Statesman Journal from Salem, Oregon • Page 10

Statesman-Journal, Salem, Oregon Section Friday, June 6, 1986 ports Scores; 2C. Major leagues; 3C. Belmont Stakes; 4C. NBA playoffs; 5C. eketis ffogMoiig) raaadlj wCnop oDftn Sampson ejected for hitting Sichting; Rockets go on to win 1 1 1-96 NBA playoffs CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Beit ol levin THURSDAY CAME Houston 1 1 1 Huston 9b Boston leads 3 2 SUNDAY'S GAME Houston it Boston (TV ID a Channels 6.

13) WEDNESDAY'S GAME Houston at Boston in il neiessaiy i 5 I vr7 WK By Mike Lopresti Oannait Now Service HOUSTON Playing like a team possessed alter Kalph Sampson wan ejected in fighting in the MHHM second period, the Houston Related story; R0Ckeu whipped Boston Pago 5C. 1 1 Thursday night to Kend the NBA finals bark to HoKton with the Celtics ahead 3-2. Game 6 in Sunday. It in probable the Celtics will do then what they couldn't do Thursday, making it all academic. But (Same 5 is one they will remember a long, long time.

It became that way when Sampson turned and hit Boston reserve guard Jerry Sichting with 9:40 left in the second period. A brawl followed. Many punches were thrown but when it was over, only one player was gone. Sampson. The Rockets, the Celtics, the Summit crowd would never be the same.

The Celtics had been able to handle about everything this week, everything except the Houston rage that would follow. "We played like there was absolutely no tomorrow. I've coached a long time and this was the most emotional non-Game 7 I've ever been around," Houston coach Bill Fitch said. The Rockets outscored Boston 24-14 the rest of the second period to take a 58-47 halftime lead. Maybe that was to be expected.

You knew the emotion would create a temporary surge. The circle-the-wagon psychology. But the halftime intermission would sap it, wouldn't it? Wouldn't the Celtics regroup and own the third quarter as they have so many times before? No. Dennis Johnson gave a talk Seconds later, with Sichting leaning on Sampson on defense, Sampson threw a punch at Sichting. Dennis Johnson ran in and Sampson hit him.

Walton pulled Sampson to the ground. Benches emptied and for maybe 10 seconds, the brawl raged. It took less than 20 seconds for another incident, this one Boston's fault, After Johnson was called for charging, Petersen ran to get the ball from Johnson. Johnson, mad or hurting or frustrated or all three, threw an elbow at Petersen. Then he fired the ball at him.

That would be the last of the fighting, but the Rockets had gotten the spark that wasn't there. It was not a very smart thing Sampson did. But it is very possible the Rockets might have lost had he not. "It's going to be tough for Ralph going back into Boston Garden," Bird said. "I can't believe he picked a fight with Sichting.

Heck, my girlfriend could beat him up." BOSTON Mm f0 FT Rab A PF Pit Bud 4J 6 13 4 4 7 4 3 1 44 12 23 9 10 8 1 3 33 Pji.sn 22 1 8 2 2 3 1 0 4 Ainqe 33 4 9 6 7 4 5 3 14 Jonnson 39 5 3 3 5 4 5 13 2B 2 8 2 2 6 0 5 6 S.rmmg 16 2 4 0 1 2 3 4 Me 600 00 0 010 Jn.mk'ii 3 0 2 1 2 0 0 0 1 V'Wii 3 2 5 0 0 2 0 1 4 Caiiista 300 00 0 20 0 Tertin 1 1 Tolili 240 34 84 27 31 37 20 22 96 HOUSTON Mm FO FT Rail A PF Pli MtCuy 48 7 12 3 4 8 3 3 17 0UNun 47 13 25 6 9 14 3 3 32 Sampson 14 5 7 2 2 3 0 2 12 Lloyd IB 1 6 0 0 3 3 3 2 Rmd 41 6 15 11 6 17 4 13 lns 8 16 0 1 7 1 2 16 Peteisw 33 3 12 0 0 12 1 5 6 leaven 9 3 5 0 0 1 4 1 7 Hams 100 00 0 00 0 Warns 122 00 2 00 4 Emo 111 0 1 0 0 0 2 McDowell 100 0 0 0 00 0 Tfam 8 Tolali 240 49 101 12 18 56 32 23 111 Boston 28 19 18 31- 96 Nouiton 26 32 21 25-111 Inree point goals Bud. Leavell Technicals Simpson. Oiaiuwon, Jonnson A 16.016 about "regaining our composure," but nothing worked. The Rockets kept coming in three major areas running, rebounding and defense. The Celtics seemed stunned before the charge.

