Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 28

Wednesday, June 22, 1988 The Arizona Republic 13 NBA FINALS Pistons prove they belong with best teams in the league James is worthy of MVP Lakers star glad '87 trade avoided Notes COA KB By Lee Shappell The Arizona Republic The Pistons, the team that few believed would even win the Central Division where Atlanta was supposed to be a 60-game winner proved they belong with the game's elite teams. At least that was the assessment of, you guessed it, the Pistons on Tuesday after losing in their first finals to the Lakers. Before pushing the defending champs to the limit, the Pistons dethroned defending Eastern Conference champ Boston and put the clamps on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. "We believe we have a team that can win a championship," said center Bill Laimbecr. "They (Lakers) were the best team this year and last.

We got beat, but we've had a taste of it, and we'll be back here." Said Dennis Rodman: "It's a wild, wild thing. With the media crunch and the crazy fans you've got to really concentrate on the task at hand. It was a great feeling to get here, but to come this close and lose is the worst feeling of my life because we had a chance to win this. "I hope we've gained the respect of the American people and proved we are a team to be reckoned with in the future." Isiah Thomas, who played on a badly sprained right ankle, said if the Pistons had lost to any team other than the Lakers, it would have been a disappointment. "They are a very good basketball team; they are not the greatest of all time," Thomas said.

"To be champion, you have to be good and lucky. We were not lucky. Experience helped the Lakers in this series." Words from the wise Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had seemed uptight and close-mouthed early in the playoffs, began to loosen up as the end of his 1 9th season approached. On the length of the playoffs: "I'm By Lee Shappell The Arizona Republic INGLEWOOD, Calif. They were talking about The Trade that Wasn't Made after the Los Angeles Lakers had dethroned Boston in the 1987 title scries.

On Tuesday, after the Lakers repeated by holding back Detroit, 108-105, the subject came up again. Step forward, James Worthy, scries MVP and still champion. And, more importantly, still a Laker. "I'm overly elated I wasn't traded now," said Worthy. Don't get too excited, James.

"To be honest, MVP is a great honor, but it means absolutely nothing," Worthy said. "I'll accept it. I'm sure I'll cherish it later on in life. But this is a team. thing.

What we did, repeating as NBA champs, is something they'll be talking about for a long, long time. This is like getting a big, big burden off our backs. Being part of this team is what is important to mc." Two years ago, the Lakers toyed with the idea of trading Worthy to the Dallas Mavericks for Mark Aguirre. But they didn't do it, and Worthy, who averaged just under 20 points a game in 1987, got even better in the playoffs, averaging a team-leading 23.6. The Lakers were patting themselves on the back for hanging onto the speedy forward with the swooping moves to the basket, especially in light of Aguirrc's moodiness.

This year, Worthy never knew from one day to the next if he would be in the lineup. He has tendinitis of the right knee. "I just couldn't explode off the leg like I'd done for 15 years," Worthy said. "I couldn't go over people anymore. I had to learn to cope with it- "That's why I thought 'Riles' made a great statement when he guaranteed the repeat.

It's easy to let injuries and other distractions get to you after you win a championship. He wouldn't let us." And when the Lakers were down in the scries, 3 games to 2, Worthy wouldn't let them lose. Sunday in Game 6, Worthy scored 28 points as the Pistons hung on to a 103-102 victory after two forgettable games in Pontiac, Mich. He had 7'and 14 points and was limited to 26 minutes in each because of foul difficulty. And then in the deciding game Tuesday, Worthy was Mr.

Everything, leading the Lakers in scoring (36) and rebounding (16) and passing jfe fcu rB United Press International Lakers forward James Worthy puts up a shot over the Pistons' John Salley. Worthy had 36 points. Lakers shut down rally by Pistons to win second straight NBA crown not saying the season is too long, but don't think we have to be competing with Wimbledon." The first championship Abdul-Jab- bar won was decided on April 30,. 1971, when his name was Lew" Alcindor and his team was' the Milwaukee Bucks. On whether he believed Thomas really would not play in the championship game: "First, he gave us the 'Oh, my aching back' routine.

Then he went out and played a hell of a game. Next, it was 'I can beat you guys on one and he damn near did it. So I've learned not to trust Isiah's injury status." Time passages Lakers assistant coach Bill Bcrtka is willing to credit Detroit's defense, which limited opponents to fewer than 100 points in 12 of the last 17 playoff games. But he believes another reason why Detroit opponents don't score many points is because the Pistons hold the ball to the extent anyone can with a 24-second clock. "A lot of it comes from all that dribbling," Bcrtka said.

