South Florida Sun Sentinel from Fort Lauderdale, Florida • Page 28

NBA MS Sunday, May 30, 1999 9C Sun-Sentinel, south Florida flier time beM If its Knicks-Pacers, it must Van Gundy will bring a different version of the Knicks into Indianapolis, a team more inclined to run and gun than the old New York teams that would pound the ball into the low post and watch Patrick Ewing. With a younger, more athletic second unit that includes Sprewell and Marcus Camby, the Knicks will try to force the tempo against a Pacers team that remains perfectly happy in a slow-down, half-court offense. The Pacers won the season series 2-1, winning decisively in the two games at Market Square Arena and losing by one point in the one matchup at Madison Square Garden. Those games have little mean-ingnow. The Knicks have turned things around during the past six weeks, finishing the regular season strong, beating the Heat in the first round of the playoffs and then sweeping Atlanta in the second round.

New York during Game 4 of last season's second-round playoff series another shot from right in front of Lee's seat. "They don't particularly like him too much in New York, and he probably feels the same way about this organization," the Knicks' Latrell Sprewell said. "But he obviously respects us, and this city respects him." This will be the fifth time the teams have met in the playoffs in seven seasons. The Knicks beat Indiana 3-1 in the first round in 1993 and 4-3 in the conference finals in 1994. The Pacers defeated the Knicks 4-3 in the second round in 1995 and 4-1 in the second round in 1998.

"Indiana still has a lot of the same players, but we've changed personnel so much," New York coach Jeff Van Gundy said. He has been through all the Pac-ers-Knicks series as an assistant coach or a head coach. points in the last seconds of that game. I scored 34, but he came up big." Nobody knew it at the time, but Miller's 8.9-second outburst would usher in a four-year period in which the Knicks would not be able to get out of the second round of the playoffs. New York is back in the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 1994, playing an Indiana team that has been this far in the playoffs three times, only to lose a Game 7 eachtime.

Game 1 in the best-of-7 series tips off at 5:30 today at Market Square Arena. Miller wasn't talking about anything Saturday in keeping with his recent persona of being Mr. Anti-Inflammatory. He gave no insight into his famous 8.9 seconds in 1995, his 25-point fourth-quarter against the Knicks in Game 5 of the 1994 conference finals, or his 3-pointer in the associated Press INDIANAPOLIS Nothing quite captures the spirit of the Knicks-Pacers rivalry like the memory of one of Reggie Miller's greatest moments. Madison Square Garden, May 7, 1995: Eight points in the final 8.9 seconds, six of them coming on 3-pointers in front of Spike Lee's courtside seat.

It was the quintessential Miller moment, a Knick-killing sequence that remains so vivid in the minds of the Indiana Pacers they were talking Saturday as if it happened yesterday. "Watching Spike Lee, watching his face during that period after all the talking, it was good to watch his face," Mark Jackson said. "It was almost like he was watching the final edit of one of his movies." Said Rik Smits: "If I had to pick one game, it would be the eight i ii)jjjMMTrMriM i Jr laMaA efii I Best of 7 Eastern Conference CONFERENCE FINALS KNICKS (8) vs. PACERS (2) Today: New York at Indiana, 5:30 Tuesday: New York at Indiana, 8:30 Saturday: Indiana at New York, 6:30 Juna 7: Indiana at New York, 9 Wad, Juna 9: New York at Indiana, 9,: Frl Juna 11: Indiana at New York, TBA Juna 13: New York at Indiana, TBA Western Conference CONFERENCE FINALS TRAIL BLAZERS (3) VI. SPURS (1) (San Antonio loads sarias 1-0) Gama 1: San Antonio 80, Portland 76 Portland at San Antonio, 5:30 San Antonio at Portland, 9:30 San Antonio at Portland, 6:30 Tues Juna 8: Portland at San Antonio, TBA Juna 11: San Antonio at Portland, TBA Juna 13: Portland at San Antonio, TBA i -if nacassary.

Mario steal during Game Finals. PACERS (33-17) VS. KNICKS (27 COACHES: PACERS Larry Bird (91-41 in two years with Indiana). KNICKS Jeff Van Gundy (1 40-97 in four years with New York). SEASON SERIES: Pacers won 2-1 ON THE SPOT: Rik Smits has been inconsistent in the postseason, scoring four one night and 25 the next.

He is averaging 1 1 .1 points and 5.4 rebounds. If his feet are feeling OK, he will give the Pacers a major lift. He has been able to score against Patrick Ewing but often gets outrebounded. KEYS FOR THE PACERS: Reggie Miller is known for his big moments in the playoffs and at Madison Square Garden. Mark Jackson has been the Pacers' best player in the postseason, averaging a double-double in points (1 0.6) and assists (1 0.3).