Houston led 8(5-65 after the third period and was up 90-65 early in the fourth after a 13-0 run. The Rockets thrived on a new Twin Towers, Akeem Olajuwon had 32 points and 14 rebounds, and Jim Petersen came in for Sampson and added 12 rebounds. "When Ralph went out, I went over to Jim and said, 'You have to have the game of your Robert Reid said. Added Fitch, "Jim Petersen played the kind of game he's dreamed about Bince he was a kid." The Rockets ran the Celtics into exhaustion the third period, getting off 13 more shots in the quarter. Toward the end of the quarter, there were the unmistakable signs this series would not end here.

Larry Bird missing, and then turning and walking up the court in fatigue. Robert Parish unable to do anything inside. Kevin McHale getting his shot blocked twice in a row. "You'd think Ralph going out would be to our advantage," McHale said. "But they kicked our tail from that point on.

They took it to us in every way." The game changed with Houston ahead 34-33. Sampson threw an elbow at Sichting as he ran by him. AP photo finals. Johnson intervened after Sampson took a punch at the Celtics' Jerry Sichting. Houston's Ralph Sampson and Boston's Dennis Johnson mixed it up Thursday night in Game 5 of the NBA werti Ui7(s- ft Face pmal odd firosiD contested 14 Grand Slam titles.

"I am not always psyched up for a match," Evert Lloyd admitted after the 77-minute workout in which she dominated every facet of play. "Today, I was really psyched up and eager to get out and play." Navratilova said: "I could have easily lost the match by three points. I'm thrilled to have won." Sukova, who upset Navratilova in the 1984 Australian Open to snap her record 74-match winning streak and halt her bid for a record seventh straight Grand Slam singles title, answered every problem Navratilova presented in the first two sets. "She played well in Australia, but I have never seen her play this well against me," Navratilova said. "I missed two easy shots.

You can't do that if you want to win. "I was unlucky," Sukova added. "I hit three topspin backhands that just hit the top of the net. Had they gone over, it would have changed the score. Tiebreaks are always some kind of luck." In the third set, Navratilova gained a service break in the fifth game.

When she hit a crisp cross-court forehand passing shot to go up 30-40, she pumped her fist and said, "Come on." That she did, rifling a forehand service return that Sukova could barely get a racket on. That closed out the break and started Navratilova on a four-game run to gain a berth in the final. PARIS (AP) The "Chris and Martina Show" has been touring the world since 1973, when Evert Lloyd and Navratilova first tried out their opposing styles against each other. Saturday in the finals of the French Open, the two will meet for the 69th time, with Navratilova holding a 36-32 career edge. The world's two top women players gained the finals Thursday.

But whereas Evert Lloyd, the second seed, breezed in her semifinal against No. 5 Hana Mandlikova 6-1, 6-1, top-seeded Navratilova struggled to eliminate sixth-seeded Helena Sukova 4-6, 7-6, 6-2. Saturday's match will be a re-run of last year's final won by Evert Lloyd in three sets. The two have thought I hit winners, but she came back with another winner." Sukova broke Navratilova repeatedly in the first set for leads of 3-0 and 5-4 before play was halted by a half-hour rain delay. Sukova finally wrapped up the set by holding her service at 30 when a backhand cross-court passing shot by Navratilova sailed wide.

