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Show C12 The Salt Lake Tribune NBA Sunday, May7, 2000 ({ NBAPlayoffs Series Matchups UTAH Miller, RoseGive76ers. A Double Doseof 40s ‘THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Pacers 108, 76ers $1 Rose, along with Allen Iverson's ejec- mm 0Oma a wets tion and bumping of referee, gave the Iverson 00 78 03 2228 on Mee Geiger fees ones, ‘76ers 108-91 Saturday to open their Eastern Conference semifinal series. ‘Rebounds: 12. Blocked Shots: § (Rai 4, Kukac) Iverson picked up two technicals ‘Tumovers: 13 (iverson 4, Hil 4, Kuhoc 2, McKie, with 2:53 left and appeared to bump & (ge! Defense: None SMALL FORWARD Scottie Pippen (6-8, 228) phia’s comeback bid minutesearlier as B08 three-pointers. Philadelphia, which trailed by as fe Jackson Croshere 7 4020 S413 22 311 5 0 tt manyas 19 in the second quarter, had Perkins To ent ofthe game,tyingthefranchise playoff record he already shared with Chuck first round against Seattle,but in Games 4 and 5 hetotaled 42 Person. Iverson got into Mauer’s face after teammate Aaron McKie was called for a foul. Iverson, who kept protesting points and 14 rebounds.In the first three games, Russell scored 37 points on 14-for-33 shooting. Unfor- tunately for the Jazz, Russell shot 2150 8 13 00 012 S00 20 SRO 18 oanGe ko eae FG 404, FT $05. 3Point Goals: 5222-1 rare ati (stole A= a5 (1820. 225: Oleh: reson, Tey Durham, Ken1Mauer. and was hit with two technical fouls, finished with 28 points on 10-of-20 shooting. 34.5 percent against the Trail Blazers this season, including 1-for-16 during an85-75loss in the Rose Garden on Jan. 27. Pippen was a non-factor against the Jazz this season. He averaged only 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds. He took a grandtotal of 31 shots in 126 min- Batea hf Ieyhiacae neces aves cut the deficit to 88-80 when Miller foundthe range.Indianaled 97-80 after Miller madehis seventh three-pointer Russell started slowly in the in oe fee “eas ss 02 3 00 by making three" omeemitive Bryon Russell (6-7, 225) saneve 1342 18 16 ot LavalgeperytcineMysthayaan threepoint shots, dashed Philadel- Edge: Jazz Sern ee 7 4 22 00 2210 1 25 22 190 1 6 nt cote cee eie 3.00 00 00 000 Totals referee Ken Mauer, whichcouldlead to points. - Indiana Pacers Game 1 —and maybe a big edge in Game2. Miller and Rose becamethe first teammates in five years to score 40 points apiece in an NBA playoff game a suspension for Monday's Game2. Miller, the NBA’s career leader in four games, he averaged 11.5 mie ma or coe 5' the Blazers in scoring (16.4), blocked shots (1.32) and minutes (35.1), though he didn't make that much impact against the Jazz. In OFT Feb = as Indiana routed’ the Philadelphia mostversatile big men. Wallace led FG INDIANAPOLIS — A double dose of 40s from Reggie Miller and Jalen i Series against Portland. He averaged 22 points on 47.5-percent shooting. The No. 4 pick in the 1995 draft, Wallace has established himself as one of the NBA's Philadelphia Coach Larry Brown also received technical. “They don't talk to you like grown Asked to describe the bumping, watching the tape could see that it wasn’t intentional.” Rose, who spenta frustrating season playing under Brown in his final season with the Pacers, was 16-for-23 from Iverson said: “He was walking away andhe stopped. I didn’t expect him to attempts, including 7-of-10 from three- men. When youtalk to them,they hit you with a ‘T’,” Iverson said of the officials. utes. The good news for Portland? Pippenkicked his game into high gearin the Blazers’first-round seies against Minnesota. stop. Anybody in his right mind, Edge:Blazers the field. Miller connected on 11-of-18 point range. Michael Conroy/The Associated Press Indiana Pacers’ Jalen Rose, center, makes a reverse layup between Philadelphia 76ers’ Theo Ratiiff, left, and TyroneHill. They are the fourth pair of teammates to eachhit40 in a playoff game, thefirst since Houston's Clyde Drexler (42) and Hakeem Olajuwon (40) did it against Utah on May5,1995. ‘The Pacers shot 67 percent in the first quarter an’ their defense suffocated