The Indianapolis News from Indianapolis, Indiana • 17

THE. NEWS MONDAY, APRIL 27, 1987 PAGE 17 Comics 23 draft injury complicates Colts McMillan faces leg surgery in 3 the past three seasons, suffered two severely fractured bones in his lower left leg and will undergo surgery later this week. McMillan's mother said doctors performed some plastic surgery on the right side of his face Sanday. Police said McMillan was struck by a 1983 Cadillac about 2:15 a.m. Sunday near his home in Timonium, Md A trooper had pulled over aar on the opposite side of the road and McMillan thought he rec Irsay said McMillan.

will have a stabilizing device placed in his leg during surgery later this week, is definitely out for the 1987 season. Doctors have described the injury as similar to that suffered by Washington The Associated Press night against the Pacers. Meyer. Now the job could fall to Albert Bentley. who rushed for 162 yards in the 1986 season ender.

or George Wonsley or Owen Gill. Or, would it fall to a draftee such as the University of Miami's Alonzo Highsmith? Highsmith. a 242-pounder with speed, is said to have John Riggins' running ability with better hands. The Colts could shift to Plan and take Highsmith with the No. 2 pick.

Or they could trade down a few spots and hope he or maybe Auburn back Brent Full-wood is still available. It was reported "late Sunday that both Green Bay. with the No. 4 pick, and San Diego. No.

5, would be drawing up new proposals for trading with the Colts. However. Irsay gave the unmistakable impression the Colts wouldn't budge from Plan A. which involved drafting Bennett. See COLTS Page 19 row playoff series edge Pacers vs.

Hawks I WEDNESDAY at Market Square Arena, 7:30 p.m., WIBC-1070. FRIDAY at Market Square Arena (if necessary), 7:30 p.m., WIBC-1070. SUNDAY at Atlanta (if necessary), TBA said Long, facing the music without flinching. "I gave Chuck a look and his man was playing him on the left side. I did not want to pass it and have it deflected.

I took the shot. It went in and bounced out." Person, who led the Pacers' with 24 points, defended Long, explaining the play was designed for him coming off a high-low pick. "Out of the corner of my eye I saw it was congested if I were to take the low route," he said. "I went high. "John Long took what he thought was the best shot.

It didn't go down. I think he would do it again." Long felt the deciding play came seconds earlier. Tree Rollins picked off one of Dominique Wilkins' 22 misses and stuffed it back In the basket to put Atlanta ahead 92-91. Long pedaled down the right baseline to get inside position under the basket, then went up for a layin attempt. He and forward Kevin Willis bumped and referee Tommy Nunez whistled Long for an offensive foul.

"I was surprised." exclaimed Long. "I was standing right there." noted center Steve Stipanovich. "He went straight up." With the ball returned to the Hawks, diminutive Spud Webb fed the ball to Willis for a jump hook over Herb Williams to give See PACERS Page 18 Inside CHECKERS OUT With the Checkers having been shown the exit from the International Hockey League playoffs, Fort Wayne's "hated" Bruce Shoebottom offers kind words on Indianapolis' Byron Lomow. Page 18. REDS ROMP The highflying Cincinnati Reds have, swept a three-game series in the Astrodome for the first time since 1974, with power-hitting Dave Parker at the leryj.

Page 20. By TOM RIETMANN The Indianapolis Newt Jolted by the news of a career-threatening injury to Randy McMillan. Colts officials huddled in marathon meetings today to reconsider their draft plans. But early indications were the Colts would cling' to their No. 2 overall pick in Tues-day's NFL draft.

And reading between the lines, you get the idea they'll still use the selection on Alabama linebacker Cornelius Bennett. is Randy McMillan doesn't change anything as far as a Colts General Manager Jim Irsay insisted late Sunday night. Irsay was referring to an automobile accident early Sunday morning that left McMillan, Atlanta's Spud Webb sails Russell The Associated Press SACRAMENTO. Calif. Bill Russell, who won two world championships as a player-coach with the Boston Celtics In the late 1960s, has agreed to a long-term contract to coach the Sacramento Kings, according to a published report.

Russell. 53. will sign the contract today and the Kings will make the announcement at a press, conference afterward, the Sacramento Bee reported In today's edijjons. The $ict. largely engineered IN I Wayne Fuson I Pacers no match on talent NOTES written while listening (and watching) as Eddie Doucette and Bob Leonard broadcast, coached and refereed dur ing Sunday night's Pacer game at Atlanta: You have to wonder how in the world Jack Ramsay got that Pacer team to .500 during the regular season.

He must have done it with mirrors. Same thing Sunday night as Atlanta escaped only 94- 93. Certainly Indiana's talent isn't in the same league with Atlanta's. Don't ask me how the Pacers beat the Hawks twice during the season in Atlanta, either. Hopefully, it'll be a different story when the Hawks and the Pacers move to Market Square Arena for Game 3 in this first -round NBA playoff series.

And just maybe the Pacers can finally win an NBA playoff game. haven't won a playoff game since the ball was red, white and blue and the league was the ABA. Most people were happy when Atlanta lost that final game of the season to Boston because it meant that the Pacers didn't have to play the Celtics in the playoffs. The way things went in the first two games, it wouldn't have made much difference. Atlanta doesn't have a Larry Bird, but it does have a Dominique Wilkins and a Spud Webb and the Pacers couldn't do much about either.