He should be able to post up against the Knicks' Charlie Ward and Chris Childs, who aren't offensive-minded enough to give him many problems defensively. Dale Davis has been excellent in the postseason, averaging 8.7 points on 61 percent shooting and 10.3 rebounds. ahead 78-74 with 2:35 to play, clinched San Antonio's seventh consecutive playoff victory with two free throws with 4.3 seconds to Duncan stole the inbounds pass to finish it in front of an Alama-dome crowd of 35,165. Game 2 of the best-of-7 series is Monday night. The Blazers stopped Duncan most of the first half, but he scored 1 4 in the second.

He also grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked five shots. Robinson, who came through when Duncan didn't, grabbed 10 rebounds and made two crucial plays in the last 5:35. "They're a tough duo, no question about it," Dunleavy said. "I thought a number of shots they made were as well defended as we could possibly defend them." In their second season together, Duncan and Robinson have learned how to take advantage of the mismatch they create. San Antonio towers over Portland ill HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE: San Antonio's Elie needs a little elbow room to the ball from Portland's Brian Grant the second quarter of the Spurs' 1 win in the Western Conference Elie hit two free throws with 4.3 seconds left to seal the win.

ap photoEric Gay Talk is cheap, Heat talking 23) The Pacers need to find a way to slow Latrell Sprewell by limiting his opportunities to drive. KEYS FOR THE KNICKS: Sprewell led the Knicks over the Hawks with a 22.5 scoring average off the bench, and he is the team's leading scorer through nine playoff games with a 1 9.0 average. Ewing averaged only 1 1 .3 points and 7.3 rebounds while playing 27.5 minutes per game against Atlanta to save his inflamed left Achilles' tendon. The reduced minutes have helped him, and the sweep also gave him five days to rest Allan Houston led the Knicks against the Pacers in the regular season with a 1 9.0 average. STARTING UNEUPS Pacars Knicks Rik Smits Patrick Ewing Dale Davis Kurt Thomas Chris Mullin Larry Johnson Mark Jackson Charlie Ward Reggie Miller Allan Houston KEY RESERVES JalenRose Latrell Sprewell Antonio Davis Marcus Camby Travis Best Chris Childs Portland FS FT A PF Pts BGrant Wallace Sabonis Rider Stdmire Augmon Jckson Anthony Wlliams Totals 43 4-9 42 12-20 0- 0 4-4 1- 2 1- 1 OO 0-0 0-0 2- 2 0-0 -9 2-7 28 1- 6 2- 4 0-3 0- 2 1- 3 0- 0 1- 2 26 33 29 17 IS 19 16 2- 7 6-14 1-6 0- 3 1- 4 3- 3 3-3 340 32-69 9-35 26 17 76 PCT.

FG .464, FT .889. 1-PT. 4-7, .571 (W Williams 2-2, Anthony 2-2, Wallace 0-1, Sabonis 0-1, Jl Jackson 0-1). SL 6 (B.Grant 2, Wallace 2, Sabonis 2). TO 13 (Sabonis 4).

ST 2 (B.Grant, Anthony). San Antonio FG FT A PF Pts Elliott Duncan Rbinson Elie Johnson Dnieis Rose Jackson Perdue Kersey Totals 33 47 38 35 43 5 5 20 5 9 4-11 8- 15 9- 16 2-6 4-12 0-2 2-3 2-7 0-1 0-3 1-3 5-13 3-10 1-3 0-1 0- 1 1- 1 0- 0 1- 2 0-1 5-9 3-3 3-4 1-1 00 0- 0 1- 1 0-0 0-0 240 31-76 17-22 12-35 19 IS SO PCT. FG .408, FT .773. J-PT. 1-10, .100 (Elie 1-2, Johnson 0-1, JaJackson 0-3, Elliott 0-4).

BL 7 (Duncan 5, Robinson, Elliott). TO 7 (Duncan 3). ST 6 (Elie 3, Robinson, Duncan, Kersey). 1 A 35,165 2:35. Portland San Antonio 19 19 la 2076 22 17 20 2180 Rory Sparrow.

For many, the NBA's early entry list is little more than a way to get their names in the paper. Take Shawn Kenney, a 6-6 swingman from Cleveland State. Not only did he not play this past season, but also he scored two points in '97-98 for the Vikings. Gentry stands alone Aware of his shaky ground, Pistons coach Alvln Gentry said he is not forlorn that assistant John Hammond is leaving to become an assistant at Missouri and assistant Gar Heard is on the short list of candidates for the Wizards' coaching vacancy. "It's tough to see them go," said Gentry, the former Heat coach, "but I'd rather they leave this way than for us all to be out looking for jobs because we got With Detroit having lost Michael Curry as a free agent two years ago, forward Grant Hill insists the Pistons reacquire Curry as a free agent.

