The Palm Beach Post from West Palm Beach, Florida • Page 32

iV THE PALM BEACH POST FRIDAY, MAY 24, 1 996 3C Pro Basketball Bowden won't take chane NBA Playoffs kicks receiver Moss Karl, Sonics have seen the playoff light so far SCHEDULE EASTERN CONFERENCE Conference Finals CHICAGO vs. ORLANDO Chicago leads series 2-0 Sunday: Chic. 121, Orlando 83 Tue: Chic. 93, Ort. 88 Chicago at 3:30 (NBC) May 27: Chic, at Orlando, 3:30 (NBC) May 29: Orlando at Chic, 9 p.m.

(TNT) May 31: Chic, at Orlando, 9 p.m. (TNT) June 2: Orlando at Chic, 7 p.m. (NBC) WESTERN CONFERENCE Conference Finals SEATTLE VS. UTAH Seattle leads series 2-0 Sat: Seattle 102, Utah 72 Seattle 91, Utah 87 Today: Seattle at Utah, 8:30 (TNT) May 26: Seat, at Utah, 3:30 p.m. (NBC) May 28: Utah at Seattle, 9 p.m.

(NBC) May 30: Seattle at Utah, 9 p.m. (NBC) 'June 1: Utah at Seattle, TBD (NBC) If necessary Updates Call 511 and enter the codes below to hear previews, frequent scoring updates and final recaps for all basketball playoff games. 5111 50 for up to 5 minutes. See 2A for more details. Team Codes 3412Chicago 34S4Utah 34400rlando 3452Seattle SEASONS Only seven teams in NBA history have lost the first two games of a 7-game series and come back to win.

The Orlando Magic and the Utah Jazz each lost the first two games of this year's Conference finals on the road. -sTfie Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY To hear i-the Seattle SuperSonics tell it, hese playoffs are as much about revelations as they are about basketball. Listen to George Karl: The Sonics' coach talks about Game 3 Xf the first round against Sacra-Hjtiento as if it were a mystical JSpxperience. Game 3: Sonics at Jazz. TV: gTNT, 8:30 p.m.

"No matter how many times we said we were OK, we had pressure on us," Karl said Thurs-5f day. "When we got that feeling wrenching, negative mentality out of our body, we were really ok." 2 Sam Perkins agrees. The Seat-tjtle forward has been in the league 512 years, and he knows what the Jjwin against Sacramento meant to jjhis team. The Sonics, with two straight years of playoff failure, the first two games with the wKings, then responded with a 96-JJ89 victory. 32 "Game 3 was a special one," jjPerkins said.

"Everybody thought jjdoom was there, but since then everybody's climbed on the band-wagon. It really turned us around and really got us hungrier." Now the Sonics lead the Utah 'Jazz 2-0 in the Western Confer-; ence finals. And this time it's the Jazz who face a defining moment. Utah is home for Game 3 and 4 Friday and Sunday, and the Jazz must win if they are to have any chance of advancing to the NBA kAgent: $36 million way off for Jordan I College Football Bowden was criticized last year when he was one of the few coaches to offer Moss, who was named West Virginia's top prep football player in 1994, a scholarship after the beating. Moss had been charged with a felony of malicious wounding, but plea-bargained to a misdemeanor battery charge.

Moss originally had signed with Notre Dame, but that school rejected his application, saying it had been turned in late. Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz called Bowden and suggested he consider giving Moss a scholarship. Bowden did, but made Moss redshirt last season while dealing with his legal problems. Moss, who has sprinter's speed to go with his 6-foot-4, 200-pound body, had been the star of FSU's spring practice and was expected to blossom into an All-America. Instead, he faces the prospect of sitting out at least another year and perhaps never playing in college.

