 2, Divac 2, Woolridge,
                       Cooper, Green)
    
    Phoenix Suns        31  22  25  26 - 104
    Los Angeles Lakers  26  25  33  18 - 102
    
    Att:17,505

    Smiley(tm) was 4-14 in FG's?  Wow!  Jerry West would've never done that
    poorly!  :-)
    
    H�wk

>    Jerry West would've never done that poorly!
        
    	H�wkster, must add "Clearly".  BTW, please recheck Lit conference
    for correct grammer, yer slipping!  8^)

    Yawn ... that's why they make these thangs a best of 7 - got to
    keep Heiser interested for a little while ....

    	Mike, what's Cotton's real name?  I remember reading it a couple
    of weeks ago and I couldn't remember it.  Edmund or something like
    that?  I know that the entire team was asked the question and only
    half the teammates knew what his real name was. 8^) 
    
    Spanks in advance.                                 
    
    sean

    Jimmy Clang (tm) had his typical big game for the Lakers.  ;-)
                                                                ^
    							Note smiley #1
    
    Here are his stats:  He was on fire from the field, hitting a torrid
    9-26.  He pounded the glass for an overpowering 2 rebounds, and he
    slickly dished the ball off for 1 big assist.  Nice to see Jimmy
    was clicking on all facets of his game!  ;-)
    					      ^
    					Note smiley #2
    
    NAZZ

    Funny how so many of our ABTL members are quick to jump on Worthy's
    9 for 26 shooting effort but have yet to utter a word about Tom
    Chambers' far superior 10 for 26 numbers.  Also seems kind of strange
    that Worthy's off night is blamed for the loss more than Magic's 4 for
    14 shooting with 5 turnovers effort.
    
    Laker_Ken

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Suns 104, Lakers 102
Date: 9 May 90 06:13:06 GMT
 
 
	INGLEWOOD, Calif. (UPI) -- Kevin Johnson is quite a playmaker. He
directed the Phoenix Suns offense Tuesday night before the team ever
took the court.
	In a pre-game pep talk, Johnson instructed Mark West to play with
added fire, and the quiet 6-foot-10 center complied.
	West collected 24 points, 16 rebounds and seven blocked shots as
the Suns and Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons ended years of futility at the
Forum with a 104-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in the opener
of their Western Conference semifinal series.
	The Suns won at the Forum for the first time in 22 games since
April 1984, and Fitzsimmons snapped a personal 37-game losing streak on
Los Angeles' court that began after his Atlanta Hawks downed the Lakers
Feb. 17, 1974.
	``The streak has nothing to do with this building,'' Fitzsimmons
said. ``The streak had to do with the fact that the Lakers always had
good players and our players weren't so good.''
	Kevin Johnson was good Tuesday night, as a player and a motivator
of West.
	``I told him to be more aggressive,'' Johnson said. ``He said,
`It's not in my personality,' but I told him he's always challenging me
in practice. Well, then he said he'd do it.''
	West obviously meant what he said.  He sank 10 of 17 shots and set
career playoff-highs for points and blocks.
	``We talked about a lot of things,'' West said. ``(Johnson) said
everybody has to do their role. He told me I had to stay aggressive and
intense for us to have a chance.''
	Eddie Johnson scored seven of his 11 points in the fourth quarter
and the Suns held Los Angeles to one free throw over the final 3:39.
Phoenix, playing just two days after eliminating Utah in Game 5 of the
first round, rallied from an eight-point deficit in the final period for
a stunning upset.
	Los Angeles, which had beaten the Suns eight straight times in the
playoffs -- including last year's sweep in the conference final -- will
play home again in Game 2 Thursday night.
	``We've been down before; it's a seven-game series,'' James Worthy
said. ``First thing we have to do is win Thursday night. Then we've got
to win on the road.''
	Orlando Woolridge's jumper put the Lakers ahead 101-100 with 3:39
left, but Eddie Johnson sank a baseline jumper and Kevin Johnson added a
free throw for a 103-101 Phoenix lead with 83 seconds left. Both scores
came after turnovers by Mychal Thompson.
	The Suns rebounded Worthy's miss, but Jeff Hornacek and Eddie
Johnson missed on the other end, giving the Lakers possession with 14
seconds to go.
	Worthy, guarded closely by Tom Chambers, threw up a wild airball
along the baseline, and West rebounded and was fouled with five seconds
left. He made one free throw for a 104-101 lead.
	Worthy did not say he was fouled, but apparently he thought
Chambers pushed him.
	``I didn't slip,'' he said. ``I'm not a player to comment on the
officials. I normally would not take that kind of shot, but I was going
out of bounds.''
	After West's free throw, the Lakers inbounded to Magic Johnson but
Chambers fouled him before he could launch a 3-pointer. Johnson made the
first free throw with four seconds left. He intentionally missed the
second attempt and charged after the rebound, but Kevin Johnson grabbed
the loose ball and time expired.
	Los Angeles led 90-82 with 9:40 left, but West slipped inside for a
three-point play and Eddie Johnson followed with a 3-pointer -- his first
outside basket -- to tie it with 4:33 remaining.
	Chambers led the Suns with 26 points, Dan Majerle had 16 and Kevin
Johnson had 9 points and 12 assists.
	Worthy scored 22 points, though he hit only nine of 26 shots after
sinking 65 percent of his attempts in the first round. Magic Johnson
contributed 22 points and 14 assists.
	A.C. Green, averaging just 12.5 points in the playoffs, scored 10
points in the third quarter as the Lakers erased a 53-51 halftime
deficit to take an 84-78 lead entering the final period.

    - Suns now have the home court advantage, regardless of what happens
      tonight.  They have to be more confident.
    
    - Nazz picked LA to win again tonight ;-)
    
    - When the Suns played as poorly in the last series as they did
      Tuesday, Utah won.
    

Re: Hedging

Suns in 6 is in jeopardy if they win game 2. I guess Mike could handle
winning in less than 6 ;-)

TTom

    Sure Tom!  We'll take it! ;-)
    
    LA will probably win tonight, but wouldn't it be great if the Suns
    surprised them again?!?!
    
    I have to think that the Utah battle helped prepare Phoenix for this
    series.  They hung tough at the Forum in crunch time and didn't even
    flinch!  
    
    I'm curious to see how LA will counter Mark West now that he's a
    factor.  Here's to hoping they play 1 on 1 with KJ! ;-)
    
    Mike

Let's go all the way. How does a Phoenix Suns - Chicago Bulls final suit
you? The way Chicago is playing and the way that Refs are giving them
every call, they could roll through the East. San Antonio looks like the
inexperienced team that they are. Portland is without Duckworth.

Just a thought.

TTom

    Mike, take a Valium ....
    
    West had his career game. End of story. He's no Akeem. The Lakers
    will adjust, West will have a decent game, but KJ and Chambers will
    stay just quiet enough. Meanwhile, Magic will have his 35-11-20
    game, and Worthy will drop in a cool 28-35 pts on 14-20 shooting.
    
    Lakers roll 117-104.

West had 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 blocked shot.

Vlade Divac had 16 points, 7 boards, 4 blocked shots, and 2 steals.


Laker_Ken

    Congrats Mike you was right L.A. won. 'nuff said.

    Well the Lakers came out with fire in their eyes last night, and
    Phoenix helped them out by playing their second worst game of this
    year's playoffs.  They looked a step slow all night long.  Suns will
    have to wake up and start pressuring the ball, as well as getting after
    loose balls and crashing the boards.
    
    I only watched the first half due to other priorities, but it looks
    like things didn't change much in the second half.
    
    I'd say at this point that Games 3 and 4 are a must win for Phoenix.
    
    Mike

    Re: Chambers pushing Worthy on the last shot of Game 1
    
    One of you LALA fans brought this up previously.  From the TV angle
    that the local station showed (I don't have cable), it was hard to
    tell.  Even if he did foul Worthy, it had to be a makeup non-call for
    the incompetent time keeper in the Forum.  I loved those 2 live ball
    situations with 5 seconds left, both of which included as least 1
    dribble of the ball, and the timekeeper takes off 1 second for EACH
    situation.  If I was Cotton, I would've broke the clown's fingers.
    
    Mike

Congrats to the Lakers...we'll see how they do in the desert this weekend.
Guaranteed, the Suns think they can win.  They will be tough.

BTW, did anyone see the article in the L.A. Times (also reprinted in the
Arizona Republic) written by ??? (a sports columnist).  Alot of b.s. about
Laker dominance with alot of snide comments about the Suns, Phoenix, Cotton,
etc.  Seems class is not something that this guy is capable of.

I'd be interested to hear from Laker fans on this.

    Re: LA Times writer
    
    Jim, that was Mike Downey.  Channel 10 news (6pm) had him on last
    night.  He basically said it was written "tongue in cheek" and he hopes
    the Suns "prove him wrong".  
    
    Interesting to note that some of the arrogant Laker players (isn't that
    all of them? ;-)) found it amusing.  What's more interesting is the
    rumor that the article is now on the Sun's bulletin board.
    
    I don't think that's the kind of encouragement Riley wanted to give to
    the opposition.
    
    Mike

    >I'm curious to see how LA will counter Mark West now that he's a
    >factor.  Here's to hoping they play 1 on 1 with KJ! ;-)
    
    They paid attention to West, and he turned in a more typical Mark West
    game.  They played KJ straight up almost all night, and again, he had
    that confused look in his eye.
    
    Hope this shleps.
    
    Dan

>    They paid attention to West, and he turned in a more typical Mark West
>    game.  They played KJ straight up almost all night, and again, he had
>    that confused look in his eye.
    
    I'm glad you were courtside in the Forum so you could see how confused
    KJ was.  I'm surprised he didn't put on his home uniform by accident.
    Poor fellow!  You were right all along Danny boy!
    
    It isn't hard to figure out that Phoenix wasn't hitting their outside
    shots consistently, so the low post people of LA camped around West &
    Co. all night.  Phoenix didn't do anything consistently last night
    except turn the ball over, lack of hustle, lack of defensive
    rebounding, lack of pressuring the ball, etc.  All the important
    playoff type fundamentals.
    
    Mike
    

    >Phoenix didn't do anything consistently last night
    >except turn the ball over, lack of hustle, lack of defensive
    >rebounding, lack of pressuring the ball, etc.  All the important
    >playoff type fundamentals.
     
    You really don't seem to understand that the Lakers deserve the lion's
    share of the credit for this.  That, and the usual let down after the
    team won the World Series in game 1.
    
    Dan

>    You really don't seem to understand that the Lakers deserve the lion's
>    share of the credit for this.  That, and the usual let down after the
>    team won the World Series in game 1.
    
    Dan, I understand that you would like everyone to feed the egos of
    yourself and the Laker talent.  Phoenix wasn't into the "flow" from the
    start of first quarter.  They played in a fog all night.
    
    Mike

    Regarding the supposed push on Worthy by Chambers on the desperate
    shot, I didn't see it.  I replayed the tape yesterday and again
    didn't see it.  I just consider it a big mistake by James.  
    Fortunately it doesn't happen too often. 
    
    Now c'mon Mike.  I think the Suns deserve some credit for winning
    the first game.  They took what they were given and did what they
    had to do to win the game.  But in the second game the Lakers did
    the same and created the win for themselves even if the Suns did
    not play their best game.  I really believe the Lakers would have
    won even if the Suns played a much better game.  A good matchup 
    pretty much and will continue to be.  Any predictions for the 2
    games in Phoenix this weekend Mike?
    
    Bret

>CSC32::B_GRAHAM "The grass is greener, but you still" 7 lines  11-MAY-1990 14:32
>    I ws sort of thinking of the Gorilla in Phoenix.  Any relation
>    to this discussion Mike?  
    
    Not sure what you mean Bret, but I'll guess that I won't like it.
    
    >While we're at it, whaddya think about the games in Phoenix this 
    >weekend?  A split or what?  
    
    I'm not sure what the results will be, but as I said before, the Suns
    MUST win both to take the series.  A split is probably more realistic
    though.  I hope the Suns can "win the World Series" again to the tune
    of a sweep of games 3 & 4.
    
    > You still think the Lakers will win the series?
    
    My head says yes, as it always has.  My heart tells a different story,
    as it does for most people.
    
    Mike

If Chambers shows up, we have a chance...if he doesn't, it's going to be ugly.
Also, the Suns did a good job (for a while) in game 2 of rotating the ball
to the open man.  Unfortunately, the open man tended to be Kurt Rambis or Dan
"Not tonight, I have a headache" Marjele.  If they hit their shots, they'll
be tough.  Cotton has faith, so I've gotta go with him.

    Won't like it?  C'mon Mike.  All I meant was that the Gorilla
    seems to be the Suns' interpretation of cheerleaders.  No
    offense meant at all, at least not his time!  :^)
    Personally I see no need for ANY cheerleaders in ANY  
    professionaly sports.  I'm hoping for at least a split this
    weekend!
    
    Bret 

><<< Note 109.297 by CSC32::B_GRAHAM "The grass is greener, but you still have to mow it!" >>>
>    Regarding the supposed push on Worthy by Chambers on the desperate
>    shot, I didn't see it.  I replayed the tape yesterday and again
>    didn't see it.  I just consider it a big mistake by James.  
>    Fortunately it doesn't happen too often. 
    
    What did you think of the timekeeper's manipulations?
    
>    had to do to win the game.  But in the second game the Lakers did
>    the same and created the win for themselves even if the Suns did
>    not play their best game.  I really believe the Lakers would have
>    won even if the Suns played a much better game.  A good matchup 

    I have to be honest with you Bret, you're a breath of fresh air
    compared to some Laker fans.  At least you're available for a 
    reasonable discussion of this series.
    
    Like I said before, LA came out with fire in their eyes, and the Suns
    were not into it at all.  LA also made sure that the Suns stayed in
    that mode.  I had also said in here yesterday that LA would win game 2. 
    The Lakers have shown great resiliency in the past after being
    "surprised".  The whole world probably knew LA would win game 2.
    
    Time for Phoenix to get their own version of home cookin' going.  This
    weekend will be crucial.  Worthy already said after game 1 that LA
    would have to win game 2 and one in Phoenix and that they'll worry
    about the rest after that.  If LA is as focused as last night it will
    be tough for the Suns, but not impossible.  If the Suns could bottle
    the intensity they displayed in Game 2 of the Utah series, they would
    definitely win games 3 and 4.
                                                   
    Mike

>    Won't like it?  C'mon Mike.  All I meant was that the Gorilla
>    seems to be the Suns' interpretation of cheerleaders.  No
>    offense meant at all, at least not his time!  :^)
    
    Sorry Bret, got my guard up today ;-)  The Gorilla is special though. 
    He keeps my youngsters entertained so Daddy can watch the game ;-) 
    You'd have to be into some pretty wierd stuff to look at the Gorilla as
    a cheerleader ;-)  
    
    The Gorilla pulls some excellent stunts that no cheerleader could pull
    off (this new guy is more acrobatic than the last one).  He also makes 
    much more money that any cheerleader.  Besides his $75K salary, he does 
    local commercials.  He also does charity work and hospital visitation. 
    Kids love him!
    
>    Personally I see no need for ANY cheerleaders in ANY  
>    professionaly sports.  I'm hoping for at least a split this
>    weekend!
    
    Cheerleaders can be a pleasant distraction, but the way the marketing
    folks hype them annoys me.  Some teams make them out to be more
    important than the players/games themselves (probably because they are).  
    Fortunately, the Celtics and Suns haven't lowered themselves to that
    yet.
    
    Keep cheerleaders in college and high school where all teeny boppers
    belong!
    
    Mike

    Actually, I must admit, the Gorillia is a piece of work! He might
    unseat the San Diego Chicken - if he hasn't already ...

    Well what can ya say?  The Lakers are playing the worst I remember
    in recent years and the Suns are playing like their lives depend
    on it.  I hate it immensely, but the Suns look real good.  If they
    manage to take the series, I will have to root for them, after I
    get over hating them!  ;^)  Game 5 in LA.  Against all odds...
    But this year seems to be one of breaking/setting old streaks/records.
    Maybe, just maybe the Lakers can take it after being down 3-1 like
    they did against Phoenix in '70?  Hey, you gotta find hope where you
    can!
    
    Bret
    

what was the score of yesterdays game?

Missed it do to mothers day obligations. Actually I think we were treated to the
Knicks vs. the pistons instead of the Suns lakers game here on the east coast..

Metz

    	114-101?  I'm about 90% certain.
    
    sean

    Yo Bret, we will win game 5 by at least 15 and game six by 4, then game
    seven will go doen to the wire, a Worthy dunk (no pun intended) will be
    the difference as we proceed to take on the POR-SA winner then the East
    winner for the ring. It will happen. 

    I guarentee that the Suns won't win the NBA Champeenship.  If they
    beat the Lakers, they may have a chance to beat the winner of Portland
    /San Antonio, but I expect a letdown, especially from mark West
    who is playing a career playoff.  He'll slink down to his mediocrity
    before the playoffs are over.  A team with Tom Chambers will never
    win a champeenship.  If the Lakers lose, the East will win the title.
    
    JD

You're dreaming Faker Fans...as I said before, "So long cinco de puds".  Just
pray we don't take it on your home floor.  How embarassing to see Michael
Cooper crying on Nicholson's shoulder on SportsCenter.  Did anyone see the
pick West LAID on Cooper....YES!

    
>      I was surprised with Laimbeer on Saturday. He tried to take out
>    Ewing on a move I've never seen him use before. Ewing went up for
>    a rebound, Laimbeer 'slipped', then proceeded to undercut Ewings
>    legs. Ewing came down shoulder first but got up after a minute.
    
    
Can you say CHEAP shot!!  I knew you could!!!!
He what we used to call other types when we were kids!!

A Studda Bubba!!!!    
    
    
     
    
     

>    Maybe, just maybe the Lakers can take it after being down 3-1 like
>    they did against Phoenix in '70?  Hey, you gotta find hope where you
>    can!
    
    But that LA team had such notables as Chamberlin, West (not to be
    confused with Mark ;-)), Baylor.  That Suns team had household names
    like Hawkins (alright he's the only one), Van Arsdale, Ronnie Lee.
    
    That was one of the best LA teams of all time!
    
    Mike

Unless you were on another planet this weekend, you know by now that the
Suns won BOTH games against LA in Phoenix.  Game 3 had a 117-103 final
while Game 4 had a 114-101 final.

The Suns seemed to really pumped in the local interviews and want to close
it out in the Forum in the worse way.  Game 5 should be interesting to say
the least.  KJ said that would be the icing on the cake!

Mike Downey, the LA Times columnist whose article made it to the Suns bulletin
board, was on the "Rambis Report" last night.  He was a big man in
admitting he underestimated the Suns.  He originally wrote last week, "Of
the 8 teams left, Phoenix is the only one that can't win the championship
and they won't beat LA either!"  He was wearing a Suns baseball cap last
night on the show. ;-)  Downey said that the Suns, "went right at the
Lakers and outplayed them, outhustled them, and out muscled them all over
the court.  The Suns are playing great ball now and have made a believer
out of me!  Anyone that thinks otherwise is a FOOL!"

Isn't it great when someone from Lakerdom(tm) sees the light? ;-)

Mike

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Suns think West is best
Date: 9 May 90 23:12:10 GMT
 
 
	INGLEWOOD, Calif. (UPI) -- The Phoenix Suns were seeking something
to stir their emotions entering the Western Conference semifinals.
Facing the mighty Los Angeles Lakers, apparently, was not enough.
	Then, according to Phoenix forward Tom Chambers, they found what
they had been searching for. The Suns had heard the Lakers were pleased
to avoid the Utah Jazz and center Mark Eaton. Los Angeles would rather
face Phoenix and Mark West.
	If all this is true, the Lakers certainly have reassessed their
preference after West turned in a sensational performance at the Forum
Tuesday night in Phoenix' 104-102 upset in Game 1 of the best-of-seven
series.
	``We heard they didn't want to play against Eaton,'' Chambers said.
``We took that to heart and showed them they don't want to play against
Mark West.''
	Normally a quiet guy, West showed considerable emotion in
collecting 24 points, 16 rebounds -- 10 on the offensive end -- and 7
blocked shots.
	The points and blocks represented career playoff-highs, while the
rebounds were just shy of the 18 boards West grabbed against Utah -- and
Eaton -- in Game 3 of the first round.
	``I don't think I've ever had a bigger game,'' said West, who
played 47 minutes. ``But this is only the first game (of the series). We
have to win four.''
	Game 2 is Thursday night (10:35 p.m. EDT), before the series
switches to Phoenix for Games 3 and 4.
	The Lakers must find a way to contain West. That will be difficult,
considering they have to worry about Phoenix's other weapons, including
Chambers and Kevin and Eddie Johnson.
	``We did what we had to do with the other players on the team, but
Mark West was the key,'' said Magic Johnson. ``We didn't count on him
performing like that; we didn't think he'd put up those kind of
numbers.''
	Los Angeles put up some bad numbers, sinking only 41.4 percent of
its attempts from the floor and just 4 of 19 shots in the fourth
quarter. The Lakers managed only one point in the final 3:39.
	``Down the stretch we stopped taking our time,'' said Byron Scott.
``We weren't patient enough in our offense. We've got to adjust our
tempo (to the fast-paced Phoenix style) from the Houston series.''
	Kevin Johnson kept up the pace for Pheonix, finishing with 12
assists and nine points. He often got the ball to Eddie Johnson, who
scored seven of his 11 points in the final period.
	``EJ'' shot only 33 percent against the Lakers in the conference
final last year, and the Suns were swept. He made just 1 of 5 shots
Tuesday night before striking for the 3-pointer that tied it with 4:33
to play. He added the go-ahead jumper with 1:55 left.

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Lakers 124, Suns 100
Date: 11 May 90 05:38:20 GMT
 
 
	INGLEWOOD, Calif. (UPI) -- Only one team in NBA history has lost the
first two games at home and rallied to win a playoff series. The Los
Angeles Lakers made sure Thursday night -- early -- they wouldn't have the
opportunity to become the second.
	James Worthy scored 23 of his 27 points in the first half, helping
Los Angeles square its Western Conference semifinal series at one game
each with a 124-100 rout of the Phoenix Suns.
	The Lakers quickly regrouped from their stunning loss in Game 1,
sprinting to a 63-48 halftime lead by sinking 58 percent of their shots.
Los Angeles then buried the Suns, leading by as many as 31 points in the
second half.
	``We had to get off to a good start,'' said Magic Johnson, who
contributed 21 points and 14 assists for the Lakers. ``We had to get
rolling and keep it rolling.''
	Orlando Woolridge added 21 points off the bench and Byron Scott had
18 for the Lakers, who did not want to be forced to duplicate the feat
of their 1969 counterparts.
	That Los Angeles club rallied to beat San Francisco in the 1969
Western Conference final after losing the opening two games at the
Forum.
	The best-of-seven series now shifts to Phoenix for afternoon games
Saturday and Sunday. One would think the Suns would be happy with the
split on the road, but that wasn't the case.
	``When you win the first game, you want to get the second one
also,'' said Jeff Hornacek, who led Phoenix with 18 points. ``I'm not
happy with the split at all.''
	The Lakers, burned by Tom Chambers and Mark West in the opener,
turned in a superb defensive job on the Suns' duo. Chambers had 26
points and West 24 in Game 1, but they managed only nine apiece Thursday
night.
	``They kept a man on me all the time,'' said West, who had five
rebounds Thursday night, 11 fewer than his Game 1 output. ``They didn't
send my man to double anyone else, so I didn't get any easier shots.''
	Tim Perry had 17 points off the bench for the Suns. Rookie Vlade
Divac had 16 points and A.C. Green 13 rebounds for the Lakers. Worthy
hit 12 of 21 shots as Los Angeles finished hitting 57 percent from the
floor.
	Phoenix, which broke a 21-game Forum losing streak in the opener,
led 6-4 in the opening minutes. But Los Angeles, which hit 12 of its
first 17 shots, closed the first quarter with a 29-14 rush for a 33-20
bulge. Worthy and Scott each struck for 11 points in the period.
	``We needed to come out and set the tempo,'' Worthy said.
	Woolridge's jumper with 9:09 left in the second quarter then handed
the Lakers their largest first-half lead at 39-22.
	The Suns got to within 50-42 on Perry's breakaway layup, but
Woolridge -- who had eight points in the second period -- dunked at the
buzzer to conclude a 13-6 burst that put Los Angeles ahead by 15 at
halftime.
	Scott then opened the third quarter with a jumper and three-pointer
that pushed the advantage to 68-48. The Suns cut the deficit to 87-72,
but a 10-1 burst gave Los Angeles a 97-73 lead entering the last period.
	The Suns got no closer than 20 points in the last quarter, as
reserves from both sides played most of the period.

From: [email protected] (HARRIETT HINDMAN)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Suns, Lakers Battle for Series Advantage
Date: 11 May 90 19:34:45 GMT
 
 
	PHOENIX (UPI) -- Phoenix will try to regain the momentum at home
Saturday afternoon when it plays host to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game
3 of the Western Conference semifinals, tied one game apiece.
	The Suns upset the Lakers in Game 1 104-102, but were routed by the
Lakers 124-100 Thursday night in Inglewood, Calif.
	The Lakers shut down Thursday the Suns' top two scorers -- Tom
Chambers and Kevin Johnson, along with center Mark West, who had
surprisingly proved to be the difference in the first game. Los Angeles
outshot Phoenix 57 percent to 49 percent, was ahead in rebounds 42-35
and converted 16 Phoenix turnovers into 28 points.
	``It was just total concentration,'' said Lakers' forward James
Worthy, who scored 27 points in Game 2. ``We executed when we had to in
our offense, and when we took a five- or 10-point lead, we focused even
more on not having a letdown.''
	Chambers, who averaged 27 points and seven rebounds during the
regular season, had only nine points and one rebound in the Sun's loss.
Johnson, with a 22-point average, was limited to 12 points.
	``We have to have Kevin and Tom doing things to compete with an
elite team like the Lakers,'' Phoenix Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons said.
``Kevin has to be big for us to win.''
	Chambers, who also struggled with his shooting during the first
round against Utah, said he does not need to adjust his shot, but does
need improvement in other areas.
	``My shot feels fine, I'm shooting it fine,'' he said. ``I need to
do a much better job on defense. I need to have a much better work
ethic. I need to rebound better.''
	Lakers Coach Pat Riley said his team relieved itself of a
``burden'' in winning Thursday after losing the home-court advantage.
	``It was a must game for us,'' Riley said. ``Now we have to go to
Phoenix with the objective of trying to get a win Saturday and then
Sunday. We are not going there for a split.''
	The Suns' only victory over the Lakers during the regular season
was a 121-118 overtime victory at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, site of
this weekend's game. The Lakers won the other regular-season game on the
Suns' court 103-99.
	Phoenix is 0-6 in six previous playoff series against the Lakers,
including a four-game Los Angeles sweep in last year's Western
Conference final.
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to [email protected].  

    >  I was surprised with Laimbeer on Saturday. He tried to take out
    >Ewing on a move I've never seen him use before. Ewing went up for
    >a rebound, Laimbeer 'slipped', then proceeded to undercut Ewings
    >legs. Ewing came down shoulder first but got up after a minute.
    