"(Adrian) Dantlcy and Isiah take a lot of seconds off the clock. I never looked at them this way until I started studying the stats." More stuff Riley had the Lakers on the floor for a light workout only two hours before tipoff, the only time he has done that in the finals The Lakers' 36 third-quarter points were their most for one period in the finals Lakers backup Tony Campbell played not only for the NBA champs but also the CBA champs this season the Albany Patroons, before joining the Lakers. COMPOSITE BOX DETROIT FG FT Avq. M-A M-A Rcb A Pts Dantley 7 47-8? 55-64 35 16 21.3 Thomas 7 49-115 35-4? 31 63 19.7 Dumars 7 40-78 13-14 16 134 V.Johnson 7 34-84 8-18 21 110 Laimbecr 7 27-69 10-10 13 9 4 Rodman 7 72-35 11-71 48 4 7 9 Salley 7 18-31 14-20 44 6 7 1 Fdwards 7 21-44 7-11 21 7 7.0 Mahorn 7 9-22 5-6 17 1 3 3 Nevitt 1 1-2 0 0 2 0 2 0 Russell 3 1 3 2-2 0 0 1.3 lewis 3 1-2 0 0 3 0 0.7 Team 54 Totals 7 270-567 160-708 359 163 101.1 Three-point goals 9-31 (Thomas 5-17, Laimbecr 2-6, Dumars 1-2, V. Johnson 1-6).

LALAKERS FG FT Avq. M-A M-A Reb A Pts Worthy 7 36-49 57 3) 22.0 F.Johnson 7 44-80 58-67 40 9) 21 1 Scott 7 50-105 77-35 34 14 169 Abdul-Jabbar 7 36-87 70-28 29 7 13.1 Green 7 74-43 27-30 61 4 100 Thompson 7 21-42 7-17 25 2 7.0 Campbell 7 2-3 4-4 1 1 4 0 Cooper 7 9-44 5-8 11 15 3 7 Matthews 4 1-3 4 4 0 0 1.5 Rambis 5 2-3 2-5 8 0 1.2 Smrek 2 0-0 0-0 2 0 00 Wagner 2 0-1 0-0 0 1 00 Team 68 Totals 7 248-531 185-247 331 166 98.7 Three-point goals 10-40 (Scott 5-11, Cooper 3-20, E. Johnson 2-6, Matthews 0-1, Worthy0-2). SCORING BY QUARTERS Detroit LALakers 171 186 174 178- 709 169 168 187 167-691 A Game 1 at Los Angeles, Game 2 at Los Angeles, Game 3 at Detroit, Game 4 at Detroit, Game 5 at Detroit, Game 6 at Los Angeles, Game 7 at Los Angeles, 17,505. NBA CHAMPIONS 1987-88-LA Lakers 1986- 87 LALakers 1985-86 Boston Celtics 1984-85 I os Angeles akcrs 1983-84 Boston Celtics 1987- 83 Philadelphia 76crs 1981-82 LALakers 1980-81 Boston Celtics 1979-80 LA lakers 1978-79 Seattle SupcrSonlcs 1977-78 Washington Bullets 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers 1975-76-Boston Celtics 1974-75 Golden State Warriors 1973-74 -Boston Celtics 1972-73 New York Knlcks 1971-72 LALakers 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks 1969-70 New York Knicks 1968-69 Boston Celtics 1967-68 Boston Celtics 1966-67 Philadelphia 76crs 1965-64- Boston Celtics 1964-65 BostonCcltlcs 1963-64 Boston Celtics 1962-63 Boston Celtics 1961-62 Boston Celtics 1960-61 Boston Celtics 1959-60 BostonCcltlcs 1958-59 Boston Celtics 1957-58 St.LouisHawks 1956-57 BostonCcltlcs 1955-56-Philadelphia Warriors 1954-55 Syracuse Nationals 1953-54 Minneapolis Lakers 1952-53 Minneapolis I akcrs 1951-52 Minneapolis Lakers 1950-51 Rochester Royals 1949-50 Minneapolis Lakers 1948- 49 Minneapolis Lakers 1947-48 Baltimore Bullets 1946-47 Philadelphia Warriors CHAMPIONSHIP APPEARANCES Franchise no.