"He's greatly disappointed (over the dismissal)," said Moss' attorney, Tim DiPiero. "But he really feels bad about putting 6seDX s0 12091 36 DOWN PVMT I A MUM EC s0 1 4.8 1 48 DOWN PVMT I APH 1 1 MON 1 MS and $1,000 CASH BACK Mazda 626 LX Sport Sedan. Standard with power everything: cassette stereo, cruise control, air conditioning, plus the best basic warranty in its class5 all for about the price of a base Altima. By CRAIG DOLCH Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Randy Moss' career at Florida State is over before he played a down. FSU football coach Bobby Bowden kicked Moss off the team Thursday, a week after the receiver admitted he had violated his probation by smoking marijuana.

Moss' 30-day jail sen- Moss tence for beating up a fellow Du- Pont High (W.Va.) student in 1995 ends today, but he faces a probation hearing at 11 a.m. Moss could face a year in jail or have his probation extended. Bowden said Moss won't play for the Seminoles "regardless of the action by the West Virginia courts." "It would be unfair to Florida State University and team members for us to accept him back on the squad," Bowden said in a statement. "Last summer I went to bat for Randy because I earnestly believed in him. But he again chose to break the law.

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"Randy has suffered much more than the normal person," DePiero said. "He's lost Notre Dame, he's lost FSU and he could lose his freedom 99 percent of the time a 19-year-old with dirty urine, particularly one with a misdemeanor charge, would not be subject to this kind of scrutiny." But assistant prosecutor Don Morris denied Moss had been treated unfairly. Morris said Moss could have faced a stiffer sentence. "This is not just about smoking pot," Morris said. "Randy's initial crime was a felony he got a really good deal to start with.

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and kmitpd-waranty detaKCi9 Motor ot Amenca. Int, Finals for the first time in franchise history. A victory Friday night by the Sonics would give the Sonics a historically insurmountable 3-0 lead. "Their (Seattle's) whole attitude is to come in here and get one," Karl Malone said. "But we realize that Game 3 is a must for us because if they got it, then they come out in Game 4 and play as relaxed as they want." "It's almost time to go home, or it's time to go back there and try to get another one," Antoine Carr said.

"First things first, though, we've got to win two here." The Jazz are 6-0 at home in the postseason and 1-6 on the road. Included in those home victories are clinchers in Game 5 of the first round against Portland and Game 6 in the second round against San Antonio. Seattle has won eight straight since losing Game 2 of the first round against Sacramento. The Sonics played poorly for most of Game 3 against the Kings at Arco Arena, but scored 13 of the game's final 16 points to avoid a 2-1 deficit that could have foreshadowed a third straight first-round ouster. Ever since, it's been smooth sailing.

"Ever since then, we have been so focused that this team amazes me. We go into peoples' buildings, take the crowd out of it and beat 'em. And we stay focused when we come back home, beat- tie's Gary Payton said. All-NBA Teams The 1995-96 All-NBA teams as voted by a nationwide panel of media with first-place votes in parentheses and total points: First Team Forwards Scottie Pippen, Chicago (91)517; Karl Malone, Utah (89) 509. Center David Robinson, San Antonio (65) 442.

Guards Michael Jordan (113) 565; Anfernee Hardaway, Orlando (90)516. Second Team Forwards Shawn Kemp, Seattle (18) 306; Grant Hill, Detroit (14) 266. Center Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston (40) 378. Guards Gary Payton, Seattle (14) 294; John Stockton, Utah (7) 258. Third Team Forwards Charles Barkley, Phoenix (10) 236; Juwan Howard, Washington (3) 68.