    I saw that too, Steven.  And the announcers missed it.  They called a
    foul on Laimbeer, and it looked as if he might have been innocent when
    played live.  But on the tape you can see him consider where he's going
    to stumble, and then change directions right into Ewing's legs.  A
    really ugly thing to do.  And then he has the nerve to complain about a
    foul.
    
    Also, the block that Ewing laid on Isiah at the end of the game.  When
    they showed that one in slo-mo, you saw Ewing go up from one side of
    the lane to get Thomas' shot on the other, and you also saw Laimbeer
    grabbing at Ewings other arm to try to hold him down.  It's that kindy
    of sneaky stuff which is going to make someone really clock him some
    day.  I guess Charles had enough.  If Patrick does, he'd better leave
    town.
    
    Dan

>  <<< Note 109.309 by RIPPLE::DEVLIN_JO "goodfood,gooddrink,broads,Bruins" >>>
>    I guarentee that the Suns won't win the NBA Champeenship.  If they
>    beat the Lakers, they may have a chance to beat the winner of Portland
>    /San Antonio, but I expect a letdown, especially from mark West
>    who is playing a career playoff.  He'll slink down to his mediocrity
>    before the playoffs are over.  A team with Tom Chambers will never
>    win a champeenship.  If the Lakers lose, the East will win the title.
    
    JD, I think you're hatred of Chambers is clouding your better
    judgement.  Take a lesson from Mike Downey before it is too late.
    
    Mike

    Mike,
    
    I'm telling ya, Tom Chambers is the type of player who will always
    have great stats, but never the ring.  And Mike, I'll  guarentee
     the Suns won't win the Champeenship this year.  IF they do beat
    the Lakers,which seems likely, it will be a major accomplishment,
    the type that even if they lose in the next round, their season
    will be marked as a positive one.
    
    JD

    Re: JD
    
    That's what worries me about these Suns.  They seem to play off of some
    emotion (not entirely though like the Knicks).  If they eliminate LA, I
    hope they have the focus to carry this through to the end.  
    
    If they eliminate LA, it will be the upset of the decade and will make
    the season for all Phoenix and ABTL fans!  I've already got my money's
    worth!
    
    Mike

I think if the Suns beat the Lakers it isn't an upset.  It's definitely a
surprise, but not an upset.  The Lakers have had a great decade but it's
time for new blood.  Someone made the comment in here that they were 
reminded of the Celtic downfall of recent years while looking at the Lakers.
Makes sense.  You can't stay young (or on top) forever.

    re .321
    
    Lakers are the #1 seed in teh West, and had the best record in the
    NBA.  I'd call it an upset.  
    
    re:  Mike
    
    Tough weekend for me, with both the Knicks and Sixers on the verge.
    
    JD

    
    
    Upset, choke... what's the difference...  To paraphrase all 
    those people who dumped on the 1988-89 Cavs... "it just proves
    that the regular season was a fluke"

    
    
>    Upset, choke... what's the difference...  
    
    Upsets happen to championship teams who are outplayed. 
    
    Chokes happen to teams who don't have the mental character to be
    champions.
    
    Lakers - 8 conference titles, and 5 World titles in the last 10 years.
    
    Cleveland - ZERO.
    
>    To paraphrase all those people who dumped on the 1988-89 Cavs... 
    
    To paraphrase you, 
    
    
    
    Has Cleveland EVER won a title ?
    
    Why not ? 
    
     
    
    Because they
    
    CHOKE
D !!!!!!!!!!
    
    Choked in the big games !
    
    Doc

    JD, why do you dislike Chambers so much ?
    
    I think you've been listening to too much anti-Chambers stuff in
    Seattle (who wishes they had him back now) ....
    
    Doc

    I have to be honest here.  After yesterday's win, I was the most
    excited I've been since the Celts won '86 and '84 (especially '84 vs.
    LA!).
    
    Funny thing though, it doesn't quite compare!  The obvious is that the
    Celts won the championship, Phoenix hasn't won anything yet.  They'll 
    always be #1, but the Suns are sure making this fun!
    
    Mike

    MAN IT'S QUIET IN HERE!!
    
    One thing about the Suns winning in the Forum now: if they take Game 5,
    nobody can use the "surprise" excuse that some used for Game 1.  LA
    will be ready! 
    
    If the Suns win Game 5, they will have earned it!
    
    Anyone else notice that Doc stopped calling the Suns, Puns? ;-)
    
    Mike

    
    Mike, I noticed that Doc stopped calling the Suns the Puns.
    Probably the next team on his bandwagon list.
    
    I also noticed that he didn't mention the Houston Oilers
    when he referred to choking...
    
    The biggest bandwagon jumper in modern times... if not of
    all-time!
    

    Re: -1
    
    Did you also notice that Tom Chambers "is a PLAYER!" now too?
    
    Mike

Great article over the weekend in the Charlotte paper about what a ripoff
George "Steinbrenner" Shinn is.  There were some great quotes from Kurt
Rambis. 

When Kurt was signed by Charlotte at the beginning of last season, in
addition to his contract, Shinn gave him a verbal promise that he had a
career in Charlotte as long as he wanted it, first as a player and then
in management. It seems that George likes this particular method of
contracts since it makes it a lot easier to lie, cheat and otherwise void
it without all that inconvenience of documentation. 

Kurt sat on his feelings about getting traded despite all this until
Carl Sheer left for similar reasons - unkept, verbal promises. So Kurt
let it be known in no uncertain terms how he'd been had by Shinn.

Lucky for Kurt that he's on a team that's on a roll. It's great for Kurt
and it's great for the Suns.

TTom

    Dr. M.
    
    I've disliked tom Chambers from Day 1.  Long before I moved to Seattle.
    Never ever liked him.  He grates me.  I think he's way overrated.
    
    JMHO.
    
    re.  Gronowski
    
    There is a big difference.  I've  gone on record saying I don't
    believe in 'chokes' when it comes to sports.  To me, saying a team
    choked is a disservice to the team that beat them.  It implies that
    they didn't play better or deserve it, but that they won only because
    the other team didn't play well.  Upsets are the things that make
    sports great.  Without them, everything would be cut and dry, and
    sports a little more boring. 
    
    JD

>        There is a big difference.  I've  gone on record saying I don't
>    believe in 'chokes' when it comes to sports.  To me, saying a team
>    choked is a disservice to the team that beat them.  It implies that
>    they didn't play better or deserve it, but that they won only because
>    the other team didn't play well.  Upsets are the things that make
>    sports great.  Without them, everything would be cut and dry, and
>    sports a little more boring. 
>>    
>    JD

    JD, the 1986 Red Sox choked, plain and simple.
    
    Mark.

    Mark.
    
    The Red Sox don't count!  ;-)  ;-(
    
    JD

From: [email protected] (HARRIETT HINDMAN)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Suns 117, Lakers 103
Date: 13 May 90 00:41:50 GMT
 
 
	PHOENIX (UPI) -- Tom Chambers, tired of being lost in the crowd
during the NBA playoffs, burst out with a vengeance Saturday.
	Chambers scored 34 points, hitting 14 of 23 field-goal attempts,
and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 117-103 victory
over the Los Angeles Lakers and a 2-1 advantage in the NBA Western
Conference semifinals.
	Game 4 of the best-of-seven series will be played Sunday in
Phoenix.
	``Kevin (Johnson) and I are all-stars and the last two games you
couldn't have picked us out of a crowd in a million years,'' said
Chambers, who scored only nine points in the Lakers' 124-100 romp in
Game 2.
	``I tried to post up a little harder today, more aggressively. I
was stronger inside today than I had been in a long time.''
	Johnson, the Suns' point guard, said Chambers was effective at both
ends of the court.
	``Usually Mark West, Jeff Hornacek and Dan Majerle do a great job
on defense,'' Johnson said. ``Today it was Tom Chambers that did an
excellent job defensively. He was enthusiastic and emotional before the
game and I knew he was going to come out and have a big game.''
	Jeff Hornacek, who finished with 29 points, joined Chambers in a
third-quarter run that put Phoenix in command 88-74. Hornacek had 11
points and Chambers 14 in the period, when the Suns outscored the Lakers
37-25.
	The Lakers never got closer than 10 points in the fourth quarter.
	``We couldn't get much to fall for us at that time,'' Lakers Coach
Pat Riley said. ``Chambers and Hornacek were just playing extremely
well. That was the critical part of the game.''
	Lakers guard Magic Johnson said the third quarter ``was the key.
Hornacek broke the trap and shot the ball well. He was just in a groove
today. He just didn't miss anything.''
	Kevin Johnson finished with 22 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds for
Phoenix. Mark West added 14 points.
	The Suns went ahead to stay 56-53 on a Kevin Johnson layup and free
throw 1:13 into the second half. Over the next nine minutes, Phoenix
outscored the Lakers 25-11 and Hornacek's three-point shot put the Suns
ahead 83-66 with 1:48 remaining in the quarter.
	The Lakers shot only 41 percent from the floor in the fourth
quarter and never seriously threatened.
	James Worthy led Los Angeles with 27 points and Magic Johnson
scored 22. A.C. Green had 13 and Orlando Woolridge 12.
	Hornacek hit 10 of 16 shots from the floor in the best playoff
scoring performance of his four-year career. His previous high was 21
points against the Lakers in the 1989 Western Conference finals.
	The Suns shot 60 percent from the floor, compared with their 41
percent shooting in Game 2. Los Angeles, which shot 57 percent in Game
2, cooled off to 48 percent.
	The Lakers outrebounded the Suns 35-29, but built their advantage
in the first half when they controlled the boards 20-12 and did not
allow Phoenix one offensive rebound.
	Worthy had 10 of his points in the first quarter, when the Lakers
held their largest lead, eight points. Los Angeles led 29-26 at the end
of the first quarter.
	Phoenix, with Eddie Johnson getting all eight of his points in the
second quarter, fought back to lead 51-49 at halftime.

From: [email protected] (IAN LOVE, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: NBA Playoffs Roundup
Date: 14 May 90 00:56:49 GMT
 
 
	The Suns may finally have set upon the Los Angeles Lakers.
	Phoenix moved within one victory of posting their first playoff
series triumph over the Lakers, beating Los Angeles 114-101 Sunday in
Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal series.
	Phoenix, which has lost all six of its previous playoff meetings
with the Lakers, can clinch the best-of-seven series with a triumph
Tuesday night at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif.
	Kevin Johnson led the Phoenix assault, scoring 30 points and
dishing out 16 assists. He said the frustration of last season, when the
Suns were swept by the Lakers in the Western Conference finals, will
help Phoenix close out this series.
	``The big key is that we're on familiar ground -- we've already been
through this before,'' Johnson said. ``Last year, we got caught up in
the hype.''
	The Lakers trailed by as many as 15 points before challenging in
the last five minutes. But Johnson's driving layup and free throw with
4:20 left in the game put the Suns ahead 97-90 after the Lakers had
closed to within four.
	Tom Chambers, who finished with 27 points, added a layup and Dan
Majerle a dunk to give Phoenix a 101-90 advantage with 3:40 remaining.
The Suns' last 13 points came at the free-throw line, where they
converted 39 of 48 for the game.
	Jeff Hornacek added 26 points for the Suns and Mark West had 15
points, 15 rebounds and six blocked shots.
	The Lakers' Magic Johnson led all scorers with 43 points. James
Worthy added 16, A.C. Green 14 and Michael Cooper 10 as Los Angeles
converted just 41 percent of its shots from the floor.
	``I don't think we lost our composure. We're not a team to do
that,'' Magic Johnson said. ``We were trying to get some things done and
through that you make mistakes. It's disappointing, but they still have
to beat us one more game.''
	In other playoff action Sunday, the Detroit Pistons and Chicago
Bulls moved within one victory of wrapping up their Eastern Conference
semifinal series.
	The defending champion Pistons defeated New York 102-90 to go up
3-1 in their series, and Chicago beat Philadelphia 111-101 to take a 3-1
advantage. Detroit and Chicago met in the Eastern Conference finals last
season, with Detroit winning in six games.
                      _P_i_s_t_o_n_s_ _1_0_2_,_ _K_n_i_c_k_s_ _9_0
	At New York, James Edwards scored 19 points and Joe Dumars 13 of
his 17 in the final three minutes to give Detroit a split of the
back-to-back games at Madison Square Garden. New York's Patrick Ewing
finished with 30 points, but played just six minutes in the first half
because of foul trouble. Game 5 is Tuesday night at The Palace in Auburn
Hills, Mich.
	``Our job isn't done,'' Detroit Coach Chuck Daly said. ``You've got
to get four. They are going to play one of their great games Tuesday
night and try to get it back here.''
                       _B_u_l_l_s_ _1_1_1_,_ _7_6_e_r_s_ _1_0_1
	At Philadelphia, Michael Jordan scored 45 points for the Bulls and
rookie Stacey King added 21 after replacing Scottie Pippen in the
starting lineup. Pippen missed the game because of the death of his
father. Hersey Hawkins scored 26 points for Philadelphia, which lost for
the first time at home in five playoff games. The Bulls can wrap up the
series with a victory Wednesday night at Chicago Stadium.
	``This was by far the biggest win of the season,'' Chicago Coach
Phil Jackson said. ``We did it despite not having Scottie Pippen. We did
it with good team play.''

From: [email protected] (HARRIETT HINDMAN)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Suns 114, Lakers 101
Date: 14 May 90 01:04:39 GMT
 
 
	PHOENIX (UPI) -- Phoenix guard Kevin Johnson believes the Suns'
playoff experience from last year has been a big factor in their 3-1
Western Conference semifinal lead over the Los Angeles Lakers. But now
they enter uncharted territory.
	``The big key is that we're on familiar ground -- we've already been
through this before,'' Johnson said after scoring 30 points and handing
out 16 assists to lead Phoenix to a 114-101 victory.
	Game 5 of the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Tuesday night
on the Lakers' home court at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif.
	The Suns were eliminated by the Lakers in four games in last year's
Western Conference finals, but now it is the Lakers that are on the
verge of a quick exit.
	``Last year, we got caught up in the hype,'' Johnson said.
	But to move to the next round, the Suns must accomplish something
they never have done before -- eliminate the Lakers in a playoff series.
	Six times the Suns have faced the Lakers in the postseason, and six
times the Suns went on vacation. The worst incident came 20 years ago,
when the Suns blew a 3-1 lead against the Wilt Chamberlain-led Lakers,
who went on to finish runner-up to the New York Knicks in 1970.
	The Lakers led only once Sunday -- after James Worthy hit a free
throw four seconds into the game. They trailed by as many as 15 points
before challenging the Suns in the last five minutes.
	After the Lakers had closed within four, Johnson's driving layup
and free throw with 4:20 left put the Suns ahead 97-90.
	``Had we been playing well or doing something good or getting great
shots and they made a run at us, it would have been a little
different,'' Johnson said. ``But we missed some shots, we turned the
ball over, it was just a lack of execution. We had to regroup and stay
composed.''
	Tom Chambers, who finished with 27 points, added a layup, and Dan
Majerle rammed home a dunk off a Kevin Johnson assist, giving Phoenix a
101-90 advantage with 3:40 remaining.
	The Suns' last 13 points came at the free-throw line, where they
converted 39 of 48 for the game.
	Jeff Hornacek had 23 points for the Suns. Mark West had 15 points,
15 rebounds and 6 blocked shots, including a block of a driving layup by
Magic Johnson with 1:10 remaining that preserved a 108-99 Phoenix lead.
	Magic Johnson led all scorers with 43 points. James Worthy added
16, A.C. Green 14 and Michael Cooper 10 for the Lakers, who shot 40.7
percent from the floor.
	``I don't think we lost our composure. We're not a team to do
that,'' Magic Johnson said. ``We were trying to get some things done and
through that you make errors. It's disappointing, but they still have to
beat us one more game.''
	Phoenix, shooting 76 percent from the floor to 35 percent for the
Lakers, pulled out to a 36-22 lead in the first quarter, behind
Hornacek's 16 points. The Suns led 62-48 at halftime.
	``My team was just sensational the first quarter, then we withstood
everything they threw at us,'' Suns Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons said.
	Cooper did not play in the first half, but started the second as
Lakers Coach Pat Riley went with a smaller and quicker lineup.
	``We've had very sporadic play from our big guys. I couldn't
wait,'' Riley said. ``We were down, we had to go with our quick lineup,
they got us back in the game and gave us a chance to win it. But we had
two bad plays at 94-90. That was our big chance.''
	The Lakers, taking advantage of five Phoenix turnovers, cut the
margin to 84-79 at the end of three quarters, though Los Angeles still
shot only 40 percent from the floor during the period. Magic Johnson had
14 points during the rally.
	Phoenix pulled ahead again early in the fourth quarter and went
ahead 93-82 on a jumper by Kevin Johnson with 7:50 remaining.
	Byron Scott hit a jump shot, Cooper a three-point shot and a layup
and Green a free throw to cut the gap to 94-90 before the Suns reeled
off seven straight points.

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Riley: Don't count out Lakers
Date: 15 May 90 00:02:56 GMT
 
 
	INGLEWOOD, Calif. (UPI) -- Only four NBA teams have rallied from a
3-1 deficit to win a playoff series. But to hear Coach Pat Riley tell
it, the Lakers will make it five.
	The Phoenix Suns have put the Lakers on the brink of missing only
their second NBA championship series since 1981. But Riley, while
falling short of making another of his guarantees, thinks his club will
begin a rally Tuesday night at the Forum in Game 5 of the Western
Conference semifinals.
	``I want to tell you right now: We have a great opportunity to do
something really significant,'' the NBA's newest Coach of the Year said
Monday. ``I have a feeling we will.''
	The Lakers in recent years have thrived on challenges. They
succeeded in beating longtime nemesis Boston for the NBA championship,
and later won consecutive league titles. They appeared on the way to a
``three-peat'' last year before injuries got in the way.
	Now, Los Angeles is forced to win three straight.
	``We got ourselves into this position and we have to deal with
it,'' said Riley, who canceled practice Monday. ``To be very honest with
you, I prefer to embrace it. The nature of competition is that you want
the hottest there is. Well, this is it.
	``I have a feeling with this team that during these times there is
more of a sense of calm. To embrace the notion of do or die, to me
that's really exciting.''
	To join the 1968 and 1981 Celtics, 1970 Lakers (who beat the Suns)
and 1979 Bullets as teams to overcome 3-1 deficits, Los Angeles must get
improved performances out of James Worthy, Byron Scott and its centers.
	Worthy missed 16 of 21 shots in Sunday's 114-101 loss, and the
6-foot-9 forward -- a career .558 percentage shooter in the playoffs --
has made only .419 against Phoenix.
	Scott, apparently weary from trying to keep up with Kevin Johnson,
had only 4 points Sunday before fouling out. And pivot men Mychal
Thompson and Vlade Divac combined for 7 points in Game 4.
	``We have to get more people involved,'' said Magic Johnson, who
had a career playoff-high 43 points Sunday. ``More than just me and
James.
	``For three games you are trying to ride everybody and get them
involved (while) trying to get your own game going. (Sunday) I just had
to do something. I don't know which role I'm going to have Tuesday.
Hopefully it will be different.''
	The Suns, of course, are not counting out the Lakers.
	``We haven't done anything yet. We've just narrowed this down to a
three-game series,'' said Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, whose team would be
home if Thursday night's Game 6 were necessary. ``Certainly we'd rather
be 3-1 going to LA than 1-3.
	``Everybody has to put forth a great effort. I do think we have a
shot at winning the series, but we're going to have to work very hard. I
haven't changed my opinion any. It will be a longshot.''

    In interviews yesterday, KJ reminded everyone how LA took 4 straight
    from the Suns last year.  "That's why we HAVE to close it out tonight",
    he said.  They don't want to give LA any incentives.
    
    Cotton also remarked that, "if anyone can win 3 straight, LA can. 
    They're a great team and we'll have to be at our best tonight."
    
    Speaking of Cotton, I think he's done a masterful job of coaching thus
    far.  In last year's series, Riley often put him in a position where he
    had to adjust to what Riles was doing.  Cotton seems to have turn the
    tables and is dictating the flow more this year.  His use of timeouts
    have been well orchestrated too.
    
    Mike

    Congratulations to Mike as he is the only real Suns fan that
    comes to mind.  No offence to any others out there.  Can't
    find any fault with the Suns' game.  I just hope they continue
    their great play and don't rest on their laurels or anything
    else.  Should be an interesting western finals.  I believe
    Phoenix will not have home-court against either Portland or
    San Antonio.  I would think that Detroit will be favored
    at this point, but the way the playoffs have been going, who
    knows?  Time to discover life after the Lakers again, just
    a little early this year.  
    
    Hoping the West takes the title this year,
    
    Bret

    
    Anyone know how the Fakers did last night.  Last I saw they were
    up by 15 early in the 2nd quarter.  When is game 6?  I can't believe
    that the Fakers would have choked away game 5 and the series in
    the Forum.

Hey Bret, as the pres of the ATBL and the only guy in here to pick the Suns
to win the series don't I get a congrats too :^)

and to see Magic become Tragic again in crunch time was music to any Celts'
fans ears who have endure the slings thrown at Larry.....

How long you think Doc will be on vacation?  ;^)

mike

    Yea Mike, well......
    
    All I know is the Lakers and Celtics are on vacation until October.
    And I was hoping they would do battle one more time this year.  Each
    year that goes by like this, the slimmer the chances of that ever
    happening.
    
    I think winning the COY award is a jinx.  Last year Cotton won it
    and was booted out of the playoffs and this year Riley, well, you
    know.....it's now just another page in the books.  I'm looking at
    the bright side now.  I will have some free time now and won't have
    to stay up til 11:00 anymore.  Life goes on, right guys?  I mean
    you Celt fans have to be real good at finding life after b-ball!  ;^)
    
    Bret

    One more thing.  I hope Phoenix continues their excellent play
    through the remainder.  If they choke in the next round, I will
    arrange to have a bomb dropped on the Veteran's Memorial Colesium
    with them in it!  ;^)  Seriously, I expect it to be Portland and
    Phoenix in the conference finals with Portland holding the home-court.
    Mr. Heiser, do you recall the record between the Blazers and Suns
    this year?  If this comes to be, I would expect West to have another
    big series with Duckworth out.  Cooper can't stop West, that seems
    pretty sure.
    
    Please, don't let the Pistons repeat!  But that's gonna be pretty
    hard to stop.  
    
    Bret

Hats off to the Suns for once again outplaying the Lakers down the
stretch.  K.J. was again unbelievable.  Damn he's annoying, but 
good.  Seemed like the only adjustment Riley made was to start Divac
in place of Mychal Thompson.  That helped until Vlade got into foul
trouble.  Magic played with a lot of heart last night, but unfortun-
ately he was the only source of offense for the Lakers.  After the 
last three games, I expect to see James Worthy, Byron Scott, and Mychal 
Thompson on milk cartons.

Laker_Ken

It was great to see the Lakers go down the Turlet!!! Tragic trying to be
the hero cost them the game!!! They could have tied if he would have trown to  
the outside man standing all by his lonesome but NOOOOOO he has to drive the
board and gets the file... I was roollliinnggg....

Congrats to the SUNS....

    Congrats to Mike Heiser, the only Suns fan in this conference.
    Congrats to Ken and the other Laker fans in this note for acting
    with class and dignity - perhaps Celtics fans could learn something
    from you guys.  (Nah, I doubt it...)
    
    To Mike Childs - c'mon Mike - how can you call Magic tragic?  In
    one note, the NBA one, you praise him for being one of the few Lakers
    to  come out and play their hearts out.  He did everything, but
    one guy can't beat a team like the Suns.  
    
    KJ had a great series, but I see Tommy Gun misfired, but Marjele
    and Hornacek bailed him out.   I don't see West continuing his
    above-his-head play.  Portland is a much more physical team, and
    a better running team then the Lakers.  I think they will handle
    the Suns.  Who will Hornacek guard?  Porter?  Drexler?  Not a good
    matchup.  Who will Tommy Gun guard?  Buck Williams?  Jerome Kersey?
    
    Of course, San ANtonio could still take the series, but methinks
    last night was a killer for them.  Terry Cummings will need to keep
    them from getting down..
    
    JD

    Here is one Celtics fan who isn't bashing the Lakers.  It's painful
    to watch the end of an era for a great team, which is what we Celtics
    fans have been doing for the last couple of years.  It's also been
    painful to hear the bashing of the Celtics from the non-Celtics
    fans over what's been going on with the Celtics for the last couple
    of years.  I think the Celtics fans are just giving the Lakers fans
    a dose of their own medicine.
    
    The Lakers and Celtics have really defined the NBA throughout most
    of the eighties.  The Bird and Magic era will be remembered as the
    time that really established the NBA as a major league and it's
    sad to see it coming to an end.  The Celtics - Lakers rivalry had
    two teams at their best going at each other, they really respected
    each other and I think anyone who can't get past the "Show Time"
    Hollywood Image of the Lakers and see that there was one great
    basketball team wearing Purple and Gold isn't a true fan.  Just
    like anyone who couldn't see that there was another great team wearing
    Green and White isn't much of a fan either.
    
    Those of us on each coast who've been fans of these teams won't
    realize what we've had until it's gone.
    
    John

    
>    To Mike Childs - c'mon Mike - how can you call Magic tragic?  In
>    one note, the NBA one, you praise him for being one of the few Lakers
>    to  come out and play their hearts out.  He did everything, but
>    one guy can't beat a team like the Suns.  
    

 One missed technical, one errant pass and one missed layup with the game
 on the line is how I can call him Tragic. I did reference it to crunch
 time not the entire series which is which the reference to coming out to
 play was. Get it?

 JD, my friend you know me I nit-pik the Lakers' failures when ever I can
 to balance off Dan... ;^)

 but hey it's the Lakers and Magic so no criticism is allowed right?

 Priceless shot poor Arsenio on the floor with the Lakers down 5 and 
 15 seconds left in the game. Looked to me like he was crying behind
 those glasses. Some kind of fan giving up on his team like the rest
 of the building. I was still sweating I knew those SOB would make
 it go to the last second before I could relax.....

 but forget the Lakers, the SUNS DESERVE ALL THE CREDIT, they hung in there
 and made the adjustments to comeback....

 mike

    Mike,
    
    I almost fell off the coach when they showed Arsenio - first he
    was sitting and praying, and then the shot you described.  GAG!
    
    The only 'hollywood' type I respect in the crowd is Nicholson, because
    from all I've read he's a real fan, and would rater the damn camera
    didn't focus on him - sort of like Walter Matthau and the Knicks
    - he's been going to games for years and years.
    
    I think Magic tried to do too much - but no one else was doing
    anything.  I thought AC should have been in down the stretch, and
    maybe Drew shoulda played more.
    