record Mlnneapolls-LA Lakers 27 11-11 BostonCcltlcs 19 16- 3 Syracuse-Philadelphia 76ers 8 3-5 Philadelphia-Golden State Warriors 6 3-3 New York Knlcks 6 2-4 Baltimore-Washington Bullets 4 1- 3 St. Louis-Atlanta Hawks 4 1-3 Ft. Wayne-Detroit Plslons 3 0- 3 Milwaukee Bucks 2 I- 1 Seattle SupcrSonlcs 2 1- 1 San Diego-Houston Rockets 2 0-2 Baltimore Bullels-x 1 1- 0 Portland Trail Blazers 1 1- 0 Rochester-Cincinnati Royals-v I 1- 0 Chicago Slags 1 0- 1 Phoenix Suns 1 0- 1 Washington Capitols 1 0- 1 franchise disbanded alter 1947-48 season franchise now known as Sacramento Kings CHAMPIONSHIP 3-2 COMEBACKS Teams that were trailing the championship scries three games to two and won the title: A akcrsdcl. Detroit Plslons, 1988. Washington Bullets del.

Seattle SupcrSonlcs, 1978. BostonCelticsdet. LA Lakers, 1969. Boston Cellicsdct. A I akcrs, 1962.

Syracuse Nationalsdcl. Fort Wayne Plslons, 1955. coming into the game, finally made a three-point shot, usually one of his primary weapons, and the response from The Forum crowd was deafening. But even after the Lakers opened an 88-73 lead with 10:49 to go in the game, Detroit, making its first appearance ever in the finals, wasn't ready to look at the footprints in the sand Riley had talked about. The Pistons whittled the deficit to 98-96 with 2:48 to go, and trailed by 106-105 when center Bill Laimbecr made a three-point shot from the top of the key with six seconds left.

But as the Pistons pressed hard on the inbounds play, Magic Johnson spotted A.C. Green wide open behind the press, lofted a 45-foot pass that Green gathered in and turned into the game-securing layup with two seconds to go. Riley had challenged his team with what many believed was an ill-advised guarantee. But the Lakers delivered the goods. for 10 assists.

"He's just a big-game player," said Inkers guard Magic Johnson. "He knew we needed him the last two games, and he responded. I like to call his number." It proved to be a worthy calling. In the three games the Lakers lost in the finals, Worthy averaged 30 minutes, 13.3 points and 2.7 rebounds. But in the four they won, he averaged 44 minutes, 28.5 points and 1 1 rebounds.

"I could see it in his eyes," Johnson said. "He wanted to come back here from Detroit and show everybody that he is still a man. He did." Scoreboard LAKERS 108, PISTONS 105 DETROIT Dantleyf Mahornl Laimbeerc Dumars Thomasg Salley Edwards V. Johnson Rodman Totals LA LAKERS Green I Worthy I Abdul-Jabbar F. Johnson 0 Scott Cooper Thompson Rambis Totals Mn FG 31 5-11 3 0-2 31 5-9 41 9-18 4-i? 36 6-9 13 0-2 FT Rb AIPF Tr PI 3 16 6 8 5 1 0-0 0 0 0- 0 9 2 6-6 5 4 2-2 0 7 5-7 10 1 1- 2 3 2 0 0 2 5 1 17 27 5-14 30 5-8 5-10 5 0 39-85 25-35 39 22 23 1) 11 105 33 2-4 0 0 2 0 4415-22 6 10 16 10 2-7 0-0 3 2 40 6-9 37 7-12 28 5-13 22 6-10 7-8 6 6 0-2 0-1 7 0-0 0 0 43-77 19-27 41 30 22 6 18 108 Detroit LA Lakers 23 21 29 26 21 36 32-105 25-108 FG percentage Detroit .459, LA Lakers .558.

FT percentage Detroit .714, LA Lakers. 704. Three-point shots Laimbecr 1-2, Dumars 1-2, Thomas 0-1, V. Johnson 0-2; Cooper 2-6, Scott 1-3, Johnson 0-1. Blocked shots Sallcv, Laimbecr, Abdul-Jabbar.

