Nanaimo Daily News from Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada • 11

Wednesday. May 7. 2003 Deity KSWI B3 NBA PLAYOFFS Is Jordan the best fit for Wiz? no DALLAS (AP) A long layoff wasn't a problem for the Sacramento Kings. Neither were the Dallas Mavericks. Peja Stojakovic had 26 points and nine rebounds and Chris Webber had 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists as the Kings pounded the Mavericks 124-113 Tuesday night in the opener of the Western Conference semifinal.

Sacramento was playing for the first time since eliminating Utah in five games last Wednesday. The Kings proved they weren't rusty by going on 15-2 run midway through the first quarter, building a 12-point lead that was hardly challenged. Dallas was able to trim it to six late in the second quarter, finally giving the game the electricity expected from two of the league's three highest-scor-ing teams. But Sacramento always had more answers. The Kings got the lead back to 12 by halftime and stretched it to 20 less than four minutes into the third quarter, drawing boos from a crowd of 20,525.

I Sacramento's lead peaked at 28 late in the third quarter. The final margin was the closest Dallas got in the second half. I Game 2 is Thursday night, and the Mavericks will have to find some answers fast. i They have lost eight of 10 to the WASHINGTON (AP) Washing-ton Wizards owner Abe Pollin wants to do what he believes is right for his team this time, even if that means saying goodbye to Michael Jordan. At his state-of-the-union speech to Wizards employees last week, Pollin gave a hint of his mind-set heading into a crucial meeting with Jordan on Wednesday.

Pollin said while he has been always been a "league guy," he is now going to do "what's best for the franchise," according to two team sources familiar with the speech and speaking on condition of anonymity. Pollin's clear implication was that he would not be swayed by anyone when he makes his decision about whether to continue his relationship with Jordan, who had planned to return to the Wizards' front office after his two seasons back on the court. So, it's unclear if Pollin will welcome Jordan back as president of basketball operations next season. He held the job from January 2000 to September 2001, when he announced he would return as a player. At Wednesday's meeting, Jordan will ask for the same authority he had before.

Pollin will want to hear Jor-dan's plans. "I'm just hoping that Michael and Mr. Pollin will be able to sit down together and get this resolved," coach Doug Collins said, "so we can move forward." Despite reports of a rift within the franchise, Jordan said again this week that he wants to return. "When I came down from the front office to play, I said at that time I wanted to play for two years then resume my duties running the basketball operation," Jordan told The Washington Post. "I always wanted to resume my responsibilities, always." It's a difficult decision for Pollin, a 79-year-old owner looking for one more title.

In the end, he must either turn away the world's most popular basketball personality and start from scratch or give control to someone whose management record is spotty at best! 1 SACRAMENTO KINGS forward Chris Webber, left, drives to the hoop against Dallas defender Eduardo Najera in NBA playoff action Tuesday. (AP Photo) So much for that homecourt advantage Dallas earned by winning one more regular season game than the Kings. And so much for the support of the largest crowd in team history, a feat reached for the fourth time in five games this post-season. A huge chunk filed out during a dead ball with 8:05 left and Sacramento ahead 110-85. Hamilton pours in 25 as Pistons dump Kings since last year's playoffs, when Sacramento won in five games, also in the second round.

The Kings were so dominant inside last May that Dallas put a banner over its practice court to remind everyone of the 115 layups and dunks they allowed. That didn't stop Webber from backing down Eduardo Najera for an easy layup for the game's opening basket. Almost everything seemed that easy for Sacramento. The Kings could even be accused of showing off the way they played that game-breaking early spurt, as the first five field goals came from a different starter. When it ended with Webber dunking over Shawn Bradley Sacramento was 9-for-14 for the game.

Bobby Jackson, the NBA's top sixth man, scored 23 points, while Doug Christie had 13 and Keon Clark added 11 as the Kings shot 55 per cent, including 9-of-21 on 3-pointers. Victoria's Steve Nash, Michael Fin-ley and Nick Van Exel each scored 20 points to lead Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki, coming off 31 points in Game 7 against Portland on Sunday, had 18 points and 11 rebounds. The only time Dallas made things interesting was late in the second quarter, when a 10-2 run made it 52-46. The crowd went wild when Webber missed two foul shots and got even louder a few seconds later when after trailing 3-1.