    Funny, but watching the game, between remote clicks, I had the feeling
    this was the final game - I felt if the Lakers won, they'd take
    the series - the Suns showed  a lot of poise.  Boy is Hornacek funny
    looking or what?  Looks like Coach K's illigitimate son!  ;-)
    
    The playoff refrain on the Lakers has been "How goes Worthy, so
    goes the Lakers".  This series was great proof of that.
    JD

    Whose bandwagon is Arsenio going to jump on now ?  As if he doesn't
    get enough airtime as it is.  I'm going to watch his show tonight
    to see what he has to say about the Laker's elimination.
    
    How can a team that had the best record in the regular season play
    so poorly in the playoffs ?  Comments are welcome.

    
    It seemed obvious that Magic felt that no one else was going to
    do anything, so he tried to do it all himself.  He made a couple
    wild drives to the hoop that were atypical.  He certainly felt
    pressured to make something happen.
    
    I'm not sure Drew should have been in there more.  On the last play
    where it looked like Cooper threw the ball away, I believe it was
    Drew's fault.  Judging by reactions, I think Drew was supposed to
    be where the ball ended up.
    
    Did it look to anyone else that Coop didn't want to take the 3 pointers
    at the end of the game?  I believe on the last attempt he had an open
    shot but still passed it to Scott (who was also open and hit it).
    He seemed afraid to do anything.
    
    
    Bruce  
    

It's ironic that 20 years ago the Lakers came back to beat the Suns from
a 3-1 deficit led by Jerry West.  The irony is that today we (Heiser, myself 
and any anti-Laker fan) Suns fans celebrate the elimination of the Lakers at the
hands of the Suns and Jerry West's son, Mark.  Amazing!

Class acts:  Childs and Laker_Ken.  They don't lose their sense and sense
of humor during difficult times.

Look out for the Suns - they AIN'T done yet!

Jim

    Jerry West's son, Mark?  I'm confused.  Not Mark West - he isn't
    Jerry West's son.
    
    Bruce - Riley said that perhaps too much emphasis was placed on
    securing the best record in the NBA.  The Lakers were outplayed,
    and outcoached  this series.  The unsung guys, as usual, were the
    real story - West, Rambis, Hornacek and Marjerle.  Without them,
    the great play of KJ would have been for naught.  
    
    
    Oh, and congrats to Mr. Weddle - forgot bout you.  At least you
    didn't use 'Cinco de Puds' today ;-)
    
    Who would Suns fans rather face:  Blazer or Spurs?  I'd guess the
    Spurs, since they are younger and more prone to mistakes, despite
    having Robinson.   What were the season records between the
    Suns/Blazers and Suns/Spurs.
    
    JD

    JD
    
    Don't know about Suns-Blazers, but I'm pretty sure that the Suns
    went 0-4 against the Spurs.  But as we have seen, that don't mean
    a hell of a lot.
    
    Bret

    	JD, I don't know the records, but I would have to agree that
    Phoenix would want to meet the Spurs.
    
    	Without LA, Portland has now secured home court advantage up
    to the finals.  They are tough to beat at home... a lot tougher
    and less prone to mistake than the Spurs.  Portland has a great
    cast of players too.  I would have to argue that they have the best
    starting five in the league (with Duckworth).   From what I've seen,
    this team is very dangerous in the open court.  They can run away
    with a game and leave the other team dazed and confused.  They
    combine experience with youth and physicalness... a deadly combination.
    Portland fans definitely have something to talk about this season.
    With the addition of Williams they are truly a world championship
    contending team.  
    
    	Phoenix doesn't match up well with Portland.  They are going
    to have trouble figuring out who to contain on the offensive end
    since Portland has so many weapons (Drexler, Kersey and Porter for
    starters).   Portland will play a higher scoring, uptempo game
    than LA, so it's up to Phoenix to stay with them.
    
    	This is, of course, assuming Portland will beat SA.   
    
    sean

Re. Mark West being the son of Jerry West  --

Were you serious?  Did you really believe that or were you just
joking?  That's hilarious.  I'll be laughing the rest of the day
whenever I think of that one.  

Re. Hornacek's appearance --

For the longest time I couldn't think of who he reminded me of.  Then
it finally hit me; this guy looks like John Cleese!  Could be his
son, I guess.

Other separated at birth pairs that come to mind:  Del Harris and 
Leslie Nielsen; Richard Darman and John Lovitz.


Laker_Ken

 Well thanks Mr. Weddle, I think that's the first time I've been accused
 of having class in this file. I owe alot of it to the folks in this folk
 though. If you'd have seen my noting style when I first found this place....
 
 ;^)

 best comment made by Doug Collins last night was a quote from Magic..

 " well yeah everyone can say that Byron etc are chasing the Suns all
   over the place defensively but that doesn't mean they have to forget
   what to do at the other end"......

 mike

================================================================================
Note 109.353                      Phoenix Suns                        353 of 357
RIPPLE::DEVLIN_JO "Goons,Bufoons,Loons,Broons"       19 lines  16-MAY-1990 10:34
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
>    Bruce - Riley said that perhaps too much emphasis was placed on
>    securing the best record in the NBA.  
    
    As much as Lakers fans hate to keep hearing this, that is exactly
    what some of the Celtics were saying 2-3 years ago.
    
    Bruce

    	I'm still not buying the "Lakers following in the Celtic's
    footsteps" theory.  I believe that the Lakers misfortune was due
    to the fack that the Western conference is no longer a cakewalk.
    Their division was by far the toughest to play in, and they clearly
    dominated it during the regular season.  I think they peaked too
    early and were not focused enough on winning the championship.
    It doesn't seem valid to call them a 1994 Lottery Team at this juncture.
                      
    	The Celtic's began their downfall in synchronization with the
    downfall of the Eastern Empire.  They were not even able to dominate
    the weakest division in the NBA.  Poor management decisions and
    crap luck were the downfall of the C's.  I can't see the parallels between
    these two teams.
    
    	JMO, of course.
    
    sean  
                  

    >I'm not sure Drew should have been in there more.  On the last play
    >where it looked like Cooper threw the ball away, I believe it was
    >Drew's fault.  Judging by reactions, I think Drew was supposed to
    >be where the ball ended up.
    
    Yeah, it seemed definite that Drew read the defense one way, while
    Magic and Coop read it another.  No real proof, but I'm inclined to
    think that the play was drawn up for him to spring out, and he curled
    back on his own.  Remember, there was no TO before this, and Drew was
    inserted into the game just for that.  Given the number of
    possibilities since the last TO, there was probably some confusion
    about exactly what to run.  Looked like Magic was designing the play
    while Coop was waiting for the ball from the ref.
    
    Drew came in for Woolridge, which is a very reasonable sub.  They
    needed the 3, and Woolridge doesn't.  Drew does.  No one else on the
    team who already wasn't in was any better at it.
    
    >Did it look to anyone else that Coop didn't want to take the 3 pointers
    >at the end of the game?  I believe on the last attempt he had an open
    >shot but still passed it to Scott (who was also open and hit it).
    >He seemed afraid to do anything.
    
    I disagree completely.  Coop took a number of good shots in the last
    few games, such as on the wing on a break, which require the old
    confidence.  He passed up the 3 to give it to Scott just like I've seen
    him do 100 other times.  He had 2 guys rushing at him, and Scott was
    wide open.  He made a better opportunity for the team, and the Lakers
    capitalized.
    
    Back to the last play, it was very frustrating to not even get the
    chance for the last shot.  They really struggled to earn the right to
    it.  Hard way to lose it.  Worthy throws that ball in almost every
    time, but I'm sure they designed it in the huddle a few minutes earlier
    for Coop to get it back if they forget about him so he can pop.
    
    Dan

    Well, well, well!  Looks like you guys started the party without me!
    ;-)
    
    I'm still rolling on Weddle's West connection ;-)
    
    LA threw the home cookin' at the Suns and they never flinched.  These
    guys never quit and showed the whole nation their character and talent.  
    You unbelievers better hop on the bandwagon before it is too late.
    
    The jinx is over, the Suns won 2 playoff games in the Forum.  Who
    would've believed last week that Magic would score 43 in back to back 
    games and the Suns would still win?  
    
    We can savor the moment now, but this mission isn't finished yet. 
    Portland will be a worthy opponent, but I think the Suns can beat
    anyone now.  If you can beat the best, there are no excuses for the
    rest.
    
    Re: Season series
    
    For those remaining in the West, the Suns records against them are:
    
    Portland 3  Suns 2 - Portland won the first 2 in Oregon.  Game 1 by 1
                         point, game 2 by 2 points.  Portland also won game 
                         5 (in OT) in Phoenix in April when the Suns had their 
                         injury problems.  Suns won games 3 and 4 in Phoenix.  
                         One was close, the other the Suns won by 16.
    San Antonio 4 Suns 0 - all games were VERY close.  The last loss came
                           when Hornacek and Chambers were out hurt.
    
    We all know that the regular season goes out the window in the
    playoffs.  The Lakers took the season series 3-1 over Phoenix too, look
    what happened there.
    
    I'll disagree with everyone in here on who the Suns would be better off
    playing.  I think Portland would be a better matchup for the Suns.  The
    Suns do very well against them and they're missing Duckworth.  Mark
    West will continue to be a factor because of Duckworth's injury.
    
    Mike

Last night I went down to the local pub to watch the game on the dish since the
local cable does not carry TNT, We were watchin the live feed with no Commericals
and with about 1:09 left in the game one of the guy's doing play by play says
during the break that during the play right before forget who for the Lakers
was faked right out of his Jock!!! Almost blew my Burgers&Buds laughin!!!!

Monty

================================================================================
Note 109.359                      Phoenix Suns                        359 of 362
LEVERS::STROUT "no hero in your tragedy..."          18 lines  16-MAY-1990 11:49
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                           
>    	I'm still not buying the "Lakers following in the Celtic's
>    footsteps" theory.  I believe that the Lakers misfortune was due
>    to the fack that the Western conference is no longer a cakewalk.
>    Their division was by far the toughest to play in, and they clearly
>    dominated it during the regular season.
 
    Yea, yea, yea.  I remember when the Celtic fans were saying that
    same thing, too.
    
    Bruce
    

    
    
    I remember many years ago during a Giant football game, a Giant
    defensive back (Patton?) intercepted a ball and threw a fake on 
    a player...........
    
    The Giant broadcaster made the same comment......
    
    Boy he really faked him out of his jock......
    
    His partner was real quick with a comeback.......
    
    Yea (name), he really did fake him out of his SOCKS..........(faint
    chuckle in the background)
    
    
    Lou

    The downside to this series is that it wasn't the conference finals. 
    It would be much, much sweeter if it was!
    
    Whatever happens now is icing on the cake.  My year was made last
    night!
    
    Mike

    
    	A heartfelt, though painful, congrats to the Suns and their
    fans.  They truly beat LA in all phases of the game last night
    and throughout the series.  KJ was KJ, Mark West was brilliant,
    and Hornacek killed LA with his deadly accurate outside shooting.
    A superb team effort by a young, confident team that is peaking
    at the right time.  My hat is off to them and I truly wish them
    the best in the next round.
    
    	IMO, the key sequence of game was in the latter minutes of the 
    second quarter, when Phoenix cut the lead to 7.  As expected, LA
    came out very emotional, intense, and eventually built up a 15 
    point lead.  But I never got the feeling that the LA delivered the 
    knockout punch.  Gut instinct was telling me that if Phoenix could
    withstand the emotional barrage and keep it close, that they'd be
    in good shape for the fourth quarter.  Sure enough, they whittled
    the lead to 7 at one point late in the second quarter.  It was truly,
    to quote Michael Cooper, 'nervous time.'  
    
    	Once the second half started, I knew that someone other than 
    Magic had to score significantly in order for LA to win.  I had 
    written Thompson off VERY early in the series.  He is simply too 
    wimpy for a big man with adequate skills and has no heart.  Byron
    hasn't been effective all year, let alone now and the Worthy was 
    just off.  I credit that to excellent D by Phoenix.  If Scott can't
    hit the open j(which he couldn't do CONSISTENTLY) then Worthy gets
    double teamed to no avail.  Worthy also had to cover Chambers on 
    the defensive end, which wore him down on offense.  
    
    	LA simply did not play as a team during this series, and they
    paid the ultimate price.  As great as Magic is, he couldn't do it
    by himself.  Phoenix was confident, gutsy, and poised when it counted.
    For that, they have truly earned the right to play for the Western
    Conference title.  
    
    						 Glen J.
    

>    Magic had to score significantly in order for LA to win.  I had 
>    written Thompson off VERY early in the series.  He is simply too 
>    wimpy for a big man with adequate skills and has no heart.  Byron
    
    Isn't that the reason why Portland dumped him?
    
    In Game 2, LA's only win, it appears Phoenix was content with the
    split since that was their only off game.  An honest mistake from a 
    young playoff team.  If they were playoff veterans, LA might have been 
    swept!  That would've been GLORIOUS REVENGE for last year!!
    
    Mike

>   Isn't that the reason why Portland dumped him?
    
    	I'm not sure but I think Portland traded him to S.A. in exchange 
    for draft picks and cash.  
    
        All I know is the sooner LA gets rid of him, the better!
    
                                               	 Glen J.
    
    

    re .367
    
    Heiser, stop being so greedy. Be content with the win .....
    
    re Thompson,
    
    I wish the lynch mob would cool out a little. We seem to forget
    that he played a big role in 3 Western Conf. titles, and  2
    Championships. 
    
    Thompson will be better suited next year as an extra big man off
    the bench, better at forward, IMO. I do believe that Cooper needs
    to retire, and that Jerry had better pull off a coup in the next
    two years to avoid a Celtic-like fate. I have confidence to believe
    that he will.
    
    (Think we can get back Tony Campbell ? :-)
    
    Doc

I don't care who the Suns play next.  Either series will be a challenge.
Did anyone notice the delay tactics the ball boys were using right before the
'Coop-de-Drew' lob pass out of bounds?  I couldn't believe they got away with
it.  They just kept wiping up even as the refs were telling them to take a
hike.  All the while the Lakers were setting up for the 'Coop-de-Drew'.
It was almost as good as a timeout.

Jim

>    <<< Note 109.369 by EARRTH::BROOKS "Never trust a Brooklyn Queen ..." >>>
>     -< Boy, a week ago, Mike would have sold his kids for a 7game serie >-
    
    People that know me know better than to say something like that.  I
    just consider the source.

>    Heiser, stop being so greedy. Be content with the win .....
    
    I am more than content.  I'm not half as greedy as some were last year. 
    Doesn't feel very good, does it Doc?
    
    Mike

>Did anyone notice the delay tactics the ball boys were using right before the
>'Coop-de-Drew' lob pass out of bounds?  I couldn't believe they got away with
>it.  They just kept wiping up even as the refs were telling them to take a
>hike.  All the while the Lakers were setting up for the 'Coop-de-Drew'.
>It was almost as good as a timeout.
    
    Jim, I noticed it.  What a coincidence too, LA had 0 timeouts left.  It
    was much better than the timekeeper's stunt at the end of Game 1.
    
    Mike

    Geez fellows ... I hope that the Suns aren't as picky as you guys
    were. 
    
    - The timekeeper screwed the Suns .... KJ was mugged .. Magic bought
    the refs off ... blah blah blah ....
    
    Is it possible to whine when you win ??? :-)
    
    I think that you guys have every right to celebrate - the Suns
    outplayed the Lakers (to put it nicely). So enjoy !
    
    But the Forum is NOT the Boston Garden - hell, Divac sure didn't
    benefit from this so-called home cookin'.
    
    You guys keep up this gloating, and I'm oing to become a Portland/SA
    fan for life ! (or at least for a series ... :-)
    
    reMike,
    
    Hey guy, the subject line had a smiley that was chopped off. Moreover,
    I didn't even know you had kids. I'm really sorry if you was offended.
    
    

    re: .369
    
    	I'm not blaming him entirely for the early elimination Doc.  It's
    very frustrating to watch him play.  He has all the physical tools
    to make opponents fear and respect him.  Instead, he looks unmotivated
    and plays soft.  Lack of aggressiveness from the centers was a big
    reason why LA lost.  Divac did a better job of being aggressive IMO,
    and that doesn't say much for Mychal.
    
    	I would be very disappointed if if he were still in a LAKER
    uniform next year.
    
    						 Glen J.
    

    IMO A turning point in the game.  This was unbelievable, to see
    this happen I knew at this point the Lakers were through.
    
    Lakers down by 3.
    Lakers have the ball, Magic bricks and West fouls Divac, after the
    foul, West throws the ball on Divac and gets a Technical(free throw
    and the ball out of bounds), Magic misses the free throw.  Magic
    gets inbounds bricks it, Worthy rebounds, shoots misses ,AC rebounds
    shoots misses, Worthy gets another offensive rebound and before
    the shot goes up, he turns the ball over.
    
    4 offensive rebounds, 1 free throw, ball out of bounds, and 5 shots.
    ZERO POINTS!!!!!  
    
    rub

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Suns 106, Lakers 103
Date: 16 May 90 06:14:20 GMT
 
 
	INGLEWOOD, Calif. (UPI) -- The Phoenix Suns are a bright new star
rising in the West. They've eclipsed the Los Angeles Lakers, who
suddenly have faded from view.
	With Kevin Johnson scoring 16 of his career playoff-high 37 points
in the fourth quarter, the Suns sweated out a 106-103 triumph Tuesday
night that handed Los Angeles its earliest playoff exit in nine years.
	Dan Majerle contributed all 16 of his points in the second half and
Mark West grabbed 16 rebounds as Phoenix rallied from a 15-point second
quarter deficit while withstanding Magic Johnson's second straight
43-point performance.
	``All of us on the team wanted to play the Lakers,'' said Kevin
Johnson, who hit 14 of 23 shots from the field and nine of 10 from the
line while adding eight assists. ``We knew the road to the championship
goes through L.A.''
	By capturing the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series
in five games, Phoenix advanced to the conference final for the second
straight season. The Suns will open on the road against either Portland
or San Antonio.
	Phoenix, which won twice at the Forum in the series after failing
to win there in 21 games since 1984, had lost all six of its playoff
series to Los Angeles, including last year's sweep in the West final.
	``Personally, I hadn't beaten them in the Forum since Lincoln was
assassinated,'' said Suns Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, who snapped a
personal 37-game losing streak in Game One. ``I can't believe we won
twice at the Forum.''
	The Lakers, so accustomed to playing for the NBA title in June,
suddenly can't play anymore. They have not been eliminated so early
since 1981, when Houston ousted them 2-1 in the first round.
	Winners of five NBA titles in the 1980s, Los Angeles will miss the
championship round for the first time since 1986. It will go two seasons
without the crown for the first time since 1983-84.
	``It's hard to swallow; it's very difficult to take right now,''
said Magic Johnson, who entered the Phoenix locker room to hug former
teammate Kurt Rambis after the game. ``First of all I never expected it,
I don't take losing very well but we'll be back.''
	After Los Angeles rookie Vlade Divac committed an offensive foul,
Jeff Hornacek, who had 22 points, made two free throws to put Phoenix
ahead at 98-97 with 98 seconds to play.
	Mark West then deflected a pass by Magic Johnson, leading to a
turnover, and dunked on the other end to make it 100-98 with 69 seconds
left. Kevin Johnson's two foul shots with 44 seconds left made it
102-97.
	However, Byron Scott nailed a three-pointer, and Hornacek missed a
jumper. Magic Johnson's hook shot with about eight seconds left banged
off the rim, Hornacek ran down the rebound and hit two free throws with
6.5 seconds left.
	Still, Los Angeles would not quit. Scott, who had 17 points, sank
another three-pointer with 2.9 seconds left. A half-second later, Kevin
Johnson hit two free throws for a 106-103.
	The Lakers' needed a three-pointer off an inbounds pass with 2.1
seconds to play, but Michael Cooper threw the ball across court and out
of bounds, ending Los Angeles' last hope.
	The Lakers, playing their first season since the retirement of
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, posted a league-best 63-19 record in the regular
season but went 4-5 in the playoffs.
	James Worthy, who made only 5 of 19 shots after his 5 of 21
performance in Game 4, had just 14 points. But his breakaway layup off
Johnson's feed tied it 90-90 with 5:32 left.
	Magic Johnson, whose 19 first-quarter points helped the Lakers to a
35-20 lead, completed a three-point play 50 seconds later that snapped
the tie.
	His jumper with 3:57 to play -- only his second perimeter basket of
the game -- made it 95-90 with 3:27 remaining. But the Suns fought back.
	Magic Johnson, who had eight assists, tied his career playoff-high
but did not score in the last 3:55.
	Majerle, starting the second half in place of Rambis, scored 11
points in the third period, and the Suns limited the Lakers to 19 points
in the quarter to get to within 80-77 entering the fourth period.
	``I said to myself, `What am I doing out here?''' Majerle said. ``I
wanted to do something in the second half. I tried to take it to the
basket.''
	While Magic Johnson poured in 28 points in the first half, Kevin
Johnson countered with 21, and the Lakers led only 61-53 at halftime.
	Los Angeles led 54-39 with 4:14 left in the second quarter, but the
Suns ran off eight unanswered points. And when West West put in a layup
four seconds before halftime, Phoenix was within eight points.
	``They threw everything at us,'' Majerle said. ``They came at us
full-force. But we pulled it out.''

From: [email protected] (DAVE ENGELDRUM, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: NBA Playoff Roundup
Date: 16 May 90 08:20:18 GMT
 
 
	The Phoenix Suns have scorched the Los Angeles Lakers, to signal
the dawning of a new power in the NBA.
	With Kevin Johnson scoring 16 of his career playoff-high 37 points
in the fourth quarter, the Suns sweated out a 106-103 triumph Tuesday
night that handed Los Angeles its earliest playoff exit in nine years.
	With a five-game loss to the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference
semifinals, the Los Angeles Lakers have suffered their earlier playoff
exit since 1981. They will not participate in the NBA Finals for the
first time since 1986.
	Dan Majerle contributed all 16 of his points in the second half and
Mark West grabbed 16 rebounds as Phoenix rallied from a 15-point second
quarter deficit while withstanding Magic Johnson's second straight
43-point performance.
	``I said to myself, `What am I doing out here?''' Majerle said. ``I
wanted to do something in the second half. I tried to take it to the
basket.''
	By capturing the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series
in five games, Phoenix advanced to the conference final for the second
straight season. The Suns will open on the road against either Portland
or San Antonio.
	Phoenix, which won twice at the Forum in the series after failing
to win there in 21 games since 1984, had lost all six of its playoff
series to Los Angeles, including last year's sweep in the West final.
	``Personally, I hadn't beaten them in the Forum since Lincoln was
assassinated,'' said Suns Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, who snapped a
personal 37-game losing streak in Game One. ``I can't believe we won
twice at the Forum.''
	The Lakers posted a league-best 63-19 record in the regular season
but went 4-5 in the playoffs.
	``It's hard to swallow; it's very difficult to take right now,''
said Magic Johnson, who entered the Phoenix locker room to hug former
teammate Kurt Rambis after the game. ``First of all I never expected it,
I don't take losing very well but we'll be back.''
	But when the Lakers return, they may be looking up at the Suns
again.
	``The Lakers had a great season, but maybe it's time for another
team to take over,'' Suns guard Jeff Hornacek said. ``We're hoping it's
us.''

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Lakers out of title picture
Date: 16 May 90 18:26:57 GMT
 
 
	INGLEWOOD, Calif. (UPI) -- The team of the `80s no longer is around
to capture the first championship of the `90s.
	With a five-game loss to the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference
semifinals, the Los Angeles Lakers have suffered their earlier playoff
exit since 1981. They will not participate in the NBA championship
series for the first time since 1986.
	``I'm shocked; we're all shocked,'' Coach Pat Riley said after the
Suns posted their series-clinching 106-103 victory Tuesday night at the
Forum.
	The Lakers registered a league-best 63-19 record in the regular
season but went only 4-5 in the playoffs, including their first
opening-round playoff loss since 1984. What happened?
	James Worthy, a career 55.8 percent shooter in the playoffs, went 5
of 21 from the floor against Phoenix in Game 4 and 5 of 19 in Game 5.
The 6-foot-9 forward made only 43.2 percent of his shots against the
Suns.
	``I've had some hot streaks but it just wasn't there for me the
last two games,'' said Worthy.
	The Lakers, playing their first season since the retirement of
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, also were weak at center. Mychal Thompson, 35, was
bothered by a sore heel and didn't contribute much. Riley Tuesday night
started Vlade Divac, who made several rookie mistakes down the stretch,
including a crucial offensive foul with 1:52 left.
	With Byron Scott hitting only 45 percent of his shots, Riley needed
a guard to contribute scoring punch off the bench. But 34-year-old
Michael Cooper was 9 of 25 from the field, and Larry Drew received
little time and scored only 10 points in the series.
	Cooper, who has spent all 12 of his NBA seasons with the Lakers,
could be gone next year. So could Thompson. But a total house-cleaning
of the team that won five titles in the `80s appears unlikely.
	``I don't think (it's the end of an era),'' Riley said. ``I think
we will read about it, though. We still have a lot of talent. I'm sure
that (general manager) Jerry West and (owner) Jerry Buss will sign any
players we need to keep this thing going.''
	The Suns, of course, are still going strong. In advancing to their
second straight conference final, they will meet either Portland or San
Antonio.
	Phoenix won't have the home-court advantage against either foe but
does it matter? The Suns beat Utah and Los Angeles without it, clinching
both playoff series on the road.
	``The Lakers had a great season but maybe it's time for another
team to take over,'' said Suns guard Jeff Hornacek, whose team is 4-2
away from home in the postseason.
	``We're hoping it's us.''

    - KJ was on the Arsenio Hall show last night.  I haven't seen it yet,
      but I taped it.
    
    - A local sports talk radio show treated us to tapes of the Suns locker
      room interviews last night.  Sounds like it was quite a party with
      Magic, Worthy, Arsenio Hall, and Jack Nicholson joining in.  It was
      hilarious to say the least!  The Lakers showed a lot of class in
      defeat.  Magic emphasized that the better team won and he gave a good
      talk to all the Suns and told them to "go all the way to keep it in
      the West!"
    
    - Cotton finished off the show with a 30 minute session with the
      callers.  They go back to work today!
    
    Mike

    One of the most impressive things about the Suns is their enormous
    comeback as a franchise.
    
    This was a team left for dead a few years back.  Drug scandals,
    player dissension, coaching moves, and so on.   Nobody thought
    they'd be at this level at this time.
    
    Bob Hunt

    re: .-1
    
    Sort of like the Pittsburgh Pirates;  nice to see my basketball team
    and baseball team keeping my interest in May for a change.

 Excellent point as usual Bob.....

 small nit Magic but the title is in the central so they can't keep it
 in the West. They can bring it back............

 mike

    Portland traded Mychal Thompson and the draft rights to Larry
    Krystkowiak to San Antonio for Steve Johnson on June 20, 1986.
    
    NAZZ
    
    BTW - Vlade Divac against the Suns looked like a Greg Kite clone
    who could dribble! 