Technicals Detroit Illegal defense, Laimbecr. OMicials Earl Strom and Jake O'Donnell Attendance 1 7,505. Time 2:26. PLAYOFF MVP 1988 James Worthy, LA Lakers 1987 Magic Johnson, LALakers 1986 Larry Bird, Boston 1985 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LA Lakers 1984 Larry Bird, Boston 1983 Moses Malone, Philadelphia 1982 Magic Johnson, LA Lakers 1981 Cedrlc Maxwell, Boston 19B0 Magic Johnson, LA 1 akcrs 1979 Dennis Johnson, Seattle 1978 Wcs Unsold, Washinglon 1977 -Bill Walton, Portland 1976 Jo Jo White, Boston 1975 Rick Barry, Golden Stale 1974 John Havllcek, Boston 1973 Willis Reed, New York 1972 -Wilt Chamberlain, LALakers 197) Lew Alcindor, Milwaukee 190 Willis Reed, New York 1969 Jerry Wesl, LA Lakers The Associated Press with the Lakers' Kurt Rambis. Riley's prophecy elevates LA title to legendary status LAKERS, from page Fl scries slipping away from the Lakers, who were down, 3-2, before returning home and winning Games 6 and 7.

In Game 6 on Sunday, Worthy scored 28 points and grabbed nine rebounds. In the deciding game, he was the leading scorer with 36 points, leading rcboundcr with 16, and had 10 assists. Worthy was named the finals' most valuable player. "He has elevated his game a step each year," Abdul-Jabbar said. Byron Scott's on-again, off-again jump shot was on again (21 points).

Johnson scored 19 points and had 14 assists. The Lakers won a seventh game in the finals for the first time ever after losing five. They became the first NBA team to win three successive seven-game playoff scries in one season. The last repeat champion was Boston, in a scries decided in The Forum in a Game 7 in 1969. It was the Lakers' fifth championship of the 1980s and their sixth since the franchise moved to California from Minneapolis.

quarter, he confronted Pistons center Bill Laimbecr in anger. His ancient sky hook punctuated a run that gave the Lakers an 11 -point lead, an advantage that helped them withstand a Pistons charge in the final minutes. It wasn't much. But it was enough. If nothing else, his timing is timeless.

The Lakers always seem to sense that in Abdul-Jabbar. His presence is their link to the legend that Riley promised. The NBA's all-time-leading scorer now is part of another chapter in basketball history. The question continues to be Abdul-Jabbar's future. He has been asked about retirement for a decade.

Reports before Game 7 had him retiring. Lakers owner Jerry Buss, the reports said, would pay him the $3 million next year, his first in retirement. But Abdul-Jabbar said his demise has been exagcrratcd. "They said the same thing about Mark Twain, didn't they?" Abdul-Jabbar said. Sometimes it seems as if Abdul-Jabbar were playing basketball when Twain still was writing.

His long past makes promises easy. Riley would not have made his without him. "I have always worn the '85 ring based on what wet did in Boston," Riley said. "Now, I think this is our greatest accomplishment. "I don't have any feelings left.

For 115 games, this team pushed and took more from mc than they deserved. We were watching a great basketball team on hold. This was the toughest thing we've ever had to do." Worthy credited Riley's often cursed guarantee. 'Riles did a great job for us," Worthy said. "We would not have been as mentally into it or as focused throughout the year if he hadn't made his statement." They finally broke the game open in typical Lakers fashion rebounding and running.

A 23-5 spurt to open the third period erased a five-point Pistons halftimc lead. The Lakers scored 20 points in 5:51. Scott completed the run with eight successive points, capping it with a three-point shot that made it 70-59. Even Michael Cooper, who was shooting 12 percent in the finals Hobbled Pistons guard Isiah Thomas RILEY, from page Fl promise to make them special. "That was one of the big things that made this entire playoff series the toughest that I've ever been through," said Abdul-Jabbar, whose playoff battles span 19 years.

"I look back on it now, and I think that Riles did a great thing with that guarantee. "He did a heck of a job of not letting us get down. That happens a lot when you're the world champions. How do you stay challenged? Riles found the perfect way to do it." Abdul-Jabbar's role in the quest was as difficult as any, even that of Riley, who would have suffered a lot of ridicule in defeat. With every game, Abdul-Jabbar's age, 41, was discussed.

In one game, he looked as if he made reservations for a rest home. In the next, he looked as if he had rediscovered his skills of a decade ago. In Game 7, he struggled. At times, the old man looked like he was drowning in a sea of Detroit jcrsics. He failed to score in the first half.

He finished with only four points. But the ambition of a young man still was apparent. In the third i goes one-on-one after a loose ball i.