Webb is only 5-foot-7 (or is it but he turns the Indiana defense inside out every time he drives for the basketball. If they sag on him. he'll flip the ball out to someone who is unguarded. If they don't, he'll take it in. He even got a slam dunk Sunday night.

Wilkins is something else. Indiana didn't have anybody who could come close to him. The Hawks seemed to own the boards. But then, what's new? They averaged 15 more rebounds a game during the season than did the Pacers. One armchair quarter? back felt the difference in Sunday night's game was the bench.

The Hawks didn't seem to lose any consistency when it substituted, but the Pacers did except for Way-man Tisdale. Market Square apparently is a ways from being a sellout for Wednesday night, when the series is resumed. Donnle Walsh, general manager of the Pacers, during a halftlme Interview emphasized how important a home crowd can be. He said that a sellout crowd not only could urge a team onto victory but might even Influence the referees! I can't believe that, Donnle! Short takes LEONARD almost got as excited as he used to when he was coaching the Pacers (to three ABA championships). Missed free throws always irritate Leonard.

Once years ago in Denver, he called a midnight meeting of the Pacers when they'd lost a game because of a poor free-throw shooting performance. JACK RAMSAY, the veteran Pacer coach, was pretty casually dressed for this game. He wore an open collar shirt Indianapolis Mayor BILL HUDNUT watched the game In Atlanta along with the Pacer owners. MEL and HERB SIMON. Also in the crowd at the Atlanta Omni TED TURNER, the Hawks owner everybody calls Captain Courageous It seems more evident every day that the NBA Is going to have to Co to three referees belore long.

No longer can two aging gents keep up with 10 of the world's greatest physical specimens for 4 minutes. ognized the driver. Police said the Colts fullback stopped his car and attempted to run across the street. Mrs, McMillan said her son was thrown 17 feet by the force of the impact. Police have not charged the driver of the car i that struck McMillan.

Jim Irsay, Colts general manager, said he has been informed McMillan won't be able See INJURY Page 19 quarterback Joe possibly more severe. McMillan, the team's leading rusher the last three seasons, would have been a leading candidate to take over the one-back set planned by Colts Coach Ron no a Hawks own 2-0 By DICK MITTMAN The Indianapolis News ATLANTA Failure to execute a play called Three-Up put the Indiana Pacers two down to the Atlanta Hawks Sunday night in the best-of-five NBA playoff series. Guard Long missed the final shot of the game on the play and the Hawks walked off the Omni floor gasping but owning a 94-93 victory. Indiana returns to friendly Market Square Arena Wednesday facing elimination if it doesn't win. In fact, the Pacers must win three straight if they are to sideline the Hawks and advance to the second round of the playoffs.

The 48-minute game boiled down to the last 17 seconds after Atlanta failed to put up a shot within 24 seconds due to some stern Pacer defense. Pacer Coach Jack Ramsay held up three fingers to guard Vern Fleming, indicating a play intended for Chuck Person. Person never touched the ball. Fleming passed it to Long, who did not swing it on to the Pacer rookie noted for his final-shot heroics. Instead, the veteran out of Detroit held the ball in the free throw circle area and pump-faked twice to get Indianapolis native Randy Wittman off his feet.

This Long accomplished, but he was forced to lean around Wittman to put up his shot. It hit the iron and the ball was swatted away off desperate Pacer fingers as the clock reached zeros. Was the shot meant for Long? Ramsay was asked. "No. no.

no." he answered. "It was a play for Chuck. John became impatient and did not get a quality shot we wanted. "You've got to do that. That's ell part of winning In the playoffs, to keep your poise and execute down the stretch." Long had gotten the Pacers into the last minute a point down by scoring 12 of his 14 points In the quarter.

"We had a chance to win." As a player, Russell was on 1 1 world championship teams and as a coach with Boston and Seattle had a record of. 324-249. In 1980. the former University of San Francisco star was selected as the greatest player In the history or the NBA by the Professional Basketball Writers' Association of America. He was named most valuable player In the NBA in 1958.

1961. 1962. 1963 and 1965 and was elected to the NBA Hall of Fame In 1 974. Pacers meed The Indianapolis News, The mother of Colts fallback Randy McMillan indicated late Sunday her son was awake and speaking, but clearly irritated after being struck by an automobile. "He was very agitated by all of this," said Edna McMillan from her home in Jarrettsville, Md.

"He said it was a dumb thing. He didn't see the car at all." McMillan, a six-year Colts veteran and the leading rasher the Colts' starting fullback since 1981; with two fractured bones in his lower left leg. McMillan. 28. was struck by a car near his home in Timonium.

about 2:15 a.m. after he left his own car to assist a roadside driver. in for two points Sanday to by Kings General Manager Joe Axelson. is designed to have Russell coach the team for a few years and then replace Axelson as general manager, according to the Bee. The newspaper said sources within the Kings organization say the two parties reached an accord early last week and the exact language of the deal was agreed upon Saturday.

The Kings finished with a 29-53 record this season during their sefc'ond year In Sacramento. V. 1 coach -f I if Sacramento? The franchise moved to Sacramento in 1985 after more than a decade In Kansas City. Reynolds to assist Jerry Reynolds, who became coach on an Interim basis after Phil Johnson was fired Feb. 8.

will be retained as an assistant next season, the Bee said. The Bee said the Kings hope to move Reynolds into the head coach's Job when Russell moves Into the front office..