"I don't know what all we're going to be doing and who we'll be adding and who we have to take care of first, but I want Michael back here," Hill Back from Europe, former Celtics and Kings guard Tyus Edney is auditioning for the Grizzlies. Before talking about youth movements, consider that the NBA's final four features three of the oldest teams in the league. New York is oldest at an average of 30.7 years. San Antonio is second oldest at 30.3. Indiana is tied for fourth oldest (with the Heat) at 29.8.

Olympic-sized decision Just as Tim Hardaway has to weigh his knee concerns against participation at the mid-July Olympic qualifying tournament, so, too, does Dallas' Steve Nash have to address his back problems. Nash is being pushed by the Mavericks to bypass the opportunity to run Canada's offense at the Puerto Rico event. If Nash doesn't play, Lakers forward Rick Fox also is likely to back out of a spot on Canada's entry. Ira Winderman 's NBA column appears Sundays. FADED GLORY? The compacted regular-season schedule appears to have taken a toll on all but two of the league's 30-something point guards in the playoffs: Team Age FGPct.

Heat 32 .400 Jazz 37 .488 Maqic 31 .441 Bucks 33 .429 Hawks 32 .379 Spurs 34 .473 Pacers 34 .419 Player Tim Hardaway John Stockton Darrell Armstrong Haywoode Workman Mookie Blavlock Avery Johnson Mark Jackson THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN ANTONIO Tim Duncan can be slowed for a while. So can David Robinson. Stopping them both? Forget it. Not even the deep, talented and big Portland Trail Blazers could quite contain San Antonio's Twin Towers in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. Duncan and Robinson scored 2 1 on Saturday as the Spurs held off the Blazers 80-76.

"They're a very athletic team. That kind of neutralizes our size advantage a little bit," Robinson said. "But having two 7-footers, it's still a little bit of an advantage." In this case, a four-point advantage. Rasheed Wallace, who scored a career playoff-high 28 for Portland, missed a tying, wide-open 16-foot jumper with six seconds to go and the Spurs leading 78-76. It was a pick-and-roll play, with unless Season Playoff Pet.

Difff FGPct. .268 .400 .370 .364 .326 .527 .054 .510 .100 IRA WINDERMAN round sweep. "We won," Childs said, "but it didn't have anything to do with the way we played." After playing the sixth seed (Milwaukee) in the first round, the Pacers got the seventh seed (Philadelphia) in the second round and now the eighth seed (New York) in the conference finals, making it the easiest path ever for a team to the NBA Finals. Pacers reserve swingman Jalen Rose enters the New York series in a slump. After scoring 27 on Rose 9-of-16 shooting in the series opener against the 76ers, Rose totaled 22 points on 8-of-31 shooting (.258) in the final three games of Indiana's sweep.

Charlotte's windfall Having beaten the odds in the lottery to vault to the No. 3 draft slot, the Hornets figure their luck will run out on draft night when it comes to securing one of the two players they most covet: Maryland guard Steve Francis and Rhode Island forward Lamar Odom. While the Hornets will work out Francis and Odom, they also will have in UCLA guard Baron Davis, Duke forward Elton Brand, UConn forward Richard Hamilton, Duke forward Corey Maggette, Utah guard Andre Miller and Miami of Ohio forward Wally Szczerblak. With a loaded rosterthat will feature a return from the injured Robinson defending Wallace. The Spurs' center switched to help out on guard Greg Anthony as he drove, then Anthony kicked it back to Wallace.

"Boy, you hate to see a guy who's rolling like that get an open look at the basket like he did," Robinson said. "But we were lucky it went off." The ball bounced off the rim and over the backboard. "For that split second I was wide open," Wallace said. "Once it released from my hands, I thought it was good, but it came up short." Portland coach Mike Dunleavy said the shot was everything he could have wanted. "It's a great shot for him," Dunleavy said.

"I'll put my money on that any time. It's a high, high percentage shot for him. It just didn't go." Mario Elie, who held Portland's Isaiah Rider to 13 points and made a driving layup to put the Spurs it's the list of forward Anthony Mason, Charlotte may lean toward fortifying at point guard, either with a trade up for Francis, the selection of Davis or a trade down for Miller. Keep in mind that four times the Hornets have held top-five selections, and each time the player was dealt within five seasons. Not only were Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson dealt under that scenario, but so, too, were J.R.

Reid and Kendall Gill, only to be reacquired and dealt again. Bulls get even The Bulls will take the lottery over a coin flip any time. Having emerged with the No. 1 pick from the lottery despite finishing with the league's third-worst record, Chicago once before had a random shot for the No. 1 pick.

That was in 1979, when it was involved in a coin flip with the Lakers. Chicago General Manager Rod Thorn, now the NBAs dean of fines, called heads, lost and settled for David Greenwood at No. 2. The Lakers used the first pick on Magic Johnson. FYI, Michael Jordan was taken by Chicago with the No.