   <<< Note 109.380 by SHALOT::HUNT "Heartbreak Motor Oil and Bombay Gin" >>>
>
>    One of the most impressive things about the Suns is their enormous
>    comeback as a franchise.
>    
>    This was a team left for dead a few years back.  Drug scandals,
>    player dissension, coaching moves, and so on.   Nobody thought
>    they'd be at this level at this time.
>    
>    Bob Hunt

It really is amazing.  They've had a SERIOUS image problem here in Phoenix.  The
team was owned by a group of businessmen most of whom didn't live in the Valley.
The perception was that they were extremely cheap and not interested in winning
a championship but instead in running a profitable business.  The Suns
never seemed to follow good years with success in the playoffs (ie. they were 
eliminated in the 1st round by a Cotton Fitzimmons coached K.C. Kings team 
in 80 or 81 after posting the Western Conference's best record).  Our center 
was Alvan Adams (he would have been a great forward or 6th man but was a very
average center).  Then, of course, they had the DJ-Robey trade.  Ouch!  It was
worse than the Cardinals image after that.  MacCleod was perceived as a goody 
two shoes unable/unwilling to fight city hall (owners & mgmt) for good players.
He was perfect for the organization - good but not great, not one to make
waves...only money.  Then Colangelo bought the team.  Great...the GM of the
cheapest, most heartless, most snow white looking organization this side of
a Pat Boone road show takes over...

Throw all of that together and THEN have your best player, Walter Davis,
admit he had a coke problem (we ain't talking diet or cherry here).  He gets
rehab, scores 43 against Seattle and has a relapse.  THEN have the a major 
drug investigation by the local D.A.   The 'Drug Scandal' hits.  Fire the 
coach.  Hire/Fire his assistant.  Even thro' Van Arsdale on the sidelines 
for a 10 game stint.  For good measure, trade away the only player on the 
team that anyone liked (Capt. Larry Nance) for some second-string Cleveland
guard (KJ), a backup center (West), and a throw in forward (Corbin) and you 
can only imagine the frustration.  

Luckily, Cotton had snuck into the picture.  He orchestrated the trade with
Cleveland.   Credit goes to Colangelo for opening up the purse strings to
get Chambers and letting Cotton do his thing.  (Colangelo has always maintained
that it was the past ownership that kept his hands tied financially.  He vowed
that things would be different when he bought the team and he was right).

The next act of this fairy tale will be played out in either Portland or
San Antonio this weekend.

Jim

>It really is amazing.  They've had a SERIOUS image problem here in Phoenix.  
    > The team was owned by a group of businessmen most of whom didn't live in 
    > the Valley.
    
    yeah, they lived in LA!  'nuff said!
    
    I watched the tape of Arsenio interviewing KJ during lunch.  It was
    funny how they set it up (have to see it).  Needless to say, Arsenio
    didn't jump bandwagons, he's still an LA fan.  They talked about:
    
    - KJ and Magic's friendship since the "fight" at the beginning of the
      season.
    - How it felt to beat LA.
    - Why KJ beat Magic since he was KJ's biggest basketball idol
    - Emergence of Hornacek and West
    - KJ's Christian beliefs
    - Arsenio asked what LA has to do to improve.  KJ did a great job of
      stepping around that pick! ;-)
    
    Nice to see the Suns getting the national attention now!
    
    Mike

    Here's an invitation for some Laker fans to hop on the Suns bandwagon.
    I don't want you guys to get playoff withdrawals on my account, so I
    reserved some seats.

    Welcome Aboard:
    
    Jesse Hernandez, Glenn Johnson, Bret Graham, 
    Ken Tessier, Ram Nori, Sameer Mithal

    Mike

    re -Mike H and his bevy of articles and replies.
    
    I guess that's what they mean by, "TO the victor goes the spoils".
    
    
    Congrats Suns, best of luck.
    

    p.s. I'll sit this ride out. 

    Yo Mike!
    
    Like Glenn, I have been reduced to a mere fan at this point.  I will
    root for Phoenix, a big reason being that I would feel better if they
    won the whole ball of wax, meaning the Lakers lost to the best.  And
    I do like their style of play.  I also want them to bring the title
    back to the West!
    
    Recalling from memory, didn't YOU actually pick the Lakers to win the
    series as well?  Just because you got the clean end of the stick
    doesn't mean you can't share a little of the crow cuisine with us.
    Whaddya say Mike???
    
    Bret

    Mike, 
    	
    	I want you to think of the Bo Jackson commercial where he's 
    playing hockey, and the Great One comes in and says, and I repeat,
    
    
     	No.  :-)
    
    	I know you're being very civil and love all of the praise that
    the Suns are getting.  But lets not get carried away. :-)
    
    						 Glen J.
    

Mike, thanks for the reserved seat, but it's not in my nature to climb
aboard another team's bandwagon.  I'll watch the rest of the playoffs
with great interest, but I'm not really sure which team I'd like to 
see win it.  I'm just certain that I'd prefer it not be Detroit.  I'd
really be happy to see Kurt Rambis in the finals again.  He's one of
my all-time favorites.  Sorry, but I just can't warm up to Tom Chambers.
I think I actually find Portland to be more enjoyable to watch than
the Suns.  Both teams run, but Portland's running game just seems to
be more explosive.  Michael Jordan may be a better player, but for my
money, nobody's dunks are as graceful as Clyde's.  

Thanks again for the invite, and rest assured that next year when the
universe returns to its natural state, you'll be more than welcome to
jump aboard the Lakers bandwagon!  :)


Laker_Ken

    What a bunch of duds you Laker fans are.  :-)  C'mon, it won't hurt you
    to jump on another's bandwagon!  What, are you afraid that you might
    enjoy yourselves and maybe like another team?  :-)
    
    H�wk

Is this where I can jump on the Suns bandwagon. I mean, I almost have
some connection to this team. As a season ticket of the Hornets I helped
fund the trade that brought this success: Kurt Rambis for Armand Gilliam.
Sort of? I even own a Dirty Kurt Phoenix Tshirt that I had flown back
from DECtech.

TTom

    Nah, I'll sit on the sidelines ... like Laker_ken, I think that
    Portland is probably the favorite to make the Finals (nothing against
    the Suns ...), and IMO, Detroit will beat them in 6 for the title.

    You cain't win in dis filel cus if we'd have jumped to another
    bandwagon, den we'd be fair weather fans. dat's da troof

    I don't understand why many/most feel that the winner of the Portland-
    San Antonio series is the team to beat in the west.  Would all of you
    still feel that way had the Lakers demolished the Suns, as the Suns did
    to the Lakers?
    
    IMO, the Lakers were the premier team in the west.  Now that the Lakers
    are gone, it only makes sense that the Suns are the favorites.  Had the
    Suns truly upset the Lakers Cinderella style, then I'd possibly agree
    that the Spurs or Trailblazers are the team to beat.  But, a very good
    Suns team beat a very good Lakers team.  No upset, the best team won.
    
    H�wk

    	H�wkster...  Suns are really a cinerella team because they never
    had home court advantage in the playoffs, and never will (of the
    remaining teams, they have the lowest record).
    
    	Portland is like two different teams.  On the road they are
    average, but at home they are monstrous... a force to reckon with.
    San Antonio swept Phoenix this season also 4-0, that is another
    reason why they are still considered to be underdogs.
    
    	All this aside, home court really hasn't matter with Phoenix.
    They are 4-2 away from home in the playoffs this season.  The
    West is really up for grabs this time.
    
    sean

    I agree with ya, Hawk.  For the past three years we've heard that the
    Trail Blazers were the ur-and-coming team in the west, and they'd be
    the team to beat.  They sure haven't dusted anyone in those three
    years.
    
    					Steve

><<< Note 109.394 by EARRTH::BROOKS "Candyman & Kermit on the nightshift. :-(" >>>
>    Nah, I'll sit on the sidelines ... like Laker_ken, I think that
    
    DOC, YOU WEREN'T INVITED TO JOIN!  STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!
    
    TTom, Hawk, Welcome Aboard!

>       <<< Note 109.397 by LEVERS::STROUT "no hero in your tragedy..." >>>
>    	H�wkster...  Suns are really a cinerella team because they never
>    had home court advantage in the playoffs, and never will (of the
>    remaining teams, they have the lowest record).
    
    A Cinderella team would've beat LA in 7, not 5!  The Suns won 54 games this 
    year, did Chicago win more?
    
    Mike

The Suns are the first team to win a real playoff series from the Lakers
in 4 years. They went back-to-back before losing in the asterisk series
last year to Detroit. No Magic, no real win.

TTom

    SUNS		   
    Tom Chambers - 30	   
    Jeff Hornacek - 27	   
    Eddie Johnson - 31	   
    Kevin Johnson - 24	   
    Andrew Lang - 23	   
    Dan Majerle - 24	   
    Tim Perry - 24	   
    Kurt Rambis - 32	   
    Mark west - 29	   
    
    Ave. age - 27.3	   

    A blast from the past...
    
               <<< ASABET::ASAB11:[NOTES$LIBRARY]SPORTS.NOTE;1 >>>
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================================================================================
Note 59.399                PHOENIX SUNS official note                 399 of 410
HOTSHT::SCHNEIDER "Where'd all the leaves go?"       17 lines   8-NOV-1989 15:52
             -< Ho-hum; LA beats Phoenix again. What else is new? >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>    I think they should put an asterisk next to that Laker win!

I agree!  After all, that's LAs 6th win in a row (one at the end of the
regular season, the SWEEP, and now this) over a team that anti-Laker
fans thought might be better then them.  Geez, the Suns conspired to take
away the league's MVP from the Lakers side, and they still couldn't win?

Wonder what the Green Dockers thought of that?

    >...Phoenix did nothing to improve themselves in the
    >off season while just about everyone else did.  Any comments?

Nothing?  Didn't you see the hyperbole in that note of Mike's?  The 
blatant bias of their fans?  The next bit of improvement they'll do
is hire Johnny Least

Dan
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Note 59.360                PHOENIX SUNS official note                 360 of 410
FRSBEE::BROOKS "Good help is so hard to find ..."     6 lines  26-SEP-1989 15:58
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    You guys got that crap too ?
    
    Mike, don't you know that chain letters are illegal !
    
    At least next year, I can mail the broom to you instead of Bates
    ....
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Note 59.405                PHOENIX SUNS official note                 405 of 410
DOCTP::TESSIER "Trying to forget your generation."    9 lines   9-NOV-1989 17:48
                            -< Same as it ever was >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Wrong again, Mike.  The Suns finished two behind L.A., not one.  But
    what's it matter?  When the real season started, the season that
    champs play for, the Lakers crushed your latest adopted_team_when_it's
    clear_the_celts_aren't_gonna_do_it in four straight.  Broomed!  Looks
    like it's gonna be along season for the circus freaks, peyote_chompers,
    Satan_worshipers, sex fiends, Republicans, and other weird sorts that
    live in the desert down there in Meacham country.  ;)
    
    Laker_Ken
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Note 59.359                PHOENIX SUNS official note                 359 of 410
CSC32::B_GRAHAM "Ni Sa Bula!"                         6 lines  26-SEP-1989 15:21
                    -< Can keep track of all those losses >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Actually, the nice schedule will be a convenient place to mark all
    those L's when the Suns choke!  ;^)
    I too, would like the airline tickets to go along with the other
    propaganda.  Cheap flight from Colorado Springs too.  How about it?
    
    Bret
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Note 59.274                PHOENIX SUNS official note                 274 of 410
CSC32::B_GRAHAM "Ni Sa Bula!"                        14 lines  24-JUL-1989 22:47
                   -< Objectivity.....a subjective concept >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    C'mon Mike, I'm objective about the Lakers.  Subjectively speaking :^)
    I have resorted to watching taped playoff games to temporarily curb
    my withdrawl symptoms of no HOOP.  I have especially enjoyed watching
    the Lakers handling of the Suns.  But each year as the Suns get
    more experience, it will always get tougher and with all those young
    legs, should be around for a while.  But I don't think next year
    will be the one in which the Suns dethrone the Lakers from the
    Western title, objectively speaking of course! ;^|)

    You're just mad cuz I didn't buy any of those tee shirts from you.
    You know those ones with "Phoenix Suns 1989 Western Division Champions".
    I couldn't afford them after buying all those 3-peat shirts!!! :^|)
    
    Bret
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Note 108.111            The OFFICIAL Suns -BEAT LA- Note              111 of 163
CSC32::B_GRAHAM "Haere Maru"                         11 lines  29-MAY-1989 01:40
                           -< Swish, swish, SWEEP! >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Can you say S W E E P ! ! ! ? ? ?  The THREEPEAT is getting closer!!!
    
    Lakers are playing pretty good ball right now.  Just wasn't the Suns'
    time yet, but I'm very sure it is coming soon.  They are going to be
    a team to be reckoned with in the 90's if they can manage to keep the
    core of the team and build on that, not that they need much building
    at this point.  A real dominant center would do nicely for them, but
    so would one for the Lakers too!  As for the Lakers . . . bring on the
    next victim!!!  I hope they can do one more series.
    
    Bret                     
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Note 59.352                PHOENIX SUNS official note                 352 of 410
FRSBEE::BROOKS "Whatever floats this Joker's boat .." 5 lines  21-SEP-1989 14:06
                                    -< :-) >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    re .351
    
    
    Looks like a 20-62 scheudle to me ....
    
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Note 59.254                PHOENIX SUNS official note                 254 of 410
FRSBEE::BROOKS "Rice Owls, 1989 NCAA Football Champs"  1 line  21-JUL-1989 14:30
              -< ...still won't be enough to handle the Lakers ! >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
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Note 59.404                PHOENIX SUNS official note                 404 of 410
FRSBEE::BROOKS "Dinkins,Wilder,& White : CONGRATS!"  12 lines   8-NOV-1989 17:01
                           -< And this is a fact ! >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Mikey, the Puns have set ... this is indicative of why the Lakers
    will remain on top for yet another year.
    
    the Puns can't beat the Lakers when it counts. In the clutch, Magic,
    Worthy, and Scott, et al will find a way to win. they are champs.
    
    What do the Puns have ? Nothing.       :-)
    
    They are young, and will have to wait their turn and take their
    medicine like nice little boys.
    
    DrM
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Note 59.219                PHOENIX SUNS official note                 219 of 410
NPOGRP::BROOKS "I just walk and shake my head ..."    6 lines   2-JUN-1989 13:56
             -< The Farmer & His Sheep = Mike H. & His Cactus :-) >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Yeah, I know what a Purple Porcelain Throne is ....
    
    It's the implement by which the Puns, I mean, Suns, were disposed
    with .....
    
    DrM    
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Note 59.205                PHOENIX SUNS official note                 205 of 410
NPOGRP::BROOKS "SalmanRushdie,JD,BobCappel,JLaRoche" 12 lines  30-MAY-1989 15:25
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    re .203 .204
    
    I'm tickled ! Nice to see that you guys have a sense of humor (of
    course we aren't talking about the Fungus either :-) ....
    
    Once again, the Suns deserve applause for a great year in 89 ...
    
    .... and of course the lottery in 90 !!!!
    
    THREE-peat !
    
    DrM
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Note 59.202                PHOENIX SUNS official note                 202 of 410
NPOGRP::BROOKS "SalmanRushdie,JD,BobCappel,JLaRoche"  9 lines  30-MAY-1989 11:38
           -< Swept, but not forgotten ...congrats to the Suns ... >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Yo Mike, I'll take three of the T-shirts, I need to polish my car
    with something ..... :-)
    
    Seriously, congrats on a suprisingly successful season and best
    of luck in the 90's.
    
    You guys should make wonderful cannon fodder for my Rockets ....:-)
    
    DrM
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Note 59.199                PHOENIX SUNS official note                 199 of 410
NPOGRP::BROOKS "SalmanRushdie,JD,BobCappel,JLaRoche"  9 lines  30-MAY-1989 11:01
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Great job Bret !!!!
    
    THREE-peat ! THREE-peat ! THREE-peat ! THREE-peat ! THREE-peat !
    THREE-peat ! THREE-peat ! THREE-peat ! THREE-peat ! THREE-peat !
    THREE-peat ! THREE-peat ! THREE-peat ! THREE-peat ! THREE-peat !
    
    Dr. Midnight
    
    p.s. Where is Mr Heiser ? Somebody pass him a hanky ......
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Note 59.210                PHOENIX SUNS official note                 210 of 410
BOOKIE::TESSIER "Kills on Contact"                   27 lines  31-MAY-1989 15:30
                         -< Belly up to the Crow Bar >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Re. .206:  
    
    Mike,
    
    You're talking as if the Suns actually put up a fight against the
    Lakers.  Maybe it hasn't sunk in yet.  They were BROOMED!!!  I guess
    the shock was too much for you.  You're probably still in the denial
    phase.  Oh well, that's ok.  In another few weeks it will dawn on
    you why downtown Phoenix is so clean.  You were BROOMED!!!  BTW,
    did Tom Chambers happen to say whether he prefers his Orlando-burgers
    rare or well-done? :)
    
    Bret --
    
    Great job.  All season long these guys (Grono and Heiser) from our
    nation's backwaters (Cleveland and Phoenix) have been taking shots
    at the champs and predicting their demise.  It will be a cold day
    in Hell (easily confused with Cleveland) when the Cads or the Puns
    knock off the Lakers.  Feed that crow!
    
    
    Can't_wait_for_Back_to_Back_to_Back 

    Re: -1
    
    Of course more gems can be found in the early replies of this note too!
    
    Mike

    Hey Mike, Now I'm not insulted that you didn't invite me on your
    bandwagon, and I'm not insulted that you're trying to serve me crow
    shit even when you thought the Lakers would win too, and I'm not even
    insulted that you take one of my replies to your, umm, hyperbolic note
    about an early-season Laker victory over the Suns.  And no, I'm not
    even surprised that your gloat has entered its third and is probably
    bordering on 50 notes by now.
    
    But in your search to find examples of Laker fans gloating at the Suns,
    as if all your doing is paying them back, you went back to last years
    Lakers sweep, and you didn't find one of my notes.  Maybe you could
    learn something?
    
    Dan

    Most of those gems were based on fact ! You talked trash, and the
    Puns were BROOMED (tm) ! That's FACT, and you EARNED it !
    
    Or should we start digging up your classics ?

    Ain't it fun Mike?  Reposting all those crow-containing notes?  I
    wasn't too hard on you and only predicted that the Suns would get
    better.  I didn't think they would beat the Lakers this year, but
    NEITHER DID YOU!  Besides, you gotta be careful with reposting as
    it may come back to haunt you like it did us!  8^)  
    
    I got a good chuckle out of it Mike.  Glad I can laugh about 
    it though, or is that just a sign of depression?  8^o
    
    Bret

>               -< Careful Mike, might come back to haunt you... >-
    
    Bret, LA has been haunting Phoenix for 20 years.  That's a lot to make
    up for!  Remember they were 0-6 in playoff series with LA before this
    month.

    You guys are no fun at all!  I took all your stuff last year.  I didn't
    repost the note where Bret compiled some of my gems after the sweep.  I
    just returned the favor you guys did for me.
    
    I'll stop now, you guys make this boring.
    
    Mike

    Aw c'mon Mike.  I really don't mind at all!  Didn't you see the
    smileys?  I have no problem with this at all, you gotta enjoy
    it while you can.  And I really did enjoy rereading them!
    I remember how much I enjoyed putting them all together for
    you last year.  I just hope I get to return the favor again
    nexted year!  8^)
    
    Bret

>    Hey Mike, ...
>    ... even when you thought the Lakers would win too

My mentor Mike Heiser unhedged his hedge and picked the Suns, after all.
He was just a hedge off with the number of games - he picked 6 and it was
5 - but he was right on with who would win.

TTom

    Thanks TTom, how soon they forget. ;-)

    Really, I can recall Mike taking lots of abuse lasted year, and taking
    it all in stride, in good sportsmanship, and in good fun.  He deserves
    to hand out a few dishes, main course included!
    
    H�wk

    Hey Hawkster, does the term "hypocrite" come to mind?  Maybe we should
    use the 'kinder, gentler' version known as "double standard"?
    
    Mike

From: [email protected] (United Press International)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: NBA Playoff Capsules
Date: 20 May 90 22:27:35 GMT
 
 
                    WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
                      Portland Trail Blazers
	Coach -- Rick Adelman.
	Finish -- 59-23 overall, (3-2 vs. Phoenix)
	Starting lineup -- sf-Jerome Kersey (21.1 ppg, 8.6 rpg); pf-Buck
Williams (14.7 ppg, 10.2 rpg); c-Kevin Duckworth (9.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg);
pg-Terry Porter (21.7 ppg, 6.3 apg); og-Clyde Drexler (19.6 ppg, 6.8
rpg, 8.1 apg).
	Bench -- sf-Cliff Robinson (8.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg); g-Drazen Petrovic
(7.7 ppg, 1.0 apg).
	Previous rounds -- Defeated Dallas 3-0 and San Antonio 4-3. Portland
knocked the Spurs out of the playoffs despite playing most of the series
without their two centers -- Duckworth and Wayne Cooper. The Blazers have
not advanced this far in the playoffs since they won the NBA
championship in 1977.
	Key Stat -- Portland has the home court advantage and Phoenix has
lost 20 straight on the road against the Blazers.
	Outlook -- This should be a fast-breaking series from start to
finish. Both teams were the league's leaders in points scored.
                               Vs.
                      Phoenix Suns
	Coach -- Cotton Fitzsimmons.
	Finish -- 54-28 overall, 2-3 vs. Portland.
	Starting lineup -- sf-Tom Chambers (20.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg); pf-Kurt
Rambis (2.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg); c-Mark West (12.0 ppg, 11.6 rpg); pg-Kevin
Johnson (20.9 ppg, 10.2 apg); og-Jeff Hornacek (18.5 ppg, 3.6 apg).
	Bench -- sf-g Eddie Johnson (13.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg); g Dan Majerle (11.5
ppg, 2.1 apg).
	Previous rounds -- Defeated Utah 3-2 and Los Angeles Lakers 4-1. The
Suns dethroned defending Western Conference champion Lakers by
overcoming 15-point deficit in final game behind the 37-point
performance of Kevin Johnson. Won a playoff series from the Lakers for
first time in six tries. Suns have a 4-2 road record in playoffs.
	Key Stat -- Suns, who broke a 24-game losing streak at Forum in
previous series, have dropped last 20 games in Portland since 1982-83
season, but margins this year were slim: 1 point and 2 points.
	Outlook -- Suns have not played since last Tuesday and will have
rest advantage, but must open in sync. Against burly Kevin Duckworth and
league's top rebounding frontline, West will need help under boards from
Chambers. Matchup of playmakers Johnson vs. Terry Porter could decide
series.

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Blazers claim they aren't burned out
Date: 21 May 90 00:30:55 GMT
 
 
	PORTLAND, Ore. (UPI) -- When the weary meet the well-rested in the
NBA playoffs, the fresher team doesn't always have the advantage. At
least that's what the Portland Trail Blazers are hoping.
	Two days after finishing off San Antonio in overtime of a grueling
seven-game playoff matchup, the Trail Blazers play host Monday night to
the Phoenix Suns in the opener of the Western Conference title series.
	The Suns have not played since last Tuesday, when they ousted the
Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of their conference semifinal. The Trail
Blazers have played twice since then, including Saturday's nail-biter,
when four starters each logged at least 46 minutes.
	``At this stage, you don't get a chance to relax,'' Portland guard
Terry Porter said with a shrug.
	But Buck Williams claims the Trail Blazers are far from burned out,
adding that the Suns could be out of sync in Game 1.
	``Phoenix went from an emotional series with Utah (in the first
round) and then beat the Lakers in the next game,'' the Portland power
forward said after Sunday's shootaround at the Portland Coliseum. ``It's
good we're really high emotionally.''
	Still, there's no doubt Portland could use some time off. Porter
sat out Sunday's workout because of a strained left Achilles' tendon.
Jerome Kersey was another non-participant, his right hand heavily
wrapped to protect an injured thumb.
	Both will play Monday night, as will centers Kevin Duckworth and
Wayne Cooper, who each returned to the lineup Saturday to help push
Portland into its first conference final since its NBA championship
season of 1977.
	The Trail Blazers, who own the home-court advantage in the
best-of-seven series, have beaten the Suns in three of five meetings
this year and have not lost to Phoenix at home in 20 games dating to the
1982-83 season.
	The Suns, though, ended a 21-game losing streak at the Forum in
their last series. And they have come close in the Coliseum this season,
losing 110-109 Nov. 17 and 123-121 Feb. 4.
	Many expect both teams to attempt to run as much as possible.
Limiting the other's fast-break opportunities could be the key to a date
with the Detroit Pistons or Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals.
	``Portland has got great athletes on its team with (Clyde) Drexler,
Porter and Kersey,'' Phoenix guard Jeff Hornacek said. ``For us to be
successful against them, we have to stop them from getting easy
fast-break dunks and layups.''
	The job of containing the Suns begins with containment of Kevin
Johnson. Porter represents Portland's first line of defense.
	``We're not going to stop him one-on-one -- it's not just going to
be Terry Porter or Danny Young,'' Portland Coach Rick Adelman said. ``It
has to be a team effort. We have to contain him from doing total
damage.''
	Porter, who averaged 23.4 points against the Spurs, said Johnson
has ``been playing well in the playoffs, but I haven't been playing like
a slouch, either.''
	Johnson, perhaps, has been better. He hit the game-winning jumper
in the closing seconds of Game 5 against Utah, then followed by
averaging 22 points and 11 assists against the Lakers.
	Portland seems to have an advantage with Drexler posting up against
Hornacek, but so did Magic Johnson in the last series. It also appears
the burly Duckworth is capable of negating Phoenix center Mark West, who
averaged 14.4 rebounds against the Lakers in the last round.

    pg-Kevin Johnson (20.9 ppg, 10.2 apg)
    pg-Terry Porter (21.7 ppg, 6.3 apg)
      * slightest edge to Johnson, better play maker.  Clyde steals
    	some of Porter's assists.
    og-Jeff Hornacek (18.5 ppg, 3.6 apg)
    og-Clyde Drexler (19.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 8.1 apg)
      * edge to Drexler, taller, faster and stronger          
    c-Mark West (12.0 ppg, 11.6 rpg)
    c-Kevin Duckworth (9.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
      * edge to West (Duckworth's broken hand, otherwise, even)
    sf-Tom Chambers (20.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg)
    sf-Jerome Kersey (21.1 ppg, 8.6 rpg)        
      * no edge, two incredible offensive weapons
    pf-Kurt Rambis (2.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg)   
    pf-Buck Williams (14.7 ppg, 10.2 rpg)
      * edge to Williams, stronger and tougher.
    
    These teams match up almost evenly.  Portland has more offensive
    options and rebounds better than Phoenix.  Phoenix has the best
    play maker in the game with Kevin Johnson.  Portland's starting
    five is perhaps the best in the league in terms of team input.
    They account for an average of 85 ppg and 31+ rebounds per game.
    Phoenix has the slight bench edge in Johnson and Majerle over Robinson,
    Cooper and Petrovich.  Defensively I'd have to say these teams are
    dead even.  Portland will probably live or die by the home court.
    Phoenix was able to soundly defeat the best team in the NBA.  We'll
    now find out for sure if it was for real. I have the feeling it
    was not just a fluke.        
    
    sean

    Sean,
    
    Agree for the most part, except center.  West will suddenly face
    a team that will bang, bang, bang, bang with him - no Mychal Thompson's
    or Vlade Divac's on this squad.  Duckworth's presence, even at not
    full speed, lifts this team.  (FWIW, The local papers were saying
    how Duckworth's prescence really, really helped.)  Also, the Clyde
    the Glide watch is out.  Drexler has been brutal, hittting 39% from
    the field, until taking over the game at the end of the 4th quarter
    and into overtime.  General feeling is that he is ready to break
    out.
    