Philadelphia, consistently foreing off-balance and hurried shots. Philadelphiatrailed 34-15 after one pe- riod, connecting on only 24 percentof its shots (5-of-21). Blazers’ Familiar Faces, New Names CENTER Arvydas Sabonis (7-3, 292) Olden Polynice (7-0, 250): vs. BY HANK LOWENKRON 5 Malone is coming off one of the best playoff series in his 15-year Malone, scored i Rasheed Wallace (6-11, 230) vs. i Karl Malone (6-9, 256) Without Polynice’s 13-point, “Go and play the games and,ifyou’re not good enough, go home. “ Will Put Jazz to the Test in Round 2 Jerry Sloan six-rebound performance in Game 5, the Jazz mightnot have out- Jazz Coach a BY DICK ROSETTA lasted Seattle in thefirst round. The Jazz need more ofthe same from THESALT LAKE TRIBUNE Polynice,whoplayed decently againstPortland this season, when LEat ‘TheTrail Blazers’ names are the same as in 1999. he averaged four points andfive re- Jazz Relish Another Chance at Blazers rt of. The con mention of Brian Grant, Rasheed Wallace, Arvydas Sabonis and DamonStoudamire conjure up memories of Portland’s 4-2 conquest of the Utah Jazz in the 1999 bounds. The 35-year-old Sabonis missed 16 late-season games because ofsprained footand, without him, the Trail Blazers went through Western Conference semifinals. They are all back for the semifinal rematchstarting today at the Rose Garden. the worststretch oftheir 59-win Then,there's Scottie Pippen. And Steve Smith. Jazz fans need no renewal notices about Pippen, the pe- campaign. Sabonis was far from overpowering against Minnesota in rennial NBAall-defensive player. Just mention Chicago Bulls @ Continued from C-1 and the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals — forgettable series for the first round, andhe still might not Utah in which Pippenplayed keyroles. be 100 percent. Sabonis averaged 11.8 points and 6.5 rebounds Pippen’s a Blazer now,replacingIsaiah Rider, Portland’s leading scorer (19.3) against the Jazz in last year’s series. againstthe Jazz this season, as the Midwest Division champions, Portland has the homecourt advantage Pippen has madeBlazerfansforget about the temperamental Rider whowastraded to Atlanta andhas since traded himself into oblivion. Edge: Blazers because of a better regular-season record. The Jazz allowed the Sonicsto get themselves back in theseries after Se- And Smith, acquired from the Hawksin the Rider trans- POINT GUARD action, has been another Blazer sensation. The latest evi- John Stockton (6-1, 175) vs. Damon Stoudamire (5-10, 170) attle fell behind,2-0. They wantto avoid that kind of hole in Games 1 and 2 againsi .he Blazers. dencewas his fourth-quarter offensive spurt against Minne- sota thateffectively rescued the Blazers in Game4. Stoudamire, Portland's floor general who averaged 11 “That’s the fun part ofit,” Sloan Stockton played Seattle's Gary points andfive assists against Minnesota, views Pippen as the team’s defensive linchpin and the inspirational glue the said. “Go and play the games and,if found, averaging 13 points, 12.2 assists and two steals in 36.6 minutes. He had 21 points and 11 as- Blazers lacked a year ago. “Scottie is a one-man team defender,” Stoudamire says. “He's long and rangy andhis help defense is so good, allowing don’t like to go home, andour players Payton to a standoff in the first and 15 assists in Game5.If Utah gets the samekind of play from their veteran quarterback,it could shooter,usually plays well against the Jazz. He was Portland's No. 2 The6-foot-7 Pippen, now 34 and readyfor his 187th career (14.8 ppg). But the Blazers will playoff game, averaged 18.