The two battled evenly in the second set and forced a tiebreak. Sukova led 4-3 before Navratilova ripped off the next four points to level the match. "I cannot be more disappointed than I am," Sukova said. "In the second set, I had 30-love on my serve and lost the game. It shouldn't have gone to a tiebreak.

At 40-15 I Evert Lloyd's victory was almost uneventful, except for a brief rain delay and a five-minute injury timeout when Mandlikova reinjured the little finger on her right hand. X-rays disclosed that she had suffered a sprain. However, Mandlikova will be able to play her semifinals doubles match with Wendy Turnbull on Saturday. They will play Navratilova and Andrea Te-mesvari. The men's singles semifinals will be decided today when top-seeded Ivan Lendl meets Johan Kriek, and Henri Leconte, upholding the honor of France, battles Sweden's Mikael Pernfors, a two-time NCAA champion at Georgia.

DDela's raroiniiinig wish a ffastt romS UO's Flax tops field Oregon's Ken Flax came within two centimeters of tying the collegiate record in a qualifying round of the hammer throw at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Thursday at Indianapolis. Flax opened at 247 feet, 11 inches and followed that with a personal best of 252-6. He concluded with a a 255-1, which was measured metrically at 77.74 meters. Tore Gustafsson of Washington State holds the record of 77.76 meters (255-1). "All three throws were technically poor, but I got good speed on them," Flax said.

Gustafsson, who also qualified for the finals, holds a 4-1 edge in head-to-head meets with Flax. "Every time I throw against him, I PR," Gustafsson said. "Every time he throws against me, he chokes." The Ducks' Elden Pfeiffer also qualified for Saturday's final in the hammer. Pfeiffer knocked John Thomas of Oregon State out of the 12-man final field with a 202-11. Thomas' best was 200-1 on the last of his three throws.

Kevin Carr in the discus is Oregon's remaining qualifier for the men's finals. He jumped from 17th to seventh on the last of his three throws with a 189-3. Cora Aguilar was the lone Oregon woman to qualify for the finals. She qualified for the shot put, but failed in the discus. Oregon will have two other athletes in action today: Uchenna Agu in the long jump, and Mark McMonigal in the 10,000, an event that does not have qualifying.

Results, Page 2C. 1 1 1 I y- reer best time of 10.49. "I'm looking forward to competing against the finest in the world," he said. "I'm hoping they will drive me along to a good time." Envela, who believes that competing in just one event will be beneficial, has eased off on his practices this week. "This has been recovery week after the state meet," he said.

"I've been working a lot on my technique, and coming out of the blocks. I'll have to concentrate on my start, and drive my arms." The Lewis-Envela meeting likely will be an emotional one for Envela, since he has considered Lewis his idol. Envela got Lewis' autograph at the '84 Olympics in Los Angeles while competing for Equatorial Guinea. Other top runners in the field are Calvin Smith, the world record-holder (9.93); Darwin Cook, (10.10); Kirk Baptiste, (10.11); Joe De-Loach, (10.16); and Mark Withers-poon, (10.36). Meet director Tom Jordan said he believes Envela will surprise some people.

"He's moving into a whole different league, but I'll not be surprised if he's pulled to a fast time," Jordan said. "I don't think he'll finish last." Jordan also said Lewis might long jump. "He said he didn't want to disappoint the fans by agreeing to and then not jumping," Jordan said. "He said he might if it was good weather." Lewis, ranked No. 1 in the world the past five years, has a best of28-10'4.

Other top athletes entered indued Willie Banks, world record-holder in the triple jump; Mike Tully and Earl Bell in the pole vault; Henry Marsh and Oregon State's Karl Van Calcar in the steeplechase; Brian Crouser and Tom Petranoff in the javelin; former Oregon stars Leann Warren and Claudette Groenendaal in the 1,500 and 800, respectively; and Greg Foster and Roger Kingdom in the high hurdles. Tickets for the meet are available at Phidippides, 445 High St. SE. By Reid English Of the Statesman-Journal Carl Lewis, the nation's premier sprinter, and Gus Envela, one of the nation's fastest high schooler, are among an elite 100-meter field in Saturday's Prefontaine Classic at Eugene's Hayward Field. Several events are expected to be outstanding, but the 100 could be the most exciting.