    Eddie Johnson and Marjele will be the keys for Phoenix, and also
    which Tom Chamber shows up.
    
    JD

    JD,
    
    I didn't see much of the Lakers-Phoenix series but from what I heard,
    West played an above average type of game.  I agree that Portland
    will bang Phoenix much harder and play a more physical, fast paced
    game.  West won't be able to get the offensive baords he got in the
    Lakers series so I'd have to agree that Duckworth is a better center
    matchup than Thompson.  I didn't think about that previously.
    
    I think Phoenix's success to shutting down LA was in stopping Worthy.
    They cannot adpot that same plan with Portland because there are
    just too many other players that can rise to the occasion when one
    player is having an off night.  I think Phoenix will try to shut
    down Porter and pray for a good perimeter shooting night because
    it will be hard times in the paint for them.
    
    sean

Portland vs. Suns.  This is gonna be a good one.  They're evenly matched and
both play uptempo.  It will come down to who can execute at crunch time.  I
believe the the Suns will win it.  If they steal the first game (or both),
the series will be over in a hurry.  If they don't, Portland will be tough
to beat.

Enjoy the best the West has to offer.

Jim

    I'm not worried about Majerle.  I'm sure EJ and TC will be back in a
    big way for this series.  TC and EJ made large defensive contributions
    only in the LA series.  TC had 1 or 2 decent scoring games against LA.
    
    For some reason, TC and EJ have never had big offensive outings against
    LA in the playoffs.
    
    They've never had that problem with Portland.
    
    Mike
    

    >For some reason, TC and EJ have never had big offensive outings against
    >LA in the playoffs.
    
    >They've never had that problem with Portland.
    
    The reason is simple: defense.
    
    Dan

    >For some reason, TC and EJ have never had big offensive outings against
    >LA in the playoffs.
    
    >They've never had that problem with Portland.
    
    The reason is simple: defense.
                          ^^^^^^^
                          Where was this defense when it counted?
			  I seem to recall Chambers scoring +30 in a game
                          or two.....    
    Dan

   They lost two at crunchtime in the Forum, Dan. Must have been the refs :^)

 mike

>       -< A lot of players around the league have this problem with LA >-
>    The reason is simple: defense.
    
    Dan, nice of you to come out of the woodwork to bash the Suns once
    again. ;-)  Couldn't resist commenting on my objectivity, could you?
    ;-)
    
    Like Mike Childs said, where was the defense when it counted?  Seems to
    me Phoenix laid some monster defense on Worthy & Co. too.  Any decent
    basketball mind has to admit that Phoenix "turned the tables" on LA
    defensively with respect to last year's conference finals.
    
    Mike

    hey, all I'm saying is that the Lakers have been a good defensive team
    for years, and have been experts at taking away the offense of certain
    players.  Eddie Johnson is one in particular who comes to mind.  Dale
    Ellis is another who almost never gets an open shot.  Those guys, and a
    certain white demigogue in Boston all know what it's like to wear Coop.
    
    And Worthy has had a lot of success with Chambers in the past, but,
    admittedly not as much in the recent series as I would have liked.
    
    Dan

    
    	IMO, a key matchup in this series will be whomever guards Buck 
    Williams.  If it's Chambers, don't expect him to score too much.  And
    Kurt Rambis simply doesn't have the strength to keep him off the
    boards.  Look for Portland to exploit this advantage.
    
    	Although Duckworth provided inspiration more than anything else
    in the last game against SA, I think he'll do more than take up 
    space in this series.  
    
    	Go Blazers! (just for Mike H. :-))
    
    						 Glen J.
    

    Really poor coaching move by Cotton last night.  
    
    Down 2, 14 seconds (or so) left, he puts Mike McGee into the
    game FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!!  And who takes the final shot?
    You guessed it - McGee!!!!!  Shot gets blocked and the game's
    over.  Portland wins 100-98.
    
    Neither team played very well.  Lots of missed open shots, 
    including a sequence where Phoenix missed three layups in the
    space of 30 seconds.  That very well could have cost them the game.
    
    NAZZ

    	Like both coaches said, defense would dictate the winner of
    the game lasted night.  Phoenix started off not rebounding well but
    by the second half they were doing very well in that department
    and it kept them close in the game.
    
    	Drexler was the key to Portland's victory lasted night.  He
    made the key baskets, blocks and steals when Portland really needed
    it.  KJ was effectively neutralized in the second quarter and
    Hornacek's poor shooting was the downfall of Phoenix.
    
    	Next game both teams have areas to improve in.
    
    sean

    Well Portland took game 1, 100-98 in a real ugly game.  Portland played
    their usual sloppy style of "throw it out and let someone run it down"
    and Phoenix looked like a team that hadn't played in a week (well 6
    days actually).  
    
    Suns still had a chance to pull it out despite their poor performance,
    but things just didn't go their way last night.  Phoenix missed far too
    many easy layups in the 1st quarter, and still had a 9 point lead at
    one time.  They should have been up by 20 after the 1st.  Both teams
    shot in a miserable 40% range from the floor in the 2nd and Portland
    took a 50-48 lead into intermission.
    
    Blazers came out on fire in the 3rd and hit 75% from the floor, while
    Phoenix hit 50%.  Blazers still only had a 5 point lead after the 3rd.
    
    Phoenix came back in the 4th to make it a nail biter.  They actually
    had the lead 2 different times in the last 3 minutes.
    
    Portland amazes me on how they can shoot in the 40's (percentage wise)
    and still win.  It's ugly, but effective.
    
    Chambers had 29 points, not sure of the rest.
    
    Time to regroup and grab Game 2!
    
    Mike

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Portland 100, Phoenix 98

	PORTLAND, Ore. (UPI) -- Weary after a taxing seven-game series
against San Antonio, the Portland Trail Blazers did the logical thing in
the closing seconds Monday night. They turned to a guy who has hardly
played the last two weeks.
	Kevin Duckworth, who missed most of the Spurs' series after
breaking a bone in his right hand in the opening round, sank a
tie-breaking jumper with 17.3 seconds left to give Portland a 100-98
victory over the Phoenix Suns in the opener of the Western Conference
final.
	``We've run that play a zillion times,'' said Duckworth, who
returned for Game 7 Saturday and played once again Monday night with a
fiberglass cast. ``We've won a lot of games that way.''
	Asked if he were tired, the burly 7-foot center said: ``Hell, I
haven't been tired. I've been off for 2 1-2 weeks.''
	After Duckworth's basket, reserve Danny Young blocked Mike McGee's
potential tying jumper, and Portland had a victory over its well-rested
opponents.
	The Suns, off for six days since completing a surprising
elimination of the Lakers, lost for the 18th straight time at Memorial
Coliseum dating to the 1984 playoffs. Overall, they have dropped 13 of
their last 17 meetings with Portland.
	``I didn't like the way we executed in practice before we left,''
said Phoenix Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, whose team shot only 41 percent
from the floor. ``And I didn't like the way we executed tonight.
	``They forced us on the perimeter. We didn't get inside as much as
we would have liked.''
	The Blazers, 7-0 in the postseason at home, are home again for Game
2 of the best-of-seven series Wednesday night.
	With the score 98-98, Dan Majerle of Phoenix pressured Clyde
Drexler into throwing a pass behind Duckworth. Majerle came up with the
ball with 48 seconds left.
	But Kevin Johnson missed a twisting layup on the other end, and
Duckworth took Terry Porter's pass and canned an eight-foot jumper from
the right flank for the winning points.
	``I felt no pressure,'' Duckworth said. ``If I missed it I would
have been mad.''
	Phoenix called timeout and inserted McGee into the game for the
first time. He took a shot from the baseline, but Young, who entered
during the timeout,   came over to deflect it with about five seconds
remaining to seal the triumph.
	Drexler had 20 points and 10 rebounds and Kersey, who missed eight
of his first nine shots, finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Buck
Williams added 16 points and Duckworth contributed 12 for Portland.
	Tom Chambers scored 29 points and Johnson added 20 for the Suns.
Johnson scored only 8 points in the last three quarters while making 2
of his last 12 shots.
	With three minutes left, Drexler swooped inside to put back
Kersey's miss for a 98-93 lead. But Jeff Hornacek scored on a drive for
Phoenix and was fouled at the 1:52 mark. He missed the free throw, but
Chambers followed with a left-handed layup in the lane, was fouled and
made his foul shot to tie it 98-98 with 69 seconds to play.
	Kersey, playing with a sprained right thumb, shed much of the the
bandage around his hand at halftime, and sank six of seven attempts for
13 points in the third period. Drexler added 10, and Portland led 84-80
entering the fourth quarter.
	``I think we still had a lot of energy,'' he said. ``When you get
to this point, emotions and adrenalin take over. I don't think you
really ever get tired.''
	Rookie Drazen Petrovic came off the bench to score all of his 11
points in the second quarter, leading the Blazers from nine points down
to a 50-48 halftime lead.
	Trailing 42-38, Portland scored eight unanswered points in a 12-2
spurt fueled by its fastbreak. Williams gave the Blazers their first
lead since the opening seconds, taking Porter's pass and soaring over
Mark West for a sensational slam that made it 44-42 with 3:26 left in
the period.

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Adelman move pays off

	PORTLAND, Ore. (UPI) - With about 17 seconds left in Game 1 of the
Western Conference final, Phoenix Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons sent Mike
McGee into the game. Portland Coach Rick Adelman countered with Danny
Young.
	Adelman's substitution proved to be better. Young blocked McGee's
potential game-tying jumper with about five seconds left, and the Trail
Blazers had a 100-98 triumph.
	``I saw they were going small (with a shorter lineup),'' Adelman
said. ``Danny's an excellent defender, our best at getting in front of a
guy. He reacted so quickly.''
	McGee appeared clear for a 15-foot baseline jumper after taking a
bounce pass from Eddie Johnson, who had fallen to the court near the
lane. He certainly thought he was.
	``I guess I was open,'' said McGee, who was in the game for the
first time. ``I took a shot that I was pretty sure was going to go in,
but I never saw the guy coming. I have no idea where he came from.''
	Young, who had just four blocked shots in 82 regular-season games,
was unavailable for comment.
	Portland also received a boost from Jerome Kersey, who made seven
of nine shots after removing a cumbersome bandage that had been
protecting his sprained right thumb. The 6-foot-7 forward finished with
19 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
	``I had (the bandage) down to my wrist,'' said Kersey, who was
injured Saturday against San Antonio in Game 7 of the West semifinals.
``It was restricting me. I just taped up the joint (at halftime) and it
felt a lot better. I guess it worked.''
	The Suns' shooting, for the most part, did not work Monday night.
Phoenix missed at least five layups and wound up hitting only 41 percent
of its field-goal attempts.
	``It's just one of those things, and I don't know particularly why
we didn't hit them,'' said Suns guard Jeff Hornacek.
	Portland chose not to double-team penetrating guard Kevin Johnson,
and the move paid off. Johnson had 20 points, but only eight came in the
final three periods when he missed 10 of 12 attempts from the floor.
	``They didn't double-team as much as other teams did,'' Hornacek
said. ``We didn't adjust and that's the reason our halfcourt game didn't
go as well as it should have.''
	Tom Chambers led the Suns with 29 points but made only 10 of 24
shots. He has made only 46 of 84 attempts in the playoffs.

From: [email protected] (BILL STEWART)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Suns' Johnson: No excuses

	PORTLAND, Ore. (UPI) -- A week layoff would have been an easy excuse
following a subpar performance by the Phoenix Suns in the first game of
the Western Conference finals. But Kevin Johnson wasn't about to use it.
	``I really don't think we deserved to win,'' Johnson said after his
team's 100-98 loss Monday to the Portland Trail Blazers.
	``This is one of the few games in the playoffs when we've had a
chance to win and didn't,'' he said. ``There's no doubt there were shots
down the stretch that I should have hit.''
	Johnson finished the game with 20 points on 8-of-20 shooting, but
16 of those points came in the first half.
	After shooting only 41 percent for the game, the Suns have to feel
good about the possibility of rebounding in Game 2, which will be played
Wednesday in Portland.
	``We feel good about our chances in Game 2, but we have to give
them all the credit,'' Johnson said of the Blazers, who shot only 46
percent for the game.
	Despite their off night, the Suns still had a chance to send the
game into overtime, but Mike McGee, who hadn't played until the final
moments, had his 12-foot baseline shot blocked by Portland guard Danny
Young.
	The play was designed to go to Eddie Johnson, but he stumbled while
making a drive to the basket and dished the ball to McGee in the corner.
The shot was barely out of McGee's hand when Young came from the side to
swat it away.
	``Normally he would nail that shot,'' Johnson said.
	In the end, it appeared the Suns may have in fact been out of sync.
Portland forward Buck Williams had predicted as much the day before the
game.
	There were several occasions when Phoenix could have taken
advantage of Portland's lapses, but the Suns would often return the
favor. An example of how the night went for Phoenix came in the first
half when a fast break pass from Johnson bounced off Tom Chambers' chest
and out of bounds.
	Despite the miscue, Chambers still wound up with a game-high 29
points.
	``At the beginning of the game we had a chance to get a big lead
and we didn't,'' Johnson said. ``Down the stretch we had a chance to win
the game and we didn't. They did a good job of preventing penetration in
the half-court game.''

    
    "He (Chambers) has made only 46 of 84 attempts in the playoffs."
    
    Whoa here, that's roughly 55%. Not too shabby.

    re .386:  Invitation from Mike Heiser to join the Suns bandwagon
    
    Sorry Mike- I have'nt been in this file for a while (earning my keep
    and all that jazz).  As much as I like the way the Suns play basketball
    and as much as they outplayed LA, I can't accept your invitation to
    join the Suns bandwagon.  To me, that would be like betraying the
    Lakers in their time of need- I just can't do it.  Besides, it might be
    good for my blood pressure to not get worked up about watching
    basketball.  I'll be watching, but rooting as a ABTP fan with no
    particular affiliation.
    
    Congrats again to the Suns, they need to win tonight to have a
    realistic chance.
    
    Sameer

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Suns hope cloud lifts on shooting

	PORTLAND, Ore. (UPI) -- One didn't have to be a weatherman to note
that no Sun shined in Portland during the opener of the Western
Conference championship series.
	Kevin Johnson missed 12 of 20 shots, including 10 of 12 in the
final three quarters. Tom Chambers failed to connect on 14 of 24 tries.
Eddie Johnson went 3 of 11 from the floor.
	In all, Phoenix made just 41.3 percent of its field-goal attempts
in its 100-98 loss to the Trail Blazers. It was drizzling outside, but
from the Suns' perspective it was pretty dismal inside Memorial Coliseum
as well.
	``We shot bad, and it was all of us,'' Chambers said after the
Suns' worst shooting performance of these playoffs. ``Usually we find
one guy to ride us through.
	``I was inconsistent from the start. Kevin was hot early, then was
the same way. No one was able to carry us through.''
	But the Trail Blazers, who play host to Game 2 of the best-of-seven
series Wednesday night (10 p.m. EDT), deserve at least some credit for
Phoenix' offensive woes.
	Unlike most other clubs, Portland shunned the double-team against
Kevin Johnson, generally using Terry Porter or Danny Young one-on-one
against the Suns' penetrating guard. The Blazers allowed Johnson to
shoot the jumper, and most of the time he misfired.
	``They were giving me the 15- or 20-footer and trying not to allow
penetration,'' Johnson said.
	The Phoenix guard went to the line just four times Monday night. He
attempted 15 free throws in the clinching Game 5 victory over the Lakers
in the previous round.
	Like Phoenix, Portland did not play especially well in the opener,
making only 46 percent of its shots and just nine free throws. However,
Kevin Duckworth's game-winning jumper with 17.3 seconds left, and
Young's block of Mike McGee's shot seconds later saved the Blazers.
	Now that the opener is out of the way, Portland Coach Rick Adelman
expects performances to improve on both sides.
	``The Suns had been off a long time (five days) since winning their
series with Los Angeles and we had such an emotional effort Saturday (in
winning Game 7 against San Antonio),'' Adelman said.
	``That was going to be our hardest game of the season. Now we have
to go out and get Game 2.''
	The Suns, who have lost their last 18 games at Portland dating to
the 1984 playoffs, must get one victory on the road if they are to
advance to the NBA finals for the first time since 1976.
	``(Game 1) was about as important as the opener of the Utah series,
when they beat us by 20,'' said Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, whose team
rallied to take that first-round matchup in five games.
	``We have to win one in Portland to take the home-court advantage
away. We gave them a good run and had a chance to steal one, but we
didn't do it. So we'll have to come back and try again.''

    	Portland-Phoenix tonight... 10pm EST on TNT.  Should be good
    stuff.  Phoenix must continue to rebound as well as they did in
    the second half of game 1 and they must shoot better.  Portland
    should continue to play the same type of defense and try to get
    Porter more into the offensive swing of things.  Hope the reffing
    is better this time around.
    
    sean

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Fan finds Majerle's sore spot

	PORTLAND, Ore. (UPI) -- We've all seen it, the part of the game that
takes place minutes before the game even starts.
	Fans taunt the visiting team during its warmups, hoping to draw a
reaction. They almost never get one, though -- the players shoot on,
pretending not to hear a thing.
	Dan Majerle of the Phoenix Suns reacted last week. He couldn't help
himself.
	When someone behind the basket at the Forum yelled, ``Hey, Majerle,
bronze medal,'' Majerle stopped his dribble and lost his composure for a
moment.
	``That's old,'' he snapped.
	Majerle was a member of the U.S. basketball team that did not bring
home the gold in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. To some, the bronze medal may
as well be made of tin for all they care, for anything less than gold
for the Americans means failure.
	Not to Majerle.
	``We went over and played for our country,'' he said during the
Western Conference championship series. ``For some fan to say something
like that -- I haven't heard many people talk like that. That's why I
reacted. It was out of character.
	``I thought we played very hard and tried our best. For some fan
who probably has never competed to say something stupid ... it got on my
nerves.''
	Majerle should know about getting on people's nerves. He's done it
all season as one of the NBA's most rugged defenders.
	At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, the former Central Michigan star can
bump with the best of them. Yet he has shown the quickness to stay with
the likes of Magic Johnson and Clyde Drexler during the playoffs.
	Majerle, in his second NBA season, was a top scorer in college -- he
averaged 23.7 points a game in his senior season. But under the guidance
of Olympic Coach John Thompson, he began to excel on defense.
	``I had always been the guy who scored a lot of points,'' he said.
``But when I came to Phoenix we had so many scorers, so my job was to
come in and play defense. That was the best way to get playing time. Now
it's something I really enjoy.''
	Make no mistake, Majerle can still score. He averaged 14.3 points
in a reserve role during the regular season, and in the Suns' clinching
victory over the Lakers in last week's semifinals poured in all 16 of
his points in the second half.
	``Dan's just a very good player, a very physical player,'' Phoenix
Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons said. ``He's the kind of guy every coach wants
on his team. He comes to play every night.''
	Majerle came to play during the Olympic trials and during the
team's exhibition schedule. He came to play during the Olympics. The
U.S. squad just didn't win the gold.
	``I played as hard as we could,'' he said. ``I worked all summer
and went over there and thought we played pretty well. We just got beat.
Most everybody's been great about it, but I guess there's always
someone.''

    Uh Mike, I think some noters may have missed it in .437 .... but
    who is the college coach who helped him excell as a defender ?
    
    Thank you.
    
    Doc

>    <<< Note 109.438 by EARRTH::BROOKS "Give it 2 Snaps Up In A Circle !" >>>
>                -< I think Phoenix owes a thank you to JT ... >-
    
    Phoenix might have already thanked him without letting you know ;-)
    
    Besides, I'm neutral on JT so you're not going to get an argument out
    of me.  You need to cross-post this in the Big East note ;-)
    
    Mike

 Well some stellar play by Porter, some bad shot selection by the Suns and
 the homecourt effect on the players and refs help the Suns blow and 18 point
 halftime lead (was 22 early in the third) and loose 108-107 to the Blazers
 last night. Portland was Jeckle?Hyde last night scoring 41 points in the
 first half and then scoring 41 in the tird quarter. Suns missed three 
 crucial foul shots in the last two minutes 1 by KJ 2 by Thunder Dan.

 Refs lost control of this one early with 3 technicals in the first half 
 and Jesse Kersey actually having a photographer removed from the court
 for hurling obsenity at him I imagine. The call the infurated the photo
 guy was a T against Drexler who argued a traveling call against himself
 to vehemently. Like ole Clyde as never walked in his life ;^)......

 Portland deserves credit for not folding their tent and hanging in their
 for this one but the fans deserve even more. What a crowd they intimated
 the Suns and the Refs. The homecooking last night was on the magnitude
 of Lakers or Celtics homegames....

 Oh well Suns need not worry, Portland sucks on the road and the Suns have
 been so close up there they'll have ot get one sooner or later. Just need
 to hold serve.........

 mike

    Chambers and KJ choked big-time in this one!!!  Cotton again got 
    outcoached by overcoaching.  KJ seemed really reluctant to make things
    happen at crunch time.  Chambers threw up two bricks, refused to take
    a wide open jumper from the left corner up 3 with a minute left, and
    didn't box out Kersey on a crucial tip-in.  But hats off to Porter
    who was TREMENDOUS in the clutch, and to the Portland fans, who were
    loud and rowdy even with the team was down a bundle.
    
    BTW, there was a stretch late in the fourth quarter where there were
    four consecutive three point bomb made, two for each team, by four 
    different players!  Looked like the 3-point contest for Rosie's Place
    last month!  ;-)
    
    NAZZ

    	Speaking of the Portland fans...  I was completely amazed by
    their loyalty to their team.  They shouted just as loud when they
    were up by 4 as when they were down by 22.  You wouldn't see that
    type of fan support anywhere (probably boo's in the Boston Garden).
    	
    	Portland played the most horrendous first half imaginable, shooting
    a dismal 30+% but thunder back in the third.  Porter's shot with
    12 seconds left in the fourth gave Portland the winning basket.
    
    	UNBELIEVABLE GAME!
    
    sean

    I thought that last night's game was like watching the WWF. One team
    gets pounded but manages to come back as the fans go nuts. Portland
    seems to be on a mission. 
    
    re Sean,
    
    I noticed the fans too but everyone thought I was just drunk. I kep
    saying "Listen they're still cheering". What a comeback. 

    Debil Dawg,  yeah, I found the tidbit about the decibel level to
    be quite interesting.  Last night I think they surpassed the 115db
    mark!
    
    I couldn't believe that a Portland photographer was kicked out of
    the game after Kersey pointed to him and said to get him out becuase
    he was bothering him.  I would have hated to been that person! 8^)
    
    sean

    Re: Portland fans.
    
    We're talking fans that have custody battles in courts during divorce
    proceedings for the rights to the season tickets.  They LOVE the
    Blazers there.  They are noisy, they are LOYAL, and they are good.
    
    And not to brag, but my Mark West prediction is certainly coming
    true, isn't it.   Ol Mark, hero of the Laker series, scored a scorching
    2 points with 4 rebounds, 5 fouls, and 3 turnovers in 22 minutes.
    Welcome back to your port, Mark, the land of mediocrity.
    
    And on the fouls and officiating:  Phoenix took more foul shots
    than Portland 37-33. Both teams had exactly 31 personal fouls called
    against them. 2 players from each team ended up with 5 fouls _ west
    and EJ for the Suns, Kersey and Robinson for the Blazers.
    
    If the Blazers can win one on the road, it is over.
    
    
    JD

Sorry Sarge but your prediction hasn't come true yet. yes Mark had a bad
game last night probably due to foul trouble. While he hasn't been scoring
as much as in the Lakers series he has been playing good defense and hitting
the boards at a double digit tune until last night. Which isn't too shabby.
Especially against the Blazers who lead the league in rebounding. We'll see
what happens when the Suns get home......

mike

    Very disappointing loss indeed!  Suns played great in the first half,
    leading by 22 at one time, but Portland returned the favor in the
    second half.  There is no excuse for losing a lead like that!  
    
    Porter was deadly in the second half.  I think he scored 27 points
    alone in that half!  Real clutch shooting at the end too!  
    
    Portland seemed to expose Phoenix's lack of depth in the low post when
    West hit the bench with 5 fouls.  That's when the Blazers did most of
    their damage.  West is Phoenix's only real banger.  Still no excuse to
    lose a lead like that.  Their shot selection was terrible!  You can't
    shoot 3 pointers to hang onto a lead like that.  You have to be
    aggressive and bang it inside.
    
    BTW - Am I the only one that thought the refs were inconsistent on both
    ends?  They let them play and people were getting hammered on both
    sides.  Then they would blow the whistle on the "tacky" fouls.
    
    Mike
    
    PS - What sort of bribe will it take to get NAZZ to change his pick 
         to the Blazers?