Allen Iverson, who led the league in scoring during the first round, had 27 points on 8of-21 shooting for the 76ers. He averaged 34.8 points in the first round against Charlotte. Game 2 is Thursday night in Detroit. Detroit was in control for much of the game against the Sixers, but it was never comfortable. That was especially true when Chauncey Billups left the game with i h( II Wfl AUBURN HILLS, Mich.

(AP) The Detroit Pistons didn't want to get off another bad start. Richard Hamilton scored 25 points as top-seeded Detroit beat the fourth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers 98-87 Tuesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Pistons lost the opening game of the playoffs to Orlando and was forced to rally to be just the seventh team in NBA history to win a series 76ers 98-87 Philadelphia could not get closer than seven points as the Pistons made just enough free throws to seal the win. The Pistons have not trailed in the second half of any of their last four games. Detroit's bench, which led the league with 34.1 points a game during the regular season, was a force.

Okur scored a playoff-high 16 while Tayshaun and Corliss Williamson each had eight. A AA Najera dunked over a flat-footed Webber. Then the Mavs wasted three offensive rebounds on one possession, the Kings turned it into an uncontested layup and they were back in control. Stojakovic opened the third quarter with a jumper, then a dunk off a steal and all that was in doubt was the final score. a sprained left ankle after his 24th point gave the Pistons a 77-70 lead with about 10 minutes left.

Billups scored 77 points in the final two games of the first-round series against the Magic. The Sixers scored consecutive baskets to pull within three the closest they had been since early in the ond quarter but Detroit rookie Mehmet Okur scored six straight points to give the Pistons the cushion they needed. i9 i -ANN NANAM B.C. UJJ 'Every day is a gift' BASEBALL Delgado goes deep twice for Blue Jays ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Carlos Delgado hit two of Toronto's five home runs as the Blue Jays drilled the Texas Rangers 15-5 Tuesday night for their fifth straight win. With his 32nd career multihomer game, Delgado increased his season total to 11 homers.

He's tied for the AL lead with Texas' Juan Gonzalez and Carl Everett, who hit a three-run homer. Rookie Jayson Werth and Orlando Hudson both hit three-run homers for the Blue Jays. Vernon Wells, who went to high school in Arlington and still lives there, led off the fourth with his seventh homer. Texas slugger Rafael Palmeiro, two homers shy of becoming the 19th player with 500, went 0-for-2 with a strikeout on a 10-pitch at-bat before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the fifth, when the Rangers were already down 154. The Blue Jays, the best-hitting team in the AL, had 17 hits, nine of them for extra bases.

Werth, Chris Woodward and Shannon Stewart each had three hits, and three other Toronto hitters had two. After allowing four runs in the first two innings, Roy Hal-laday (2-2) retired 15 of 16 batters until Michael Young's one-out triple in the seventh. Young came home on Everett's groundout as Halladay finished the inning. Everett's three-run homer in the second got the Rangers to 5-4. Hank Blalock hit a solo homer in the first to put Texas ahead.

Delgado led off the second and third innings with homers. Kuerten ousted in opener ROME (AP) Brazil's Gustavo Kuerten lost in the first round of the Italian Open on Tuesday, then acknowledged he probably can't win another French Open title this year. Kuerten was beaten 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 by Gaston Gaudio of Argentina in this Tennis Masters Series clay-court tournament. "It's sad," the 14th-seeded Brazilian said. "I have a lot of experience in these tournaments.

But that's not everything that I need to win especially a tournament like the French. It would be hoping too far from my reality." Kuerten won the French Open in 1997, 2000 and 2001; he won Rome's tune-up for that Grand Slam event in 1999. But he hasn't returned to top form since having hip surgery in early 2002. "If I could win one or two of these tough matches I will regain my confidence and find my game again," Kuerten said. "Physically I feel ready to play more games, but I don't have a good rhythm and that is a problem" In other action, 2002 French Open runner-up Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain and 1998 French Open champion Carlos Moya of Spain won in straight sets.

Ferrero beat Mark Philippoussis of Australia 7-6 (3), 6-4, while Moya eliminated Fernando Vicente 6-2, 64. Sampras pulls out of tourney HAMBURG (AP) Pete Sampras pulled out of next week's German Open on Tuesday, increasing the possibility he will skip his first French Open in 13 years. German organizers Tuesday gave no reason for his withdrawal The French Open, the only Grand Slam Sampras hasn't won, starts May 26 in Paris. KTAMES TKAT BOAT! Peek Iuto YuePiist Firemen fought convent blaze with their thumbs 0.