Lewis, 24, won four gold medals in the 1984 Olympics. He has been ranked No. 1 in the world in the 100 five times. Lewis has a best time of 9.97, but is coming off a rare two consecutive losses. Envela, the king of Oregon high school sprinting for the past three years, begins a new athletic era Saturday.

Envela, who will attend Stanford in the fall, capped a superb career at McKay High by winning the 100, 200 and 400 in last week's state meet. It was his third straight "triple." Envela hopes to improve his ca Statesman-Journal photo by Ron Cooper Carl Lewis and Gus Envela will be at the Pre Classic. WotW mp raroroetth woe wdSBh toiMg games Commentary Bill Purcell "The World Cup." Sounds impressive. "The most popular team sport on the planet." Hmm. Sounds like something I should tune in.

Well, I hate to be an ugly American whose lifestyle is too harried to appreciate the subtleties of the sport, but soccer excuse me, football is a crashing bore. This is strictly one man's opinion, of course, and I welcome responses to balance an assessment reached after watching five days of World Cup matches on television. In one of Wednesday's matches, for instance, Uraguay got a goal in the fifth minute of the game and West Germany tied the score with five minutes to play. In between, there were 80 minutes of defensive sparring which irritated not only this ignorant viewer but also the devotees who covered the match for ESPN, Seamus Malin and John Paul Dellacamera. And the cheaper seats, which are filled with beer-guzzling rowdies, are cordoned off while police prowl the area.

Under the circumstances, I spent more time watching the fans than the players; the experience was destined to turn me off to soccer. So it is no wonder to me that soccer at tendance in Europe has dwindled in recent years, and that American-style football has a toehold in Britian and that basketball is ever more popular from Iceland to Italy. This is not to suggest that soccer will soon lose its world-wide preeminence. In the long run, however, American indifference to soccer could have a dammaging effect since the United States is the mover and shaker which sets international trends. Indeed, and I hope I am not being too horribly chauvinistic here, but a "World" event without the United States is a contradiction in terms.

Bill Purcell it a Statesman Journal writer. national stature and give its citizens something to cheer about. But already hooliganism has taken its toll. Following Mexico's World Cup victory Tuesday, thousands took to the streets to celebrate and violence ensued. "Locura," the Spanish word for World Cup lunacy, resulted in 200 injuries and 81 arrests.

But then the sport has a long-standing reputation for violence. It is a ticking bomb. The tragedy in Brussels, Belgium, where 38 persons died in a riot before the Liver-pool-Juventus European Cup final game a year ago, was one among countless incidents that have taken hundreds of lives since the resumption of international competition following World World II. If you were to attend a soccer match in Europe, you would be appalled by the grim facilities and the roving bands of youths which converge after the matches. Even London's Wembley Stadium is only a notch above Portland's Civic Stadium.

Thunder storms have played havoc with satellite transmissions. Time and again during the Uruguay-West Germany match, ESPN had to break away for commercials and promos. Strangely, the announcers were not on hand for the match in Quere-taro, Mexico, but were recreating the telecast by watching monitors at the World Cup media headquarters in Mexico City. Meanwhile, television networks in Europe are dissatisfied and are threatening to ask for refunds from World Cup officials, according to published reports. Despite massive costs and years of planning, last Saturday's opening ceremony was not seen in many places in Europe because of transmission difficulties.

An event of this complexity is difficult to stage, especially in a country torn by strife and poverty, and under a constant threat of earthquakes. Mexico hoped the tournament would boost its economy and its inter The other scores in the tournament so far read 1-1, 2-1, 1-0, 0-0, with the only high-scoring affair being the Soviet Union's 6-0 rout Tuesday of Hungary. Malin, who also does commentary for NBC during its weekend coverage, and his collagues are astoundingly good, by the way. Low scores are not uncommon for early round World Cup matches. But aside from the lack of scoring, the World Cup has other problems..