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Trail Blazers 108, Suns 107

	PORTLAND, Ore. (UPI) -- In a miserable first half for the Trail
Blazers, the Portland team photographer was banished from the baseline
by referee Jess Kersey for yelling at the officials.
	Too bad for him he was not around to take pictures of one of the
greatest comebacks in NBA playoff history.
	Terry Porter poured in 23 of his 28 points in the second half --
including the go-ahead basket with 12.7 seconds left -- as the Blazers
erased a 22-point deficit Wednesday night for a 108-107 victory over the
Phoenix Suns. The Blazers head to Phoenix with a 2-0 lead in the Western
Conference finals.
	``This was a great win for us,'' Porter said. ``I can't say enough
about the 12 guys in this locker room. It shows that no matter what kind
of lead they have we can come back.''
	Portland trailed 57-35 with 96 seconds left in the second quarter
and 59-41 at halftime, but rallied behind Porter and Jerome Kersey, who
scored 10 of his career playoff-high 29 points in the final period.
	The Suns were held to 16 points on 6 of 18 shooting in the last
quarter. The Blazers scored 26 in the fourth period.
	``This is difficult to take,'' Suns guard Kevin Johnson said. ``We
had a chance but they did a good job not quitting.''
	The Blazers' comeback stands beside some of the best in NBA playoff
history. In 1948, Baltimore recovered from a 21-point halftime deficit
to beat Philadelphia. Portland now joins four other clubs who trailed by
18 at halftime and went on to win.
	Portland extended Phoenix's five-year losing streak at Memorial
Coliseum to 19 games. The Suns have lost four times on the Blazers'
court this season by a total of six points.
	The best-of-seven series shifts to Phoenix for games Friday night
and Sunday, but the Suns are in trouble. Only seven teams have overcome
a 2-0 deficit in NBA playoffs history.
	``This is not the end of the world,'' Phoenix Coach Cotton
Fitzsimmons said. The Suns have not lost three in a row this year and
we're not going to let it happen Friday.''
	The Blazers scored just 40 points in the first half, coming within
one point of the franchise record for fewest points before halftime.
	Portland, which has won 14 of the last 18 meetings between the
teams, is 8-0 at home in the playoffs and 1-3 on the road.
	Tom Chambers, who led the Suns with 28 points, hit two foul shots
to give Phoenix a 106-103 lead with 50.1 seconds left, but Porter's
fourth 3-pointer  of the game tied it with 28.4 seconds remaining.
	Johnson was fouled by Kersey on an inbounds play with 27.2 seconds
remaining, but he made just one free throw for a 107-106 Phoenix lead.
	After a timeout, Porter nailed his winning 10-foot jumper over
Johnson to give the Blazers their first lead since the game's opening
seconds. Eddie Johnson of the Suns missed from the baseline with two
seconds left and time expired.
	Clyde Drexler had 16 of his 20 points in the second half for the
Blazers. Kevin Johnson and Dan Majerle each had 22 for the Suns. Majerle
scored 18 in the first half, when the Suns raced to a 59-41 lead.
	Four Blazers spoke during an emotional halftime, including Drexler.
	``We just spoke our piece,'' he said. ``Then Coach (Rick) Adelman
got us fired up.''
	Porter poured in 15 in the third quarter and the Blazers outscored
Phoenix 41-32 to pull within 91-82 entering the final period.
	The Suns opened the final quarter by missing nine of their first 10
shots. The Blazers, meanwhile, ran off eight straight points to pull
within 93-90 on Drexler's layup. And when Porter's 3-pointer rolled
around the rim and fell, Portland was within 97-95 with 5:38 left.
	The Blazers stumbled badly in the first half, making only 35
percent of their shots while committing 15 turnovers. To epitomize their
ineptitude, they received a technical late in the half for having only
four players on the court.
	The sellout crowd of 12,884 vented its frustration on officials
Kresey, Jack Madden, and Paul Mihalak. It got so bad that Kersey ejected
photographer Art Gee sitting along the baseline with 88 seconds left in
the half.
	``The photographer was a part of the entire working team of the
playoffs,'' Kersey told a pool reporter. ``If he wants to make
derogatory statements to the officials, then he has to make them from
the stands. And that's why he was removed from the game.''
	Lost amid the chaos was a brilliant effort by Majerle, who sank 8
of 10 shots in the first half, including a pair of 3-pointers.
	Portland, despite missing 14 of its first 17 shots, led 13-12 with
three minutes left in the first quarter, but the Suns closed the period
with a 16-4 run. Jeff Hornacek had a 3-point play in the burst that gave
Phoenix a 28-17 lead. The Blazers shot 6 of 23 from the floor in their
lowest scoring quarter of the season.
	When Majerle nailed a 3-pointer and scored off a drive, the Phoenix
lead was a whopping 57-35 with 96 seconds left in the half.

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Blazers go small for big win

	PORTLAND, Ore. (UPI) - The Portland Trail Blazers accomplished one
of the biggest comebacks in NBA history by sending out one of their
smallest lineups.
	Capitalizing on its quickness, Portland erased an 18-point halftime
deficit Wednesday night to roar to a 108-107 victory and a 2-0 lead over
the Phoenix Suns in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals.
	The Blazers' second-half lineup featured guards Clyde Drexler and
Terry Porter and small forward Jerome Kersey. Rookie swingman Drazen
Petrovic or guard Danny Young, and forward Buck Williams or center Kevin
Duckworth, rounded out the five.
	``We tried to pick up the tempo in the second half,'' said Kersey,
who had 10 of his career playoff-high 29 points in the second half.
``When we went small we were more aggressive. We started making our
shots and moving better.''
	With Williams in for Duckworth, no Portland player was taller than
6-foot-8.
	``They went with the smaller lineup and got to scoring,'' Phoenix
guard Kevin Johnson said, ``and we weren't quite able to match up.''
	The Suns made only 6 of 18 shots in the fourth quarter while
committing five turnovers. Drexler had six steals, all in the second
half, to tie the team playoff record first set by Lionel Hollins in
1977.
	``They had nothing to lose so they were going for steals and we
just didn't move the ball enough,'' Suns guard Jeff Hornacek said.
	Terry Porter sank the game-winning jumper with 12.7 seconds left.
The play came on a variation of the one that resulted in Duckworth's
game-winner in the series opener Monday night.
	``It was our `4-1' play we tried to pull the other night,'' said
Porter, who scored 23 of his 28 points in the second half. ``Kevin
Johnson followed me, but Duckworth moved to the basket to give me room
to operate.''
	The Suns still had a chance to win, but Eddie Johnson missed a
baseline jumper with about two seconds left and time expired.

From: [email protected] (BILL STEWART)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Suns let one get away

	PORTLAND, Ore. (UPI) -- The Phoenix Suns will always remember it as
the big one that got away.
	The Suns lost a 22-point lead Wednesday, allowing the Portland
Trail Blazers to rally for a 108-107 victory and a 2-0 lead in the
best-of-seven Western Conference finals.
	The series moves to Phoenix for Games 3 and 4 Friday night and
Sunday.
	The Blazers were embarrassing themselves in front of their own fans
when they trailed 59-37 in the second quarter. But they rallied, just
like in the final game of the previous series against San Antonio.
Portland trailed by seven in the final 2:30 but sent that game into
overtime, then won by three.
	But there was no mistaking how poorly Portland played in the first
half Wednesday. The Blazers shot 35 percent from the field and trailed
59-41 at halftime.
	When the Blazers took anything other than a layin in the first half
they usually missed it. Portland's computer showed they were 5-of-26 on
shots beyond one foot, and 3-of-12 from between one and nine feet.
	Phoenix seemed a lock to return home with the series tied 1-1. Then
the roof of Memorial Coliseum all but caved in on the Suns.
	In the third quarter, the Blazers seized control the boards and
turned up the pressure on the defensive end.
	``Two things did us in,'' Phoenix Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons said.
``We turned the ball over and we let them have too many offensive
boards. From that point on whatever they needed they got. Anytime you
lose a good lead it hurts.''
	``We should have won the ballgame, but they did everything they had
to do to win it.''
	Despite letting the Blazers back into the game, Phoenix still had a
chance to win at the end. But a fallaway jumper from the corner by Eddie
Johnson hit the side of the rim and bounced out of bounds as time ran
out.
	``I think it came down to a lot more than just that last play,''
Phoenix guard Kevin Johnson said. ``They just did whatever they had to
put themselves in a position to win.''
	The Suns also hurt themselves by missing 12 of the 18 shots they
took in the fourth quarter.
	Phoenix still led 91-82 entering the fourth quarter. The Suns
answered 3-point goals by Portland's Terry Porter and Danny Young with
3-pointers by Eddie Johnson and Jeff Hornacek.
	Then Clyde Drexler and Jerome Kersey took the game over. Kersey had
10 points in the final period, and Drexler added eight and two steals.
	As it turned out, Portland only had the lead twice in the game --
2-0 and 108-107 on Porter's 10-foot jumper from the lane with 12.7
seconds left.

Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Personal triumph for injured Blazer

	PORTLAND, Ore. (UPI) -- The cheers were not for Ramon Ramos
Wednesday, but the injured Portland Trail Blazer rookie who has been off
the court but in the minds and hearts of his teammates reached a big
milestone all on his own.
	While his team won Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in a
heart-stopping 108-107 thriller over Phoenix Wednesday night, Ramos was
far from Memorial Coliseum, in a hospital room.
	But earlier in the day, in another joyous development, Ramos left
the hospital for the first time since a Dec. 16 car crash on Interstate
5 that left him in a coma for more than two months.
	Ramos, 22, suffered debilitating head injuries when his car slid on
a patch of ice and overturned near Wilsonville. His first trip since
then was a brief one -- a car ride around the block -- but meant as much
to friends, teammates and family members from Puerto Rico as any
game-winning clutch shot.
	``When he got into the car, he smiled, waved to his mother and said
goodbye,'' said Ramon Ramos Sr., the father of the rookie forward,
signed as a free agent after helping Seton Hall reach the final game of
the NCAA playoffs last year.
	Ramos then took his son on the short drive before returning to his
room at Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center.
	After Ramos began to show progress, he was moved from Oregon Health
Sciences University to the Rehabilitation Institute of Oregon at Good
Samaritan, where he has undergone daily physical and speech therapy.
	Young Ramos is now able to do some personal tasks such as brush his
teeth briefly or comb his hair, said hospital spokesman Chuck Williams.
Recently he also has been able to say a few words and a few names, even
writing some words and short sentences.
	``He is now eating enough food that we have been able to take out
the feeding tube,'' said Dr. Franklin Wong, who is in charge of Ramos'
care and rehabilitation.
	``He has made some nice gains, but there still is a long way to
go,'' Wong said. ``But I am happy with his progress. Our goals remain
the same -- to get him to where he can live in as independent a situation
as possible.''
	``Ramon is getting better every day,'' the elder Ramos said. ``I
think maybe he can leave the hospital and go to the apartment in a
couple of weeks. I want for that step. Ramon is very strong and he is
very young. Maybe he can play basketball again. I hope for that.''

re: .440 Mike Childs
                          -< homecooking wins it... >-

> for this one but the fans deserve even more. What a crowd they intimated
> the Suns and the Refs. The homecooking last night was on the magnitude
>     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

	How True!  KJ needs to keep his AND the team's composure.

> Oh well Suns need not worry, Portland sucks on the road and the Suns have
>                              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

	Let's hope so!

				--------------

re: .441 NAZZ
                      -< Is Portland a team of destiny? >-

>    Chambers and KJ choked big-time in this one!!!  Cotton again got 
>    outcoached by overcoaching.  KJ seemed really reluctant to make things
>    happen at crunch time.  

	You're full of it!  I admit that Chambers hurt them at times 
	last night and KJ lost control of the team but I think to say 
	they 'choked' is ridiculous.  Can you imagine playing in front 
	that crowd with the athletes they have going crazy and 
	Manny, Moe and Jack reffing an out-of-control game?  I don't 
	think so.  They lost their composure but it's understandable.
	I just hope they don't lose their confidence.  Without KJ, TC 
	and Cotton the Suns would be were the Lakers are...WATCHING!


>						...But hats off to Porter
>    who was TREMENDOUS in the clutch, and to the Portland fans, who were
>    loud and rowdy even with the team was down a bundle.

	Now you're talking.
    

It ain't over til it's over...

Jim

    Heh heh heh ...
    
    Like I told you two weeks ago Jimmy baby ... I only guaranteed the
    Puns victory over the Lakers.
    
    A deal is a deal .... as for the Refs, well, let's just say their
    souls have been on a loooong-term lease ....
    
    BWAH HA HA HA HAHAHAHAAAAAAA !!!!!!!!!
    
    
    S.A. Tann 

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Suns down but say they're not out

	PHOENIX (UPI) -- After blowing a 22-point lead in Game 2, the
Phoenix Suns returned home Thursday disappointed, disheartened and
strangely confident they can still beat the Portland Trail Blazers in
the Western Conference final series.
	Despite their demoralizing 108-107 loss Wednesday night, the Suns
figure they dropped the first two games of the best-of-seven series by
only three points. And the next two games take place at their Veterans
Memorial Coliseum Friday night (10 p.m. EDT) and Sunday.
	``We now know we can win (in Portland),'' Kevin Johnson said in
explaining Phoenix's reason for optimism. ``Now we have to win at home
so we can get back there and prove it.''
	The Suns are further encouraged by the fact they had the last shot
in each game after Kevin Duckworth and Terry Porter pushed Portland
ahead in the closing seconds.
	Mike McGee's jumper was blocked by Danny Young in Game 1 and Eddie
Johnson, under pressure from an onrushing Jerome Kersey, was off-target
in Game 2.
	``They did what they had to do, they won two games in their
building,'' Phoenix center Mark West said. ``Now we have to win two in
ours.''
	The Suns, who have not lost three straight games all season, beat
Portland in two of the three meetings at home this year. The Trail
Blazers, though, took the last one, winning 128-120 in overtime April
18.
	Phoenix must win Friday night if it is to have any realistic chance
of advancing to its first NBA championship series since 1976. No team in
league history ever has rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs.
	Portland has won 14 of the last 18 games against Phoenix but is 1-3
on the road in the postseason. Also, the Trail Blazers might not have
anything left to give Friday night after completing one of the greatest
comebacks in NBA history.
	In Game 2, Portland trailed by 22 points with 96 seconds left in
the second quarter; by 21 with 10:56 remaining in the third, and by 17
with 4:34 to play in the period. But the Blazers fought back.
	Porter scored 15 of his 28 points in the third to get Portland
within 91-82 entering the final quarter, then struck for a three-pointer
and 10-foot jumper in the final 28.4 seconds to pull out the triumph.
	``I can't think of another win I've experienced as satisfying as
that one,'' said Portland Coach Rick Adelman. ``To play a team of the
caliber of the Phoenix Suns, to have them lead by 18 at the half -- I
don't know many teams that could come back from that to win.
	``I can't describe the feeling. It just shows our people what you
can do when you don't quit.''
	Lost somewhat in the excitement of Porter's game-winning shot was
Kersey, who scored 10 of his career playoff-high 29 points in the fourth
quarter. The 6-foot-7 forward also had a crucial block of Tom Chambers'
attempted dunk with 64 seconds remaining and the Suns ahead 104-103.

What a difference a long weekend makes...looks like this series is back on
again...

    We're sure glad to have the series come back to Portland where the
    Sun does't shine. But the Blazers are not taking any chances, they
    had Ramon Ramos come to their practice for the first time since
    the accident. Look for him to be at the game tonight.

for those in the wetlands...what's the REAL mood (not what you see on 
the national tv broadcasts)of the portland players?  the sun's players
are very confident they are going to take tonight's game.  they feel they
had portland on the ropes twice and they let up.  they are saying that
they're going to keep the heat on by pushing the ball up the court for 
48 minutes and that'll be the difference.

also, anyone know the line in vegas on this game?

jim

    Jim,
    
    Of course the SUns players are going to say that.  Blazers are very
    confident to be back home.  They feel unbeatable there.  Both teams
    run well, I look for Portland to keep the home court, however, if
    the SUns win, it's over in 6.  
    
    I look for Terry Porter to have another big game tonight.
    
    JD

    Also, remember, the Spurs kicked the Blazers butt in games 3 and
    4, and they were talking the same stuff as the Suns are now.  Blazers
    won teh double OT game then...
    

    One would think that the Blazer's incedible run of luck at home must
    come to an end. But if Phoenix doesn't win tonight,they have to start
    talking to themselves. 
    
    Is TNT done broadcasting for the year? At lest we don't have to hear 
    Bweent.

yeah, the suns are saying those things but i think the difference between
them and the spurs is a year of experience (and a helluvalot better point
guard!).  i was just trying to get at what the blazers are saying locally
versus the party line you see on tv ("the suns were just more aggressive.
we feel that we can keep our home court advantage...la de da, la de da...").

what's the real scoop?!

    As far as I can see, it's the same.  They felt they played better
    in game 4 than 3,  and that foul trouble to Drexler and Kersey hurt
    them.  Everyone keeps saying that the BLazers are due to lose at
    home, but conversely, they are due to win on the  road.  They've
    lost 5 straight away games by double digit margins.  As I said,
    they feel unbeatable at home.  This series could end up like th
    1960 World Series ....

    Hey JD, how about that mediocre Mark West? ;-)
    
Both underdogs, Phoenix and Chicago, held serve in a gutsy way over the
weekend and evened their respective series.

Suns TOTALLY DOMINATED the Blazers in game 3 with a 123-89 victory.
Phoenix had a 46 point lead at one time in the 3rd.  Suns starters shot 83%
from the floor and saw very little action in the second half.

Phoenix then won game 4 119-107.  Portland made it a game for 2.5 quarters,
but the Suns went on a run late in the 3rd.

Portland seems to have a real mental block about playing on the road in the
playoffs.  Could lack of experience be a problem?  Suns definitely have an
advantage here after playing in the conference finals last year.

Pivotal game tonight!  If Phoenix breaks the Portland jinx, this series
should be over.  Last time the Suns won up there in '84, it was also a
playoff victory (clinched the series too).  Hopefully they'll do it again!
    
    CBS has tonight's game, 9pm EST.

Mike

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Suns 123, Trail Blazers 89

	PHOENIX (UPI) -- For the second straight game, the Phoenix Suns
built a 22-point advantage in the second quarter. They didn't squander
this one.
	To the contrary, Phoenix kept building its lead until it reached 46
points near the end of the third period. Shrugging off their
demoralizing defeat two days earlier, the Suns sank a club playoff
record 61 percent of their field-goal attempts for a 123-89 rout of the
Portland Trail Blazers.
	The victory cut Portland's edge to 2-1 in the best-of-seven Western
Conference finals.
	``We played real well,'' said Tom Chambers, one of five Phoenix
starters who combined to hit 35 of 42 shots. ``We went after them from
the start and got back to playing the way we play best. We put the
pressure on them and kept it on them.''
	The Suns sprinted to a 40-18 lead after one period and a 71-43
advantage by halftime, at which point they nailed 30 of 39 shots for 77
percent.
	Phoenix, which dropped the first two games by a total of three
points and blew a 22-point second-quarter lead in Game 2, canned 70
percent of its   shots through three quarters.
	Poor shooting by reserves in the fourth period cost the Suns a
chance at the playoff record of 67 percent set by Boston in its 157-128
first-round triumph over New York this season.
	Still, their accuracy topped the previous club playoff record of
60.7 percent set against the Lakers last year.
	The Suns, emphatically averting their first three-game losing
streak since March 1989, can tie the series Sunday with another victory
at home. Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday night at Portland.
	The Blazers made only 36 percent of their shots in suffering their
most lopsided playoff defeat ever.
	``The Suns were just very good,'' Portland Coach Rick Adelman said.
``They were active and we weren't. We looked like we were a couple of
steps behind all night.''
	Chambers led the onslaught with 24 points on 11 of 13 shooting.
Kevin Johnson and Jeff Hornacek each added 17 points, with Johnson
collecting 12 assists.
	The Blazers, now 1-4 on the road in these playoffs, were paced by
Jerome Kersey with 16 points. Terry Porter, Portland's leader the first
two games, had only 6 points.
	The Suns unleashed their fastbreak at the start and raced to an
18-4 lead four minutes into the game. When Johnson set up back-to-back
transition layups by Chambers and Eddie Johnson, the advantage ballooned
to 30-14. The Suns then closed the explosive quarter with eight
unanswered points for their 22-point bulge after one period.
	``When we're passing the ball we're at our best,'' said Hornacek,
whose team had a 38-25 assist advantage.
	While Chambers led the charge, Mark West contributed 8 of his 9
points. The Phoenix center, so important in the semifinal upset of the
Lakers, had but 12 in the first two games in Portland.
	``The team was concentrating on getting me involved,'' he said.
	The Suns shot 18 of 23 for 78 percent in the first quarter. The
Blazers hit only 9 of 27 for 33 percent.
	Portland scored the first four points of the second quarter, but
reserve Andrew Lang blocked a Portland layup -- one of his five
rejections -- to trigger a 10-0 burst.
	The Suns remained relentless, padding their cushion to 61-31 on
Chambers' jumper with 4:22 left in the quarter. Remarkably, they built
on their lead without Kevin Johnson, who sat out for a stretch of 10 1-2
minutes.
	Two free throws by Eddie Johnson then gave the Suns their largest
lead at 103-57 with 66 seconds left in the third period, and Phoenix
took a 103-60 lead into the fourth quarter.
	With the starters out of the game, Phoenix's reserves made only 8
of 22 shots in the final period.

    Mike,
    
    West had a good game in game 4 - 12 points/12 boards - but he's
    still playing more like Mark West, and not like Nate Thurmond, as
    he did vs. the Lakers. ;-)
    
    I don't think the playing on the road thing is a lack of experience,
    Mike. THe Blazers are a veteran team, with playoff experience. It's
    not like they just surprised everyone and made the playoffs this
    year.
    
    Look for Tommy-gun to do a clang job tonight!  ;-)
    
    JD

>    I don't think the playing on the road thing is a lack of experience,
>    Mike. THe Blazers are a veteran team, with playoff experience. It's
>    not like they just surprised everyone and made the playoffs this
>    year.
    
    In a way they are surprising because they made it past round 1.  The
    conference finals are progressively more intense than round 1.  We'll
    see tonight how they handle the pressure and change in momentum!
    
    Mike

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Suddenly, Suns have momentum

	PHOENIX (UPI) -- Talk about a transition game -- in the span of 24
minutes, the Phoenix Suns went from being demoralized to doing the
demoralizing.
	That was the time it took for the Suns to build a 71-43 halftime
lead on Portland in Game 3 Friday night. By then, squandering a 22-point
bulge in Game 2 was all but forgotten, and the Suns were on their way to
a 123-89 rout of the Trail Blazers in the Western Conference finals.
	``We wanted to show people we could play, and that those who were
writing our obituaries were a little premature,'' Phoenix Coach Cotton
Fitzsimmons said.
	The Suns still trail Portland 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, but
they host Game 4 Sunday at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
	Though the Trail Blazers still own the home-court advantage in the
series -- they are 8-0 in the postseason at their Memorial Coliseum --
they have fared poorly on the road in the playoffs.
	Portland is 1-4 away from home, with only a first-round victory at
Dallas. The losses have come by margins of 23, 10, 15 and 34 points.
	``We can still win on the road,'' Portland Coach Rick Adelman said.
``We didn't have our centers (Kevin Duckworth and Wayne Cooper) in three
of those losses (at San Antonio).
	``And even though they are back now, you don't lose two key players
and put things together just like that.''
	It will be difficult to put the pieces together after Friday night.
Incredibly, Portland took 20 more shots than Phoenix and suffered its
worst playoff pounding ever.
	While the fast-breaking Suns hit a club playoff-record 61 percent
of their shots -- they were shooting 77 percent at halftime and 70
percent through three quarters -- the jump-shooting Blazers finished at
36 percent.
	Duckworth went 2-for-11 from the floor. Terry Porter, averaging 21
points in the first two games, had only 6 points on 2-for-8 shooting.
Clyde Drexler hit 5 of 14 shots.
	``You forget about it, that's what you do with a game like this,''
Porter said. ``You just try to pretend it didn't happen.''
	Adelman added: ``I don't care what you say, we weren't into it
mentally. It's hard to believe.''
	It's also hard to believe the Suns, after making only 43 percent of
their attempts the first two games, could display such remarkable
accuracy.
	The starters, shooting mostly layups off the break, made 35 of 42
shots. Tom Chambers sank 11 of 13, Jeff Hornacek 8 of 10. Even Kurt
Rambis hit all six of his tries.
	Hornacek said one key to the victory was the fact the Suns didn't
dwell on losing the first two games of the series by a total of three
points, or blowing their 22-point lead in Game 2. And he said they won't
dwell on their uncanny performance Friday night.
	``Our team does a good job putting wins and losses behind us,'' he
said. ``We're still down 2-1. We have to win the next game to even it
up.''
	The Trail Blazers also say they have put Game 3 behind them.
	``This series is a long way from over,'' Porter said. ``We can't
make believe this is the end of the season, because I can't imagine them
playing much better than the first half -- or us playing much worse.''

    Mike,
    
    we will find out tonight, but this is the same pressure, etc., they
    faced last round, when the Spurs blew them away twice in San Antonio
    and came smoking and swaggering into Portland....
    
    JD

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Suns 119, Trail Blazers 107

	PHOENIX (UPI) -- Phoenix guard Kevin Johnson engineered the decisive
third-quarter burst Sunday in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals,
but he had help -- from Portland's free-throw shooters.
	The Trail Blazers sank just 4 of 11 foul shots in the final six
minutes of the third period. When they weren't agonizing over their
misses, they were watching Johnson trigger the 16-6 run that sent the
Suns on their way to evening the best-of-seven series with a 119-107
triumph.
	``I thought this was their best game (of the series),'' Phoenix
Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons said of the Blazers. ``They only thing they did
wrong was miss their free throws.''
	Johnson, meanwhile, did little wrong for the Suns, scoring 28
points on 13 of 19 shooting while contributing 17 assists.
	Less than 48 hours after shooting a club playoff-record 61 percent
in a 123-89 rout of the Blazers, Phoenix ran away from Portland in the
second half behind Johnson and reserve Dan Majerle, who scored 10 of his
18 points in the final 16 minutes.
	Tom Chambers added 27 points for the Suns.
	Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday night at Portland, where the
Blazers are 8-0 in the playoffs. However, Portland won the first two
games at home by a total of just three points.
	``We're in a good situation; we have to feel good about our chances
in Portland,'' Johnson said. ``We had our chances before, but we let
them slip away.
	``If I were Portland, all I would be thinking about is holding the
home court. They did it against San Antonio (in the semifinals). But
we're the Phoenix Suns, and we feel we can win on the road.''
	The Blazers, who would also play home in Game 7 if necessary, have
lost their last five playoff road games by margins of 23, 10, 15, 34 and
12 points.
	Jerome Kersey led Portland by equaling his career playoff-high of
29 points. Terry Porter added 21 points and 12 assists and Kevin
Duckworth had 19 points.
	The Blazers made only 17 of 27 foul shots. In the decisive
third-quarter stretch, Porter -- an 89 percent foul shooter in the
regular season -- missed 3 of 5 attempts. Meanwhile, Buck Williams missed
2 of 2 and Duckworth each went 1 of 2.
	Kersey had scored twice to bring the Blazers to within 73-70 with
six minutes left in the third period. But in the next two minutes,
Portland missed five straight foul shots, and Clyde Drexler departed
after picking up his fifth foul.
	``We hit a dry spell,'' Drexler said.
	The Suns then reeled off their 16-6 run to close the quarter for an
89-76 lead. Johnson led the way with 6 points and an assist, while
Majerle, who finished with 10 rebounds, also scored 6 while drawing
Drexler's fifth foul.
	Jeff Hornacek, who had 16 points, then nailed a 3-pointer for a
100-81 bulge with 7:25 left, and Portland never got closer than 10
points again.
	``We can't afford to miss free throws in a situation like that,''
Kersey said. ``It would have made a big difference.''
	With Hornacek striking for the game's first 3-pointer with two
seconds left, the Suns concluded the first half with an 11-3 burst for a
56-50 lead at halftime.
	A 12-1 run, topped off by Williams' three-point play, had given the
Blazers the largest lead of the game to that point at 40-34 with 6:19
left in the second quarter.
	But Kersey took his first rest of the game, and Johnson set up
Chambers for two breakaway baskets in an 8-1 spurt that pushed the Suns
back ahead.
	Kersey canned 6 of 8 shots for 12 points in the opening quarter as
Portland took a 28-27 edge. Chambers, though, countered with 11.