Center Shaquille O'Neal, Orlando (8) 185. Guards Mitch Richmond, Sacramento (1) 167; Reggie Miller, Indiana 90. Qthgrt receiving vot Dennis Rodman, Chicago (I) 57; Jason Kidd, Dallas (1) 43; Rod Strickland, Portland, 33; Sean Elliott, San Antonio, 27; Terrell Brandon, Cleveland, 25; Vin Baker, Milwaukee, 23; Clyde Drexler, Houston, II, Glen Rice, Charlotte, 10; Detlef Schrempf, Seattle, Alenzo Mourning, Miami, Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers, Patrick Ewing, New York, Horace Grant, Orlando, Allan Houston, Detroit, Dennis Scott, Orlando, Latrell Sprewell, Golden State, Larry Johnson, Charlotte, Mookie Blaylock, Atlanta, Elden Campbell, Los Angeles Lakers Cedric Ceballos, Los Angeles Lakers, Avery Johnson, San Antonio, Kevin Johnson, Phoenix, Dikembe Mutombo, Denver, Bobby Phiils, Cleveland, Clifford Robinson, Portland, Damon Stoudamire, Toronto, Nick Van Exel, Los Angeles Lakers, Clarence Weatherspoon, Philadelphia, 1. The Magic will play Games 3 and 4 this weekend without injured forward Horace Grant (hy-perextended left elbow) and could be in even deeper trouble if his replacement, Jon Koncak (sore left knee), can't play, either. CBA rookie rule expanded: Each Continental Basketball Association team will be required to have two rookies and two players with less than four years of playing experience on their roster for the 1997-89 season, the CBA Board of Directors announced.

Currently, each club is required to carry one true rookie and two other players with less than four years of playing experience on their 10-man roster. to hire Cowens tails of negotiations. Cowens would replace Allan Bristow, fired April 23 after five seasons as Hornets coach. "This team's got a lot of potential," Cowens, 47, said before flying home to San Antonio. "The organization is first-rate and the facilities are out of sight." The Hornets job would be Cowens' second head-coaching post in the NBA.

He served as player-coach of the Celtics during part of the '78-79 season, going 27-41. It's clear Cowens sees a far better chance to succeed this time. ZmQ BQWM LEASES OR BUY S.SAPR4B MOS. David Falk says the figure quoted isn't nearly what they want. The Associated Press CHICAGO Michael Jordan has said a salary of $18 million a year ought to do.

His agent says that's not even close. "Michael has made it crystal 5 clear that at the end of the season, he and I will sit down with (Bulls chairman) Jerry Reinsdorf and licit an offer from the Bulls that is going to be reflective of Michael's contribution to the team, the fran- cruse, the building and the city over the past 12 years," agent David Falk said. And that, Falk told the Chicago un-Times, is far more than the million for two years Jordan iTias cited as his minimum wage. "I don't know what led to the article," Falk told the Sun-Times. "But all I can tell you is that this is not his position or mine in any way shape or form." The Bulls are paying Jordan slightly less than $4 million in the final season of his contract.

He also makes about $40 million a year from endorsements. Pippen, Jordan on All-NBA team: Michael Jordan, already the league's MVP, scoring champion and member of the All-Defensive team, was a unanimous selection to the All-NBA team Thursday. I Ie was joined on the first team by Chicago teammate Scottie Pip-pen, Orlando's Penny Hardaway, Karl Malone of Utah and San Antonio's David Robinson. Magic searching for answers: With Shaquille O'Neal averaging more than 31 points and Anfernee Hardaway contributing 28 per game against the Chicago Bulls, Orlando expected to be soaring, now instead of facing the prospect of being swept out of the playoffs. "In my mind, the series should 1-1," O'Neal said.

"But it 'doesn't matter what I think. We're i'down 0-2." That won't be easy, considering the Bulls won an NBA-record games during the regular sea- son, have beaten Orlando five consecutive times and have every reason to be confident they can keep the string of success alive. jReport: Hornets 1 I DOWN PYMT. APK MONTHS cJk, ill 1 AND UP TO ox s0 189 36 DOWN PVM1 I EC Buy 0 1 4.8 1 48 DOWN PVMT I APR I MONT Hi AND $750 CASH BACK Mazda Protege LX Sport Sedan. Power windows and locks, cruise control, cassette stereo, plus the best basic warranty in its class5 all for about the price of a stripped-down Corolla.

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