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.3 as- sists in the Minnesota series. Those numbers are almost identical to his career playoff totals. likely attack Stockton with a pair of players — Stoudamireand veteran Greg Anthony, who played down Pippen will put Utah’s 6-7 Bryon Russell to a severe test, especially in the first two games. Pippen scored 28 and 21 points in the Rose Gardenagainst Minnesota. And Pippen’s the stretch in Portland's seriesclinching win at Minnesota. considerable defensiveskills are sure to pester Russell, who averaged 15.8 points against Seattle. Also playing a newcomerrole for the Blazers is Detlef Edge: Jazz Schrempf, acquired from Seattle. The 6-10 Schrempf is part of SHOOTING GUARD STEVE SMITH (6-8, 221) the Blazers’efficient second platoon. Against Minnesota, he averaged nearly five points and addedthree assists and two reboundsin 14 minutes. ‘The Blazers’ benchstrength could well decidetheseries. Schrempf, Grant, Greg Anthony, Bonzi Wells, Stacey Aug- Homacek did not shoot well against Seattle (40.4 percent), or mon and 6-11 Jermaine O'Nealeach averaged near double- digit minutes in reserve during the regular season. Even during the season against Portland (31.8 percent). Stil, he was a major though Coach Mike Dunleavy shortened his bench in the Minnesota series,‘he will probably play the percentages and employ the second platoon against a far less-experienced Contributor in the Jazz's win over the Sonics in Game 5, when he ‘opened the third quarter with seven Utah secondfive. Grantis the wild card. Hobbled with an early-season injury, he hasplayed mostly a reserverole since Pippen, Smith and Sabonis have given the Blazers a rock-solid inside straight points and scored on a tip-in in the final minutes. Smith was ac- quired from Atlanta during the off- season for Isaiah Rider and Jim presence. But Grant was such a key in defending Utah's powerful Karl Maloneinlastyear’s series that he probably will surpass the 21.5 minutes he averaged against the T-wolves(5.5 points and 5.5 rebounds). Plus, Grant started and played 32 minutes in Portland's 90-86 win over Utah at the Delta Center on April 10. Even though Malonehad 29 points and 14 reboundsin that game, Malonedid go 3-for-16 under Grant's watch in Game6 last year. This time, the Blazers have the homecourt advantage. They wonthe seasonseries with the Jazz, 3-1. And they have won12ofthe last 14 regular-season home games against the Jazz, It was April 30, 1988, the Jazz last won a playoff game here.Portland has won13straightsince. Could the Blazers be looking aheadtothe L.A. Lakers in the conference finals? Notif they are listening to Pippen, who says, “Wewantto takeall the best challenges we can. That's the only way you can prove you're the best." That's Michael Jordan-like reasoning. The Jazz remember him,too. Suns Say the Pressure Is on the Lakers Jackson. Though the move cost the Blazers two players who figured prominently in their playoff win over the Jazz last year, it improved their The Phoenix Suns don't feel any pressure playing the Los Angeles Lakers. Of course, that’s what the Sacramento Kings said, and they're on the golf course now, chemistry and netted them a Riderlike post-up threat in Smith. Smith averaged a team-high 16 points against Utah and the smaller Hornacek. “There's nothing to be uptight about,” Suns forward Rodney Rogers said before theyleft homefor today's openerof the Western Conference semifinal.“They haven't been talking about us winning a championshipall regulars Howard Eisley, Armen Gilliam and Greg Ostertad) than they did in the first round. Al three had their moments. Seattle Coach Paul Westphal compared Ostertag to Wilt Blazers forward Scottie Pippen smiles after making two free throws against Minnesota in thefirst round. Pippen averaged 18.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists in the Minnesota series. series lead. scoreragainstthem this season The Jazz must get more out of rotation ries from the Jazz, 3-1. Utah averaged Stoudamire pointed to the second quarter against Minne- sota in Game2 at the Rose Gardento illustrate Pippen’s steadying influence. “We were down 10 points andScottie saysto us in the huddle,‘OK,take fourorfive deep breaths, everybody. Calm down andlet’s go back outthere and do what we haveto do.’” Portland recovered to win and build a 20 against swing the balance of power in this series. Stoudamire, a streak vs. have shown over the years that they don’tlike to go home,either.” Portland wonthe regular-season se- teammates to extend and gamble. You knowheis always going to cover your back.” sists in Game 2. He had 17 points