From: [email protected] (HARRIETT HINDMAN)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Suns win Game 4 with defense and rebounding

	PHOENIX (UPI) -- The Phoenix Suns, in contrast to a flashy 61
percent shooting performance in Game 3, turned to hard-nosed defense and
aggressive rebounding in Game 4 of the Western Conference championships
against Portland.
	``We got after them, that's all you can do,'' Suns Coach Cotton
Fitzsimmons said after a 119-107 victory Sunday tied the best-of-seven
series at two games apiece.
	``The only thing I think Portland did wrong was miss their free
throws, which could have cut the margin. Outside of that, they played
hard, they played well, they shot the ball outside.''
	The Suns rebounded better, however, enjoying a 48-36 edge off the
boards. Dan Majerle led the way with 10 rebounds, to go with his 18
points.
	``The key thing to beating Portland is to out-rebound them, get our
running game going and get some easy buckets,'' Majerle said.
	Three easy baskets -- two layups by Eddie Johnson and one by Majerle
-- during a 45-second span at the end of the third quarter pushed
Phoenix's lead into double digits. The Suns stretched the lead to 100-81
in the middle of the fourth quarter.
	Portland guard Clyde Drexler said the Suns' 33-26 third-quarter
advantage was the key to the game.
	``We hit a dry spell and couldn't execute on our offensive
opportunities,'' Drexler said. ``They got a lot of second chances off
their offensive boards. We weren't making our shots, we missed some free
throws, they got a little lead and built on it.''
	Portland hit only 17 of 27 free throws for the game and was 7 of 14
from the line in the third quarter.
	``They attacked the boards and it allowed them to run, it made all
of the difference,'' Kersey said.
	A three-point shot by Jeff Hornacek with two seconds left in the
first half stuck in Portland Coach Rick Adelman's mind as possibly the
turning point.
	``Instead of us cutting into their lead and getting it down to one,
they hit the shot and suddenly they were up by six,'' Adelman said.
	Drexler continued to have a tough time offensively, hitting 6 of 13
from the floor for 15 points.
	``The Suns were taking things away from him,'' Adelman said. ``It's
always more difficult to do things in the playoffs that you were able to
do during the regular season. They are doing a good job defending us. We
haven't shot the ball real well.''
	The series returns to Portland for Game 5 Tuesday night.

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Suns ready for road victory

	PORTLAND, Ore. (UPI) -- After two near-misses at Portland and two
dominating victories at home, the Phoenix Suns appear set to claim the
breakthrough on the road they need in the Western Conference finals.
	As visitors, the Suns dropped the opening two games by a total of
just three points. As hosts, they squared the best-of-seven series by
shooting 57 percent from the floor last weekend while crushing the Trail
Blazers by a combined 46 points.
	``We should have the momentum,'' Phoenix swingman Dan Majerle said.
	They do. But the Blazers have the home court Tuesday night in Game
5 (9 p.m. EDT). And that has been enough for them so far.
	Portland may be only 1-5 on the road in the playoffs, but it is 8-0
at home. In the previous round, the Blazers lost Games 3 and 4 at San
Antonio by a total of 33 points, but captured Games 5 and 7 at home to
advance.
	``You don't get a lot of teams winning a lot of road games in the
playoffs,'' Portland Coach Rick Adelman said. ``Phoenix has, but they
have lost some home games. We haven't.''
	The Blazers have shown a remarkable resiliency on their court,
winning their last four games by slim margins: six points in double
overtime; three in overtime; one, and two points. Their last home game,
a 108-106 triumph over the Suns, featured a return from a 22-point
deficit.
	``There's nothing like home,'' Portland's Kevin Duckworth said. ``I
don't know what our problem is on the road, but we can't lose at home.''
	The Suns would like to disagree. They beat Utah twice at the Salt
Palace to win their first-round series. They beat the Lakers twice at
the Forum to win their West semifinal series. They feel it's just a
matter of time before they win at Portland.
	``We're in a good situation,'' said Phoenix's Kevin Johnson, coming
off his best game of the series Sunday, when he collected 28 points and
17 assists in a 119-107 triumph.
	``We feel good about our chances in Portland. We had our chances
before, but we let them slip away. Now we control out destiny.''
	With a victory, the Suns could advance to their first NBA title
series since 1976 with a home triumph Thursday night. Game 7, if
necessary, would take place Saturday afternoon back on the Blazers'
court.
	Phoenix has lost 19 straight games at Portland, but its last
victory came in the fifth game of a playoff series, on April 26, 1984.
	Portland, in contention despite making only 42 percent of its
field-goal attempts in the series, would be hurt if swingman Drazen
Petrovic can't play Tuesday night. The Blazers' top shooter off the
bench has a sprained right wrist and played only three minutes in Game
4.
	Danny Young took his place in the rotation Sunday and had a
miserable afternoon, missing all 8 of his shots, including 6 from
3-point range.

From: [email protected]
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Suns and Jazz to play in Tokyo

	NEW YORK (UPI) -- The Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz will open the
1990-91 NBA season with two games in Tokyo Nov. 3-4, marking the first
time an American sports league will play regular season games outside
North America.
	The games will be played in the afternoon at the Tokyo Metropolitan
Gymnasium and televised live in primetime in the United States.
	``We are very pleased to announce this milestone event, involving
regular season contests played abroad,'' NBA commissioner David Stern
said Monday.
	The Suns are playing in the Western Conference finals against
Portland, after eliminating the Jazz in the opening round of the
playoffs.
	The NBA has staged exhibitions in foreign countries, including a
1988 Soviet tour by the Atlanta Hawks and the annual McDonald's Open
which matches NBA teams against premier international clubs.

 Geez what's happening? They had no problems staying cool and finishing out
 the game strong against LA why the heck can't they do it Portland?

 Could it be the fans? Maybe it's the players? Probably is the Lakers
 just aren't as good as the record...

 ;^)

mike

    I dont really care who wins this series, but the last 2 minutes of
    last nights first half were so poorly officiated that I didnt bother
    watching the second half. Drexler's clean block--foul. Two out of
    bounds calls, both off Suns players- one was Rambis, didnt catch the
    other, both went to the Suns. Drexler argued mildly, and the announcer,
    Len Somethinorother agreed, no contact. Seems like a trend in the NBA.
    Except this is the first time I've seen a home team have 3 calls go
    against them. 
    			A Passive Observer.
    

I thought that the announcing was particularly bad last night. It seems to me 
that both announcers favor the Trailblazer-mix. I think they need a story for
the finals like "Doesn't this team remind you of the '77 team?" I don't know
how many times I heard that line last night......

MEtz

    Actually, I find Len Elmore very refreshing, as opposed to you know who
    and you know who......
    
    H�wk

    Len Elmore, played at Maryland at the same time as Congressman Tom
    McMillen.  Played in the NBA for several years.  Recently graduated
    from Harvard Law School.
    
    John

    Once again, the Suns executed poorly in the last 2 minutes and lost on the
    road.  They did a good job of coming back and had a 114-113 lead with
    less than a minute to go, but lack of execution forced them to foul the
    lead away.
    
    I'm sure this series will go 7, but I'm not so sure the Suns can get
    over the hump and win in Portland.
    
    Mike

> Geez what's happening? They had no problems staying cool and finishing out
> the game strong against LA why the heck can't they do it Portland?
> Could it be the fans? Maybe it's the players? Probably is the Lakers
> just aren't as good as the record...
    
    I wondered about that too Mike.  With all due respect, LA is probably
    more fortunate that they are *not* in the conference finals.
    
    Mike

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Drexler awakens just in time
 
	PORTLAND, Ore. (UPI) -- Hard as it is to believe, Clyde Drexler was
a forgotten man entering Game 5 of the Western Conference finals.
	Usually one of the game's most breath-taking players, Drexler had
been struggling with his jumper. The Portland guard was averaging just
16.5 points in the series -- seven points below his regular-season outout
-- while making only 43.9 percent of his shots.
	So the Trail Blazers designed plays for Drexler to shoot from in
close Tuesday night, often having him post-up on the smaller Jeff
Hornacek. Drexler took advantage of the strategy, finishing with 32
points as Portland recorded a 120-114 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
	``We worked hard on trying to get Clyde open tonight,'' said
Blazers Coach Rick Adelman, whose team took a 3-2 lead in the
best-of-seven series. ``We did a better job of giving him room to get in
the open and be aggressive. He just pounded the offensive boards.''
	Drexler, who also had an excellent game in transition, finished
with 10 rebounds -- six on offense -- and made 13 of 24 shots from the
floor. He scored nine points in the final quarter, including the
go-ahead foul shots with 34.4 seconds left after he worked on Phoenix
defensive whiz Dan Majerle along the baseline.
	``He was due for a good game,'' Phoenix Coach Cottton Fitzsimmons
said. ``He's an All-Star player and you knew he was going to have a game
like this.''
	Added Portland's Buck Williams: ``Clyde really elevated his game
tonight. Everyone was talking about his jump shot but tonight showed
what an excellent ballplayer can do for a club. He was unstoppable.''
	The Blazers were often quite stoppable in Game 5, but won anyway.
They hit only 48.4 percent of their shots, which remarkably was their
best shooting effort of the series. The Suns, meanwhile, made only 45.4
percent after making 57 percent in the previous two games -- both
victories -- at home.
	Tom Chambers had 22 points for Phoenix but made only 6 of 21 shots.
Kevin Johnson added 28 points and 14 assists but missed three shots in
the final minute.

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Portland 120, Phoenix 114
 
	PORTLAND, Ore. (UPI) -- Clyde Drexler scored 32 points, including
the go-ahead free throws with 34.4 seconds left Tuesday night, helping
the Portland Trail Blazers maintain their precious home-court advantage
in the Western Conference finals with a 120-114 victory over the Phoenix
Suns.
	Portland, 9-0 at home in the playoffs, leads the best-of-seven
series 3-2 and can advance to its first NBA finals in 13 years with a
victory Thursday night at Phoenix.
	The Blazers have struggled recently on the road, dropping their
last five games by an average of 18.5 points. But if necessary, they
will play host Game 7 Saturday.
	The Suns, who won the previous two games at home by a combined 46
points, fell for the 20th straight time at Portland. They have lost
their three road games in the series by a combined 9 points.
	In scoring his series high, Drexler snapped out of his scoring
slump by hitting 13 of 24 shots. He added 10 rebounds. Jerome Kersey
contributed 21 points and 11 rebounds and Terry Porter had 19 points and
12 assists.
	Kevin Johnson scored 28 points for the Suns and Tom Chambers had
22, though he made only 6 of 21 shots.
	Kersey snapped a 109-109 tie with two foul shots, then fed Drexler
for a sensational slam in transition for a 113-109 Portland lead with
2:41 to play.
	But the Suns retaliated with five straight points. Mark West hit a
free throw, Dan Majerle scored off a difficult drive and Chambers made
two free throws to put Phoenix ahead 114-113 with 47.3 seconds left.
	However, Drexler drew a foul on Majerle and sank two free throws 13
seconds later to push Portland back ahead.
	On the next possession, Majerle missed a lay-up in traffic. Jeff
Hornacek couldn't control a loose ball and fouled Buck Williams, who
made two foul shots for a 117-114 edge with 14.9 seconds left.
	Hornacek missed a 3-pointer with about 7 seconds to go, Kersey
rebounded and canned one free throw with 5.2 seconds left to seal the
victory.
	Hornacek hit for 7 straight Phoenix points, and when Johnson
completed a 3-point play off a drive, the score was tied 98-98 with 8:18
to play.
	Thirty seconds later, Danny Young coughed up the ball after
colliding with teammate Duckworth, and Johnson coasted home for a
breakaway layup that made it 102-99 with 7:32 remaining.
	But the Blazers fought back. Drexler hit a 3-pointer, and West was
called for a foul underneath. Duckworth made this foul shot, and
Portland was within 106-105 with 6:09 to play.
	Chambers missed 12 of his first 15 shots, but suddenly sank two
straight as the Suns opened the third quarter with an 8-1 spurt to tie
it 65-65. However, Porter nailed his third 3-pointer and Kersey dunked
off Drexler's fastbreak feed to conclude a sudden 16-6 burst, and the
Blazers carried a 91-84 lead into the final period.
	Drexler, averaging just 16.5 points in the series -- almost 7 points
under his season average -- struck for 18 points and grabbed 8 rebounds
in the first half as the Blazers raced to a 64-57 advantage.
	Johnson had 17 points for the Suns by halftime, but got little
help. Chambers missed 9 of 12 field-goal attempts and Hornacek took only
4 shots.
	Phoenix started hot, making 7 of its first 10 shots to take a 17-9
lead. But Portland went on a 16-1 burst, holding the Suns without a
field goal for a 4:22 stretch. Porter had 8 points, including a pair of
3-pointers, in the run that made it 25-18.
	Phoenix, trailing 31-24 after one period, received two steals and a
layup from Johnson to slip to within 33-31. But the Suns went cold
again, managing just one basket in a five-minute span, and the Blazers
capitalized for a 46-37 lead midway through the quarter.

    The Blazers got what they needed, an awakened Drexler.  Hornacek
    cannot guard him, especially if Clyde can hit from outside.  Tommy
    Clang had another clutch performance 6-21 from the field, but I'm
    sure he's happy, he got his 20+ points - (Dominique West is another
    name for Tommy Clang).
    
    Did the Suns shoot their load vs. the Lakers?  Did they figure that
    by beating the Lakers, the rest of the teams would grovel in their
    path??  Tune in nexted game for the answers!  Can the Blazers win
    on the road??
    
    
    JD

My favorite announcer is Hubie "I wanna be on Alien Nation" Brooks....

The man give such sterling insight into the game with his constant
babbling.  He also serves to shut up the other dude who's sitting there
suffering from a case of Rectal-Cranial-Insertion...

Gotta love these guys!

'Saw


PS I don't mind the woman who was the roving reporter.  At least her
   Titles are nicer than Hubie's.....

    re .480
    
    Mike, with all due respect, the Lakers were and are a championship
    caliber club who mangaged to not only peak too soon, but slump in
    the playoffs. both Portland and Phoneix are very good teams that
    are playing well, but neither team has yet to learn what it really
    takes to win on the road, esp. Portland.

    I hope the Suns don't get caught looking ahead like I am, but the Suns
    are going to need some of that magic they used to win Game 5 in Utah.
    This time it has to be the Portland version.
    
    Someone mentioned in Celtics' Notes that Phoenix must have something
    for the number 21.  They broke the Forum jinx on the 21st attempt. 
    They are currently 0-20 in Portland, with # 21 being game 7.
    
    Mike

RE: .484
        
    >Mike, with all due respect, the Lakers were and are a championship
    >caliber club who mangaged to not only peak too soon, but slump in
    >the playoffs.

Same thing us Bruins fans have been saying but no one listens!!!

:^)  :^)

Scott

    
    One thing I didn't understand is why didn't Portland post up Drexler on
    Hornacek all night until the Suns did something different? That is a
    monumental mismatch down low. I believe the game would have been a
    total blowout if Portland had done this. Drexler is a very good passer.
    If someone came over to help out Hornacek, that would leave his man
    wide open for the lay-up/jam or Drexler would lay it in.
    
                                                   HOOT
    

    HOOT,
    
    That's been one of the mysteries of this series.  Everytime Hornacek
    is on teh floor with Drexler, I'd call Drexler's number, clear out,
    and make Hornacek try to stop him.
    
    Everyone is still talking about Phoenix breaking the streak vs.
    the Blazers, and winning on the road, but I think Portland is due
    to stop their road woes....
    
    JD

    The roving reporter is Lesley Visser, formerly of the Boston Globe.
    She also happens to be married to Dick Stockton.  She was I believe
    the first woman to work for the Globe's sports department.
    
    Hubie Brown has coached for a couple of NBA teams.
    
    John

    	She used to be a good writer, she's a lousy "roving reporter".
    Did Visser go to Vasser?
    
    				/Don

    > She also happens to be married to Dick Stockton.
    
    Shoot the bitch!
    
    :-)
    
    H�wk

    
>    Everyone is still talking about Phoenix breaking the streak vs.
>    the Blazers, and winning on the road, but I think Portland is due
>    to stop their road woes....
>    
>    JD

Why do you think this JD? Portland has been soundly beat in all its away games.
Many of them by blowouts. Phoenix  has played portland close in all the
contests at Portland and beat LA in the forum twice. I don't see how you guys
can think that Portland will just snap out of its road woes. I look for the 
Suns to do it first if any team wins an away game.

Metz

    
    
    > She also happens to be married to Dick Stockton.

    God, I hope they don't have children.
    

    D�ckster, got a gun?  :-)

    
    I've got a serviceable gun, and a few weapons at home too.
    

>    The roving reporter is Lesley Visser, formerly of the Boston Globe.
>    She also happens to be married to Dick Stockton.  She was I believe
>    the first woman to work for the Globe's sports department.
    
    I knew there was something I didn't like about her!  She's truly
    annoying with her, "how you gonna stop Drexler coach?"  As ugly as
    Pencil Dick is, she had to have married him to get a "real" job!
    
    And that plaid top she had on last night, yeeech!  I wouldn't get
    caught dressed like that on my WORST day!
    
    Mike
    

    'Saw, hate to disappoint you, but Lesley Visser's titles are
    minimal at best.  Plus, she is the epitomy of a scuzzbag.
    
    Hope this helps.
    
    NAZZ

    But, Nazz, tell us what you really think of Leslie!
    
    H�wk

Jeeeeezzzz you guys.  I didn't say that I was hot for her.  Just
that her Titles were nicer than Hubies...  Hell, my Titles are nicer
than Hubies for that matter...

And I didn't know she's married to Stockton.  I rather marry one
of them Alien thingies that pops out of your stomach like a hagis
stuffed too full than marry Dick Stockton...  I mean, Dick Stockton
might as well be Jack Lord without hair for godsake...

That's a truly scary thought....


Boy, talke about yer slings and arrows.....(sniff)
Chainsaw

    .500 replies!

    the 1st reply over 500!!!

    the 502th reply to a note that belongs to a team that has never won 
    anything!
    
    
    REK
    
    Kinda like the red sox note...

�    the 502th reply to a note that belongs to a team that has never won 
�    anything!

   I know how to read 502th, but was wondering how to SAY it...

   	five hundred and tooth?
   	five hundred and toof?

   	Or... like... I mean... yaknow... ummm... WHAT?!?

   PERSPIRING SLIMES WANT TWO NO!
   Mike JN

Clearly, 502th is in error.

More properly, it would be 502nd...

Pronounced Five Hundred Second...

Ordinals Rule!

Chainsaw

    
    Re: .505
    
    A big HAHAHAHAHAH(tm) on the P-name, Steven.  Best one I've seen
    in a long time.
    
    

    Ha ha ha, nice pick-up there, Mike.
    
    I kinda thought it was five-hundred-and-seconth, whatever that is.
    
    Lee

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Suns don't plan on letting down faithful

	PHOENIX (UPI) -- The home fans have left the arena happy throughout
the Western Conference finals, and the Phoenix Suns are certain they
will do the same Thursday night -- no matter what Portland Coach Rick
Adelman says.
	The Trail Blazers lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 and stand on
the threshold of their first appearance in the NBA finals in 13 years.
	Even if Portland loses Game 6 Thurday night in Phoenix, the Trail
Blazers return to their home court for the seventh game. Portland is 9-0
at home in the playoffs this year.
	Portland has lost its last five road games by an average margin of
18.5 points. Adelman, though, is pushing his team to finish the series
in a hurry.
	``We want to finish it in Phoenix,'' he said. ``We will be very
focused. We don't plan to wait and come home. ... If we aren't going to
win, we would just leave our stars home (to rest).''
	As far as Phoenix Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons is concerned, the
Blazers might as well keep Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter and Jerome Kersey
in the Pacific Northwest.
	``I heard Rick say they'll finish it here,'' Fitzsimmons said
Wednesday before practice. ``That'll be a first. They didn't (win) in
San Antonio (in the semifinals), and they'll have a hard time doing it
here.'' 
	In fact, the Blazers have not won away from home since beating
Dallas in the first round. Should they need seven games to beat Phoenix,
they would become the first team to reach the NBA championship series
without winning on the road in the previous two rounds.
	Instead of looking ahead to Game 6, the Suns spent much of
Wednesday thinking about what went wrong Tuesday night in Portland when
they lost 120-114.
	The play that really haunted them came with 6:09 left and Phoenix
leading 106-101. Drexler sank a 3-point basket, and the Suns' Mark West
was called for a foul underneath. Kevin Duckworth made the free throw,
completing an unusual four-point play that turned the game around.
	``Whatever they've needed, they've always got,'' Fitzsimmons said.
``If it's a three-point shot, they made it. If it's a four-point play,
they managed to get it.
	``That is frustrating. But once we get a stop on defense we'll win
in Portland or anywhere else.''
	On offense, the Suns are concerned about Eddie Johnson, usually one
of the game's best sixth men. He's averaging only 10.4 points on 38.8
percent shooting after scoring at a 17.8 clip while hitting 41.3 percent
of his shots during the regular season.
	Although the Suns have lost their three games in Portland by a
total of just nine points, they did beat the Blazers by 34 and 12 points
last weekend. Phoenix is counting on another victory Thursday night,
followed by a renewed effort in Game 7.
	``It takes more to be a champion,'' Suns guard Kevin Johnson said.
``We have been giving what we thought was 100 percent, but I guess it
hasn't been. We need more.''

    The media has made this 0-20 (21?) streak Phoenix has in Portland real
    amusing.  They never bother to mention that there isn't a single player
    on the team that has been with the Suns before '87.  The last win in
    Portland was in '84.  In that game, Larry Nance and Walter Davis led
    the Suns to a series clinching victory in the 5th game of the opening
    round (5 game series).  For this team, the streak is more like 0-10
    (only half as bad ;-)).
    
    While the media is at it, let's hear the last time a Portland team won
    a road game beyond the opening round of the playoffs.  Probably have to
    go back to 1977 for that one!
    
    Mike

re: -1

>    The media has made this 0-20 (21?) streak Phoenix has in Portland real
>    amusing.  They never bother to mention that there isn't a single player
>    on the team that has been with the Suns before '87.  The last win in
>    Portland was in '84.  In that game, Larry Nance and Walter Davis led
>    the Suns to a series clinching victory in the 5th game of the opening
>    round (5 game series).  For this team, the streak is more like 0-10
>    (only half as bad ;-)).
    
myths are true for those who believe them...hopefully, the suns ain't buying
this one.

jim

    Last night was disappointing, but the Suns will be back.  I had a sick
    feeling when KJ went down.  KJ is to Phoenix, as Magic is to LA, as Bird
    is to Boston, and it showed.

    Give the Blazers credit though, they played great defense in this
    series (in the 4 games they won).  I think the Suns lack of last minute
    execution is because of the Blazer D.  Buck Williams did a great job on
    Chambers!  The Blazers probably have the best starting 5 in the league. 
    They're all great athletes, especially in the open floor, and are great
    rebounders (#1 in the league).  They have the physical makeup and style
    of play to be successful in the playoffs.  The Suns don't.  
    
    The Suns seemed content to play the way they did in the regular season. 
    Everyone knows that playoff ball is different, and the refs let them
    play more.  The Suns don't have the bangers yet to do that.  Portland
    does.
    
    Phoenix has a real young team, and the core (outside of Rambis) has
    only been together 2 years.  They've made it to the Final 4 both of
    those years.  They'll be back for sure!  The Suns already improved over
    last season, especially with their D.   It was a fun season!
    
    Portland will get some much deserved rest now.  I hope they do it for 
    Buck and Clyde.  GO BLAZERS!
    
    ABTP,
    Mike

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Trail Blazers 112, Suns 109

	PHOENIX (UPI) -- The Portland Trail Blazers crashed through their
playoff roadblock Thursday night, with a trip to the NBA Finals waiting
on the other side.
	Jerome Kersey's blocked shot and go-ahead layup with 23.2 seconds
left pushed the Trail Blazers to a 112-109 victory over the Phoenix
Suns, giving them a berth in the league championship series for the
first time in 13 years.
	Portland took advantage of a hamstring injury to Phoenix guard
Kevin Johnson to capture the best-of-seven Western Conference finals 4
games to 2.
	The Trail Blazers will face Detroit or Chicago in the NBA Finals
beginning Tuesday night, and will hold the home-court advantage should
the Bulls advance.
	Portland had lost its previous five road playoff games by an
average of 18.8 points, and had dropped Games 3 and 4 in Phoenix by
margins of 34 and 12 points. Yet the Trail Blazers became the first road
team in the series to win.
	``We wanted to win a road game so we would enter the finals with an
emotional lift,'' Portland's Buck Williams said.
	Johnson, the Suns' sensational point guard, had 16 points before
leaving with 2:54 left in the second quarter with a strained left
hamstring. He did not return.
	``We kept expecting him to come back,'' Portland's Clyde Drexler
said. ``(Jeff) Hornacek did a great job as his replacement, but he's no
K.J. It was a golden opportunity and we took it.''
	The Suns, seeking their first berth in the championship series
since 1976, fell in the conference finals for the second straight year.
Their losses to Portland came by margins of 1, 2, 6 and 3 points.
	``The name of the game in this series was when Portland needed a
steal, they got a steal. When they needed a blocked shot, they got a
blocked shot,'' Phoenix Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons said. ``Whatever they
needed, they got.''
	Portland trailed 109-108 when Kersey blocked a shot by a driving
Hornacek and raced downcourt to take Drexler's pass and complete a
fast-break layup for a 110-109 edge.
	``It was just a defensive weak-side rotation,'' said Kersey, who
finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. ``I just got a hand on the
ball. I was just doing my job.''
	After two Phoenix timeouts, Tom Chambers looked to drive, but
Williams stole the ball off the dribble. He shoveled it to Drexler, who
was fouled by Chambers with 6.8 seconds to go. Drexler then sank two
free throws.
	Hornacek, who had a career-high 36 points, then missed an
off-balance three-pointer with 3.5 seconds left, Williams got the
rebound and Portland began to celebrate.
	``This is the year of the Trail Blazer,'' Williams shouted in the
locker room.
	Terry Porter and Drexler scored 23 points apiece for Portland. Dan
Majerle collected 22 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for the Suns
and Chambers had 17 points, though he made only 5 of 16 shots.
	Phoenix led 105-99 with four minutes to play, but the Trail Blazers
battled back.
	With Johnson out, Hornacek shifted from shooting guard to the point
and delivered, making 11 of 22 shots from the floor and all 14 from the
free-throw line.
	``When we first came in the locker room, it was kind of a sick
feeling knowing it was over for us,'' Hornacek said. ``We'd have liked
to have continued on.''
	Said Johnson: ``Everyone tried to do what it took. Jeff and Dan had
excellent ballgames. I just had to resign myself to a different role (as
cheerleader).''
	Phoenix made only five field goals in the third quarter, but
actually built on its halftime lead by making 16 of 18 free throws.
	Hornacek was 8-for-8 from the line for 10 points in the period,
hitting two free throws with 7.8 seconds left to give Phoenix an 89-84
lead entering the final quarter.
	Majerle canned 6 of 8 shots in the second quarter and scored 16
points as the Suns, who led by as many as 12 points in the period,
settled for a 63-59 halftime lead. Porter had 18 points on 7 of 8
shooting for Portland.
	Tim Perry's double-pump layup off Hornacek's fast-break feed had
given Phoenix a 47-35 lead, but the Trail Blazers retaliated, moving
within 53-50 on Kevin Duckworth's jumper.
	Johnson, resting since the end of the first quarter, then returned
to the lineup at the 4:27 mark. But as he soared to the basket on a
drive, he slid off Duckworth and landed awkwardly on his left leg. He
made the basket and free throw, but left limping to the locker room with
2:54 to play in the half.
	Johnson went wild in the first quarter, collecting 13 points and 6
assists as the Suns took a 34-31 lead. Phoenix hit 12 of 18 shots and
got 9 points from Hornacek, but made seven turnovers.