3 pick in '84, with Hakeem Olajuwon (No. 1 to Houston) and Sam Bowie (No. 2 to Portland) the first two selections. No. 2 available Had Vancouver not finished with the No.

2 pick in the lottery, Cleveland was prepared to swoop in with a bid of its No. 8 selection and guard Wesley Person for the Grizzlies' selection. Although the stakes have increased, the Cavaliers are intrigued by an imposing front line of 7-foot-3 Zydrunas llgauskas, 6-1 0 Shawn Kemp and 6-1 0 Odom. Vancouver has spoken of dealing its selection for veteran talent. Portland apparently is considering an offer of Rasheed Wallace and there is interest in either Antonio Davis or Dale Davis from Indiana.

And, remember, at midseason Vancouver was willing to deal the pick for Heat's PJ. Brown but apparently now would want something else, as well. "If history is a guide, the better deals regarding trades don't come until those last days proceeding the draft," said Grizzlies General Manager Stu Jackson of the June 30 selection process. The Rice option If Brown is not moved to Vancouver, he could be in play for the Lakers' Glen Rice. Their contracts work straight-up under the salary cap.

If the Lakers tear up the option year on Rice's deal and replace it with the lucrative contract he seeks, he would become practically untradeable after July 1. The best Rice could Rice muster about a return to the Lakers was: "I won't be mad if I am back." The Lakers' primary offseason need is at point guard, with a trade up in the draft to select Davis an option. In need of a point guard, Toronto is making noises of moving up to select Francis. The bait could include forward Tracy McGrady, who could be packaged with the No. 5 or No.

12 selections held by the Raptors. Bulls Vice President Jerry Krause long has been intrigued by McGrady. Having selected Jermaine O'Neal out of high school while a Portland executive, Cavaliers Vice President Jim Paxson said he would have no qualms with the selection of Mississippi prep standout Jonathon Bender. "He's probably further along than Jermaine O'Neal, whom we drafted in Portland with the 17th pick in 1996," Paxson definitely not Kevin Garnett or Kobe Bryant. He probably plays more like a small forward at Don't overstate the Hawks holding four first-round picks.

The last time a team used four picks in the first round, all Sacramento could mine in 1990 were Lionel Simmons, Travis Mays, Duane Causwell and Anthony Bonner. Sacramento's best pick that year might have been second-rounder Bimbo Coles, the guard who was traded to the I leat on draft day for -or- V. The only questions we have left for Knicks honcho Dave Checketts are: Can the Heat get its first-round pick back now? And can Micky Arison have his 1 million refunded? Recall, if you will, the spring of '95, when the Knicks claimed proof of covert contact between then-New York coach Pat Riley and an intermediary regarding a potential landing spot in South Florida. About the same time, the Knicks were making covert inquiries into the interest of Don Nelson, even as Riley continued to coach the Knicks. (Some say Chuck 4 IRA WINDERMAN ON THE NBA Daly was contacted, as well.) The fallout was a tampering settlement that cost the Heat a '96 first-round draft choice and Arison $1 million.

Yet here we are, four years later, and Checketts is caught in a web of deceit, with one coach under contract (Jeff Van Gundy), yet covert feelers offered to a potential replacement (Phil Jackson) That the Knicks would have interest in Jackson hardly is shocking. He is a former Knick, a proven winner and eminently available at the right price. In employing the same type of subterfuge as Riley, Checketts lost any credibility from the pious stances he had adopted. The difference is Checketts cast the first stone. "I had to do the job of finding out if I had an option like that," Checketts said of his overtures to Jackson.

"I regret that I lied about it." As for the first-round pick the Heat forfeited to New York, it turned out to be only Walter McCarty. million? He spends that much for Alonzo Mourning to play six games. Van Gunds deal No matter the outcome, Van Gundy won't go poor if he's not retained. Not only is he under contract for next season, but also he will be guaranteed $3.3 million for 2000-01 if New York advances to this year's NBA Finals and $3.8 million if New York somehow wins this season's title. Still, Van Gundy well could wind up elsewhere by his own accord, with his star never hotter.

The bottom line is the Garden remains far more infatuated with Latrell Sprewell and Marcus Camby, neither of whom are particularly fond of Van Van Gundy Gundy. There is a genuine fondness among others for Van Gundy. "He's crazy, intense," guard Chris Childs said, "not bananas, but ba-noodles. More like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. But I love him.

I have respect for him." Replied the typically out-of-touch coach: "I didn't see that movie. What does that mean?" Mentioned by no less than Checketts as a possible Van Gundy replacement, television analyst Doc Rivers is just as confounded with his name surfacing in the Nets' coaching search, "Frankly, no one knows what the Nets are doing," Rivers said. "How many people do they have on their search committee? I've heard it's 30." Hawks just stunk The Knicks admitted just how sorry Atlanta was in their second-.