Jeff Hornacek (6-4, 190) you're not good enough, go home.ButI known as the deepest team in the league. Against the Jazz this season, forward Brian Grant (9.3), forward Detle! Schrempt (7.0), yearlong.” ‘The Lakers inspired such talk by winning an NBA-high 67 games during the regular season, second-most in franchise history, but they were extended to the maximum five games before demolishing the upset-minded they can throw at you,” Jazz Coach Jerry Stoan said. Edge:Blazers —Steve Luhm te tt aaa Kings 113-86 Friday nightto reach the second round. ‘The Suns, meanwhile, eliminated defending NBA champion San Antonio in four games, giving them four full daysto reat and prepare for the best-of-seven secondround. NBA NOTEBOOK “We've got a couple more days of rest than they have,” Rogers said. “Sometimes that's Bod, sometimes that’s not so good.” The Lakers believeit's no big deal. “It’s likethe regular season, you know whatI mean?It’s the samesce- nario, only with a lot more at stake,” Kobe Bryant said. HardawayLikely to Start ‘The MiamiHeat's eight-daylayoff has given Tim Hardaway’s sprained foot time to heal, and he is expected to start today in Game of the secondround series against New York. “T told him I'd sleep onit, and he rolled his eyes on me,” Coach Pat Riley said Saturday. “I would probably think he would [start], w any kind of a change.” there's Hardawaysprained hisleft foot April 10 andhasplayed only eight min- utessince. The point guard missed Miami’s first-round sweepof Detroitbecause of theinjury. EwingSits Out Practice On theeveofthe Eastern Conference semifinals, Patrick Ewing was only 86.3 points on 40-percent shooting. That’s why the Trail Blazers are favored — some would say overwhelmingly favored — in this semifinal series. “Theyplayoffs are different,” Bryon Russell insisted. “The games areplayed ona different level... . We'll be ready to play.” Though they acknowledge Port- land’s dominance of the seasonseries, the Jaz: believe the Blazers took advantage of a huge break in the schedule to achieveit. They mighthavea point. Nov.9,the Jazz earned a 92-87 win at the Delta Center. Portland had two daysoffbefore the game. The Jazz were playing back-to-back, and for the third timein fournights. W@ Jan. 27, the Trail Blazers prevailed, 85-75. Portland had two daysoff before its homecourt victory. The Jazz were playing back-to-back, and for the third timein four nights. W Feb. 27, Portland scored a 101-92 win at the Rose Garden. The Blazers had twodaysoff before this victory. The Jazz were playing their third game in four nights in three different time zones. @ April 10, the visiting Trail Blazers wonat the Delta Center, 90-86, Portland had a dayoff before the hard-fought win. The Jazz were playing back-toback, and for the third time in four nights. “You can't worry aboutthings like that. Nobody cares,” Sloan said. “If you want excuses, you can always find them. But I don’t thinkit’s a good idea to go lookingfor them. T'm justglad we have another opportunity to play [Portland]. It’s better than going home.” As usual, the Jazz's fortunes will largely depend on Malone. He was out- forced to sit out the Knicks’final prac- standing against the Sonics; he must tice Saturday because of back spasms, ‘The 37-year-old centerinsisted, howev: improve againstthe Blazers. er, that hewill playtoday. Ewing, whofirst felt his back spasm duringpractice Friday, said he wouldn't have been able to play had Game | been played Friday instead of y. “[The doctors] are giving meall a treatments,”he said. “I feel bet Wild horses couldn't drag me nay tdGoalis to play.” Knicks Coach Jeff Van Gundy said Ewing's status will be determined today. “I look at it like it’s going to be tougher, so I have to play a better se ries,” he said. Malone averaged 30.6 points against Seattle tops in the NBA for the first round. Healso picked up five of the Jazz's 11 technicalfouls in the series. At ‘$500 perinfraction, the five-game« ries cost Malone $2,500, “Tt cost me a little, but we won,”he sald, “If it costs me $3,000 to win this next [series], 1 guess I'd probably take that, too.” |