From: [email protected] (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Suns' chances hamstrung without KJ

	PHOENIX (UPI) -- Once Kevin Johnson broke down Thursday night, it
was only a matter of time before the Phoenix Suns did the same.
	The Suns' extraordinary playmaker suffered a strained left
hamstring on a drive to the basket with 3:53 left in the second quarter.
He limped to the locker room a minute later, then watched as his team
suffered a 112-109 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
	The defeat eliminated the Suns from the Western Conference finals,
four games to two.
	``I had to go out,'' said Johnson, who had 16 points and 6 assists
in only 14 minutes. ``I ran the court and it hurt worse.''
	Johnson was injured when he soared to the basket on a drive, slid
off Portland center Kevin Duckworth and landed awkwardly on his left
leg. Johnson made the basket and free throw, but soon departed for good.
	``There was no way he could have played,'' Phoenix team physician
Dr. Paul Steingard said. ``He couldn't bend and tie his shoes. There was
no point.''
	Suns Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons said Johnson ``warmed up and wanted
to play, but he just couldn't. We made the decision together.''
	The Suns, though, battled without their superstar. Jeff Hornacek
scored a career-high 36 points, and Dan Majerle added 22 off the bench.
But when Phoenix couldn't draw a foul and get to the free-throw line, it
had trouble scoring.
	``We run a motion offense, and it's a little more difficult
(without Johnson),'' Hornacek said.
	The Suns could have used some help from Tom Chambers, but he made
only 5 of 16 shots and finished with 17 points. Majerle had 16 points in
the second quarter, but seemed to tire as the game went along.
	The Suns, like they did in all their losses in the series, broke
down at the end. In the others, they had Johnson. This time they didn't,
but the result was the same.
	Trailing 110-109 with less than 30 seconds left, Phoenix got the
ball to Chambers on the left flank. But when he tried to dribble past
Buck Williams, the Portland forward swiped the ball away and shoveled it
to Clyde Drexler.
	Drexler was fouled by Chambers and made two free throws with 6.8
seconds left for a 112-109 lead. The game was over when Hornacek missed
a running three-pointer with 3.5 seconds remaining.
	Williams said that with Johnson sidelined, defending the Suns on
their final play was easier.
	``I just felt (Chambers) would come at me,'' he said. ``He's their
primary go-to guy, especially without KJ. When he put the ball down, I
was able to get a hand on it.''
	Portland acquired Williams from New Jersey in the off-season to do
the ``dirty work,'' and he did that Thursday night. The forward, who
made just 70.6 percent of his free throws during the regular season, was
8 of 8 from the line.
	He also had a team-high 11 rebounds, the last coming on Hornacek's
miss as time was about the expire.

From: [email protected] (HARRIETT HINDMAN)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Trail Blazers answer call

	PHOENIX (UPI) -- As they had done throughout the entire series, the
Portland Trail Blazers turned more fourth-quarter heroics Thursday night
in gaining the NBA Finals.
	``We thought if we stayed close, we'd have a chance to win in the
fourth period,'' Portland guard Clyde Drexler said after Portland
eliminated the Suns 112-109. ``We managed to contain their spurts, we
got our opportunities and we capitalized on them.''
	Portland took the series, four games to two, and moved into the NBA
Finals against the winner of the Detroit-Chicago series.
	``The name of this series was that when Portland needed a steal,
they got a steal. When they needed a blocked shot, they got a blocked
shot,'' Phoenix Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons said. ``Whatever they needed,
they got.''
	The Trail Blazers got a blocked shot by Jerome Kersey and a steal
by Buck Williams in the final 30 seconds as they rallied from a 109-106
deficit.
	``Buck did a great job,'' said Porter, who along with Drexler
scored 23 points to lead Portland. ``But we've been doing that
throughout the whole series. When we needed to down the stretch, we had
guys come up and make the stops, hit the big shots and get the big
rebounds.''
	Portland coach Rick Adelman said: ``Everybody stepped in and
stepped their game up when we needed it. We just kept it going and
stayed focused.''
	Both Drexler and Adelman said the Trail Blazers were looking
forward to five days of rest while waiting for the Eastern Conference
champion to be decided. Adelman has long complained about the scheduling
-- Portland has played about every other night since beginning its
seven-game semifinal series against San Antonio.
	``Our legs feel like spaghetti and we've been playing on emotion
and intensity,'' Drexler said. ``It's a credit to everyone on the team
and the coaching staff for continuing to raise the level of play and
play strong basketball.''
	Trailing 110-109, Phoenix had the ball with 23 seconds left in the
game, but failed to get off a shot as Chambers fell and Williams stole
the ball.
	``We wanted to put the ball in Tom's hands or in Hornacek's
hands,'' Fitzsimmons said. ``We had it in both, but we couldn't make the
play. Portland made a nice defensive play.''
	Williams said the two teams had been in enough close games that he
expected the Suns to go to Chambers.
	``This is the second or third time they've gone to Tom Chambers in
the clutch,'' Williams said. ``It sort of prepared me. I knew they were
going to go to Chambers and I knew I had to play well defensively. I got
a hand on the ball and knocked it loose.''
	The Suns played the second half without point guard Kevin Johnson,
who suffered a strained left hamstring in the closing minutes of the
second quarter.
	``Kevin warmed up and he wanted to play, but he just couldn't,''
Fitzsimmons said. ``We made that decision together.''
	Drexler said: ``You hate to see a guy get hurt, especially a guy of
KJ's caliber. ``It really takes a lot from the game. But I think the
guys that played in his absence did a super job.''
	Dan Majerle, who saw increased playing time when Hornacek stepped
in for Johnson at the point, said the Suns ``never can overcome KJ's
loss, but Hornacek really played a great game. He scored a lot of
points, ran the team and handled things well. They just kept coming at
us and they weathered the storm.''

    Re: KJ not making a difference
    
    Only the blind could say that Portland would still have won with KJ in
    there.  The Suns were a convincing 3-10 this year without KJ, beating 3
    expansion teams.  
    
    Game 6 was a carbon copy of game 4 until KJ injured himself.  There is
    no doubt that Phoenix would've gone on a KJ directed run in the second
    half, just like game 4.  To say otherwise is amusing.
    
    Point is moot now though, we'll never know.  I think Portland would've
    won game 7 anyway.  
    
    Hopefully the Suns learned something from this playoff season, like
    they did in last year's playoffs:
    
    1.  Develop the killer instinct!  Killer instinct is not letting up in
        Game 2 against LA and be content with the split.
    2.  Along with killer instinct, pound the ball inside, crash the
        boards, and drive to the hoop!  You don't protect a 22 point lead
        on the road by shooting 18ft to 25ft away.  You drive agressively to
        the hoop!
    3.  Don't approach the playoffs like you did the regular season.  Sure
        you have to dance with what brought you, but the refs hide the whistles
        more often.  Be agressive, as in playground ball, where you play as
        if the refs aren't there!
    
    I've said all along that Phoenix is still 1 player away.  They might be
    2 away now.  I've always said they need a Barkley clone (i.e., a banger
    with an offensive game), they also need a backup to KJ.  That was
    obvious last night.
    
    If Hot Rod Williams becomes an unrestricted free agent, I hope they go
    after him.  They also have trade bait on the bench.  I have no idea
    what happened to EJ, but if he wants to be like that, let him do it
    elsewhere.  I used to think that Tim Perry was bait, but I think his
    stock went up in the playoffs.  He should probably get more time.  It
    is sort of frustrating to remember that he was the 9th pick in the same
    draft (same year) where Majerle was the 14th pick.
    
    Mike

too bad for the suns. Looks like Portland has an asterisk next to their names
for this series (just kidding). It just proves that Phoenix is a good team not
a great team yet. 

I was wondering what happened to EJ? I don't think I heard his name called all
series until he inbounded the pass in the last minute of thursday nights game.
Did he do domething wrong and be benched? What happened to him?


Metz

    Small nit:  Perry was 7th in the draft the year Majerle was 14th.
    Perry was chosen just ahead of Rex Chapman, Rony Siekaly, and Willie
    Anderson, who were picked 8-10.
    
    BTW, nice series Tom Chambers.  I think the Suns will always have
    trouble winning the big ones as long as he's in the line-up.  The
    man is a loser.
    
    NAZZ

    When Hot Rod Williams joins the team, Chambers can concentrate on the
    perimeter where he's more comfortable.
    
    The Suns are a very young team.  There isn't any reason why they can't
    win a ring within the next 2-3 years.  We'll see how they improve
    themselves this summer.
    
    The players came out to greet the fans after Thursday's loss.  Cotton
    announced over the PA that "we're going into camp and dedicating
    ourselves to making it to the NBA finals!"
    
    I still can't believe this team has only been together 2 years!
    
    Mike

    
    re: KJ going down
    
    Mike, I hope you understand how the Laker fans felt in the last year finals
    without Magic and Scott. BTW aren't one of those who made fun of Lakers
    loosing in four straight lasy year ?
    
    -- Ram Nori
    

    Ram, yup I was one of them, and proud of it.
    
    You didn't see me in here whining about KJ!  Breaks of the game dude!
    
    Mike

    Mike, I do not recall you making fun of the Lakers' injuries last year.
    But now that you admitted it, nexted time I see ya, I'm gonna throw a
    Laimbeer on ya.....  :-)
    
    Big difference between Magic and KJ getting pulling hamstring muscles. 
    Magic does an injury dance to make sure that everyone knows he's really
    hurt and in pain so he can get all the sympathy from Dick Stockton that
    he can get.  KJ calls a T.O. BABY! and gets the hell off the court in a
    matter of seconds.  Oh, and Magic still only got a 3.5 from the Laker
    judge.  Not impressive at all!  :-)
    
    HTH.
    
    H�wk

    I didn't really make fun of LA's injuries, but I don't believe it
    would've changed the outcome of the series.  Same for Phoenix.  With KJ
    healthy, the Suns might have won game 6, but I expected Portland to win
    game 7.  From what the local media is saying, KJ couldn't have played
    in game 7 either, if Phoenix won game 6.
    
    Locals threw a party for the Suns on Monday in Patriots Park.  3,000
    showed up for the rally, as well as the whole Suns team.  This was
    topped only by the 10,000 at the airport at 1:00 in the morning after
    they eliminated LA.
    
    Re: Suns lack of execution
    
    Turns out that the Suns' motion offense is 95% improvisation.  This
    explains their failures during crunch time.  Cotton has already said
    some plays will be put down on paper for next year to handle this. 
    They had great success during the season by allowing KJ to improvise,
    but the playoffs are a different story.
    
    Mike
    
    
    
    

    Cotton revealed last night that Phoenix could've had Buck Williams
    lasted year, but the Nets were asking too much.  They wanted Hornacek,
    Majerle, Perry, and Lang.
    
    Mike

re: Heiser

>    Cotton revealed last night that Phoenix could've had Buck Williams
>    lasted year, but the Nets were asking too much.  They wanted Hornacek,
>    Majerle, Perry, and Lang.
    
	Buck is good but he isn't worth Hornacek straight up.  Or Majerle.
	Maybe Perry, Lang & a 2nd.  This is why the Nets are perennial 
	losers...they spend half their time dreaming.

	Jim

    Jim,
    
    You've gotta be sh**ing me.  Buck Williams is worth *MUCH* more
    than Hornacek or Marjele.  The Suns would win the Champeenship if
    Buck was their starting power forward.  Be real.
    
    
    JD

    JD, the deal was Buck for ALL 4 players.  The absence of Hornacek &
    Majerle would've opened another hole despite Buck's presence.  They
    could've lived without Lang & Perry, but not Hornacek & Majerle on top
    of that.
    
    Mike

    I know that Mike, but Jim said in his note "Buck is good, but he's
    not worht Hornacek Straight up, nor Marjele...." then says Lan,
    Perry and a draft pick maybe....
    
    Mike, do you think if Cotton had the chance to trade Hornacek straight
    up for Buck Williams that he's a done it?  I think he'd drive Hornacek
    to the airport and buy Buck's ticket out of his own pocket.
    
    JD
    
    I'll agree that all 4 would have been a lot to give up....leave
    3 open roster spots to fill.
    
    

>    Mike, do you think if Cotton had the chance to trade Hornacek straight
>    up for Buck Williams that he's a done it?  I think he'd drive Hornacek
>    to the airport and buy Buck's ticket out of his own pocket.
    
    I agree!  It would create a hole, but it would be a hole they could
    recover from.
    
    Mike

    >JD, the deal was Buck for ALL 4 players.  The absence of Hornacek &
    >Majerle would've opened another hole despite Buck's presence.  They
    >could've lived without Lang & Perry, but not Hornacek & Majerle on top
    >of that.
    
    Remember, both Hornacek and Majerle each just had their best season,
    and I'd say each performed above optomistic expectations.  A year ago,
    that trade doesn't appear one-sided.
    
    The Nets did okay with the Buck trade anyway.  They got Bowie who
    performed well for them at center, and Mookie, who I like alot at the
    point.
    
    One more thing, the Nets have a couple championships in their history. 
    That crack about dreaming and losing from a few notes ago might like
    some backdrop.
    
    Dan
       

    The Suns are mighty proud of the fact that they forced Riley into
    retirement!

Isn't Cotton going to retire?

TTom

    Now that he has a team that could win it all, he could stick around
    another year or 2.
    
    Mike

It looks like Paul Westphal is starting to feel like Jimmy Rodgers
did when K.C. was still kicking around as C's coach.  The front
office keeps telling him that the job is his as soon as Cotton 
leaves.  Problem is that Cotton was supposed to hang 'em up after
this season but because he didn't get to the finals he now wants
to hang around until he does.  It's not a good situation to promise
a job to another guy years in advance.  Could be problems in Phoenix
next year if Cotton doesn't get out and make way for Westphal.

Laker_Ken

    Westy's promotion was never scheduled for this year.  I don't know
    where you heard that!
    
    Mike

    Mikey, can you send me some of the halogens you is on.

>    Mikey, can you send me some of the halogens you is on.
    
    Sorry Jess, I'm not into headlights!  I'll take some titles and
    acquisitions though.
    
    Mike

JD,    


I ain't shushing you...I wouldn't trade Marjele for Buck or Hornacek for
Buck.  The Suns success is built around guys hitting the open shot that
KJ creates for them.  You don't find guys who can bury the shot EVERY time
like Hornacek.  You don't find 2nd year guys like Marjele that can defend
centers, guards and forwards.  No doubt Buck is one of the most solid
power forwards around but he is in the twilight of his career and it is
easier to get a rebounding forward than a great shooter or great defender.

Poll the G.M.'s around the league about Hornacek and Marjele.  I think you
find a hell of a lot more interest in them than Buck Williams.

Jim

    Suns have 4 of the first 50 picks.  They've been bringing in a lot of 
    prospects the last 2 weeks.
    
    Dave Jamerson of Ohio (6'5" guard) was in town yesterday.
    
    Jeff Hornacek and his wife had their second boy yesterday.  Tyler and
    parents are doing fine.
    
    Mike

    Can you college hoop fans fill me in on Jayson Williams of St. Johns?
    
    Mike

    Mike,
    
    Before getting hurt this  year, Williams was being touted as a
    potential lottery pick.  He can rebound, block shots, run the court,
    and provide offense.  He's a *great* pickup for the Suns, providing
    he doesn't have any recurring problems with his ankle.   HE could
    be a Kurt Rambis that is an offensive threat....
    
    JD

    BTW, Arizona people, how about this Jud guy the Nets picked up in the
    second round?
    
    Dan

Dan, he's got size 6'5" decent range cand handle the ball and is a heady
player who gets by being fundamentally solid and using his noggin more
than athletic ability....

mike

    Clampett... but isn't that Jed?
    You mean Nelson or Hirsch?

Dan forget what I said i was thinking of Matt Mulebacher (sp?) the guard...

;^)

mike

    Phoenix made out like bandits in the draft, with two very good
    forwards in WIlliams and Cedric Ceballos and an excellent point
    guard who can spell KJ in Negele Knight.
    
    NAZZ

    Glad to hear the Suns filled their needs, as long as these guys stay
    healthy.  Williams sounds like the scoring banger that I always said
    they needed.
    
    Jud Bucheler(sp?) can't be all bad since he's from UA (Lute's boys).
    Besides, wait 'til JD sees his lats.
    
    Mike

    Da SunStrokes will still sip thru a straw and SLOF (tm to whoever) thru
    the playoffs again. Face it Mikey, it ain't in da cards.

    A local station interviewed Jayson Williams last night.  He said he's
    excited about coming to a WINNING program and also mentioned how much
    he, "loved watching the Suns hand the Fakers a WHOOPIN' on national TV."
    He says he, "wants to be there when they do it again this season!"
    
    Mike

Come on, Mike. I know y'all been baking in the Big Heat, but are you sure
Jayson called them "Fakers"?

TTom

    Suns opened up Rookie Camp with double-sessions yesterday.  Jayson
    Williams is still nursing his foot and is unsigned, but did show up to
    watch and sign autographs.
    
    So far everyone is buzzing about the play of Negele Knight of Dayton
    (KJ's projected backup).  I hear he's putting on a show.  "Go Go" Greg
    Grant better watch out!
    
    Mike

Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: NBA to open season in Japan

	NEW YORK (UPI) -- The NBA will launch its 45th season the weekend of
Nov. 2-4, with an opening slate of 25 games -- including two games
between the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz in Tokyo.
	The first of the ``Japan Games'' will be televised live from Tokyo
Metropolitan Gymnasium Nov. 2. The NBA is the first major American
professional sports league to play regular-season games outside North
America.
	In another opening-night highlight, the two-time defending champion
Detroit Pistons will receive their championship rings at the Palace of
Auburn Hills in ceremonies prior to their game against the Milwaukee
Bucks.
	The NBA will make its debut on NBC Nov. 3. The network has been
awarded a four-year contract. Pat Riley, former coach of the Los Angeles
Lakers, will make his inaugural appearance as NBC's studio host in a
pre-game show before the Lakers, with new coach Mike Dunleavy, take on
the San Antonio Spurs.
	The season once again will consist of 1,107 games and run 171 days,
concluding April 21, 1991. The 41st annual NBA All-Star Game will be
played Feb. 10 at the Charlotte Coliseum.

Mike,

Negele doesn't have to worry about Greg Grant, or Mike McGee for that matter,
as the Suns released both of them.  I caught the Saturday evening session and
Negele put on a clinic.  Seriously, no point guard in the league could have
ran the show any better.  BUT, and we're talking about a big but here (no pun 
or bun intended), rookie camp is a long, long way from the NBA.  We'll see.

Other notables at the camp:

	Ian Lockhart  /  6'8" 250 lbs  /  Rookie  /  Tennessee
	Cedric Ceballos  /  6'7" 200 lbs  /  Rookie  /  Cal State-Fullerton
	? Brown	 /  5'10" 190 lbs  /  Rookie  /  Arkansas-Little Rock

Since the Suns signed Ed Nealy (huge mistake!) to a guaranteed contract, and 
you would expect the Suns to keep Jayson Williams since they drafted him #1,
Negele is the only one with a chance to make the roster.  I have the roster 
looking like this:

	C - West
	F - Chambers, Rambis
	G - Johnson, Hornacek

	Reserves: Eddie Johnson, Marjele, Lang, Perry, Nealy
	Rookies: Knight, Williams

Personally, I'd trade Perry (a bust) for a couple of 2nds, I'd trade Kenny
Battle (good solid player but playing behind Marjele) for a 2nd, and I'd
keep Lockhart and Ceballos.  Maybe hold onto Battle but definitely get rid of
Perry.  Of course, if we hadn't signed Nealy...

Jim

Thanks for the update Jim!  When does camp end anyway?

What about Ricky Blanton?  He's healthy now isn't he?  He should be there in
camp!

I didn't hear about Nealy.  What a mistake!

Mike

> Thanks for the update Jim!  When does camp end anyway?

	camp ended saturday night.  the suns are taking 11 players up to 
	salt lake city for a mini-tournament/camp against some other nba
	teams.  the roster included the rookies i mentioned and the vets
	(battle, morrison, blanton, lang).

> What about Ricky Blanton?  He's healthy now isn't he?  He should be there in
> camp!

	i guess folks were impressed with his work ethic.  the game i saw
	he didn't look too great but he hustled.  apparently, his knee
	is 95+% healthy and he claims no ill affect.  the problem i see
	with him is that they're trying to have him make the team at
	shooting guard.  who knows.  the suns got nealy so anything is 
	possible.

> I didn't hear about Nealy.  What a mistake!

	yuk!

Mike

Mike,

I heard from a friend who talked to guy who runs a b-ball camp for kids.
They had Hornacek up there for a day doing drills for the kids and putting 
on a shooting exhibition (9 of 10 from 3 pt. range).  At any rate, Hornacek 
and this guy were talking after the camp and he asked Hornacek how his new 
contract was looking.  According to Hornacek, Colangelo has decided to not 
renegotiate his contract at this time.  Seems Jerry has thought about it
and has decided to hold off (I don't know what that means but time will tell).
Apparently, Hornacek is not to thrilled.  Can you imagine Hornacek's reaction
when the Suns decided to pay Nealy $650k/yr for 3 years and he's making
$400k for being the best shooting guard in the league.  Attaboy Jerry.  Screw
up the chemistry.  Colangelo would screw up a wet dream!

Jim

From: [email protected]
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Suns sign Ed Nealy

	PHOENIX (UPI) -- The Phoenix Suns signed 6-foot-7 power forward Ed
Nealy to a multiple-year contract Friday, just nine months after they
had traded him to the Chicago Bulls.
	Nealy was signed as an unrestricted free agent. The Suns did not
disclose terms of the contract. The Phoenix Gazette reported it was
worth about $650,000 a year for three years, with an option for a fourth
year.
	``We are extremely pleased to sign Ed Nealy and bring him back to
Phoenix,'' said Cotton Fitzsimmons, head coach and director of player
personnel. ``We needed to add some insurance at the power forward
position and Ed will help us in that area.''
	Suns President Jerry Colangelo said, ``No one has worked harder
than Ed Nealy to earn his place in this league. This new contract with
the Suns is his reward for that hard work.''
	Nealy, 30, was an eighth-round draft choice of the Kansas City
Kings in the 1982 college draft. He was the 166th pick overall.
	He spent three seasons with the Kings, then signed with the San
Antonio Spurs in July 1986. He played two seasons with the Spurs and
signed with the Bulls as a free agent in September 1988.
	The Bulls traded Nealy, along with a 1989 second-round draft pick,
to the Suns for Craig Hodges on Dec. 14, 1988. Nealy spent the remainder
of the 1988-89 season with the Suns before he was traded back to Chicago
on Oct. 5, 1989, for future considerations.

    The Suns will give money to anyone, eh Mikey ?
    
    /Don ought to be worth $5,000,000 !!!! :-)

    > /Don ought to be worth $5,000,000 !!!! :-)
    
    Oh.. I've had better offers than that though!!
    
    Don
    *8-)
    
    
    Sorry ..I couldn't resist the temptation!
    
    ..another reason why I've een offered more than $5,000,000 !!!!
    hahaha!!

From: [email protected]
Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball
Subject: Blazers lose game, Bryant with knee injury

	SALT LAKE CITY (UPI) -- The Phoenix Suns used 26 points from Kenny
Battle and 25 from rookie Cedric Ceballos to defeat the Portland Trail
Blazers 113-96 Tuesday night at the Rocky Mountain Review summer
basketball tournament.
	The Blazers lost a key player as well as the contest. Veteran
forward Mark Bryant suffered a sprained knee ligament in the third
quarter and was to return to Portland Wednesday for an examination by
team doctor Bob Cook.
	Cliff Robinson hit 12 of 16 shots from the field and scored 31
points for the Blazers, who fell to 1-1 in the tournament. The Suns,
2-0, led 64-46 at the half, and the Blazers never got closer than 14
points the rest of the way.

    Big day for the Suns yesterday.  They held the ground breaking
    ceremonies downtown at the new arena site.  The new America West Arena
    will be finished in September of '92, just in time for the '92-'93
    season.  The arena will hold 20,000 for Suns' games.  
    
    The artist's rendition drawings look like this place will rival the
    Palace.  Colangelo said he had some of the finest in this field come to
    Phoenix to do the design, including some of the architects of the
    Palace.
    
    The "Madhouse on McDowell" will now become the "Madhouse on Madison".
    Construction starts in 3 weeks, financing has already been secured.
    
    Mike

    re -.1
    
    Hey Mike, are they finally goona wax the floor in the new arena ?

>    Hey Mike, are they finally goona wax the floor in the new arena ?
    
    Yeah just like they did in the old arena: using the Lakers as a mop!
    ;-)
    
    Mike

>    Hey Mike, are they finally goona wax the floor in the new arena ?
    
>    Yeah just like they did in the old arena: using the Lakers as a mop!
    ;-)


 excellent reply... hahahaaa

According to a couple basketball columns I've seen recently, the Suns
might not have any room on their team for draft pick Cedric Ceballos
who apparently has done quite well in Summer League games.

Looks like their roster is as follows:

K.J.       N. Knight     K. Battle
Hornacek   Majerle       T. Perry 
West       Lang 
Chambers   E. Johnson
Rambis     Nealy

Ceballos would be a good pickup by another team that has an opening
at the forward spot.  Apparently the kid can really rebound in addition
to being a good shooter.

Laker_Ken 

I forgot the Suns' first round pick Jason Williams.  He will
surely be among the opening day 12.  Looks like the Suns are going
to have some tough decisions to make.

    Well you've probably heard by now that "Horny" has now become "Horn of
    Plenty".  The word here is that he'll get $1.5M for the next 7 years.
    I'm glad to see it because Jeff deserved it!  Suns now have 3 guys
    making over $1M: Chambers, KJ, and Horny.
    
    Interesting comment from Jerry Colangelo during the press conference. 
    Bob Woolf is Horny's agent, as well as Jayson Williams'.  We all know
    about the problems with Williams.  A reporter asked Jerry if Hornacek's
    signing had anything to do with Williams and Colangelo replied, "I have
    too much respect for Jeff to do that to him!"
    
    Rumor has it that Williams hopped a plane last night to the valley and 
    should sign a deal today.
    
    Mike

    Street & Smiths basketball preview issue is out.  Here is their
    predicted finish of the Pacific:
    
    1.  PHOENIX SUNS
    2.  Portland TrailBlazers
    3.  la lakers

    As last year showed, it matters little who finishes first in the
    Division, but who wins the big prize, eh Mike?
    
    Bret

    Re: -1
    
    Only if your first 2 initials are L and A.