The Gazette from Cedar Rapids, Iowa • 19

MONDAY, MAY 22, 1989 POKE INSIDE Financial City Briefs 'Wi 'BY Classified Weather UtaflDDs I SZrf Gazette sports columnist K3A PLAYOFFS AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) For the third straight 'playoff series, the Chicago Bulls needed only one game to take away the homecourt advantage of a team that was superior during the regular season. The Bulls squandered a 24-point lead against Detroit, then rallied behind Michael Jordan, who scored 10 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, and beat the Pistons, 94-88, Sunday in the opener of the Eastern Conference finals. "Michael is an Incredible player," Detroit's Mark Aguirre said. "There's nothing I can say that hasn't been said.

He's playing within himself now. That's making every- against Detroit, which beat the Bulls In six consecutive games. "We got off to a great start and got into a good groove," Jordan said. "We moved the ball around. We caught them flat." But that was mostly Jordan's doing.

He not only scored 14 points in the first quarter, he also was assigned to guard Islah Thomas a major switch in the Bulls' defense. The move disrupted the Pistons' entire guard tandem of Thomas, Joe Dirmars and Vinnie Johnson. The Piston trio, which had been averaging 43.8 points in seven previous playoff games, combined for only 27 points on IK for-45 shooting against the Bulls. "Michael did a great job of getting everybody off early," Chicago Coach Doug Collins "We put Michael on Islah to give them a different look. We thought putting a bigger person on him would make them react differently." The Bulls, in the conference finals for only the third time in the club's 23-year history, also were 0-6 against Cleveland, but eliminated the Cavaliers in the first round, 3-2.

It also was the third straight series In which the Bulls won the opening game on the road. body more comfortable on the floor around him." The Bulls, who finished 16 games behind the Pistons in the Central Division, earlier beat favored Cleveland and Atlantic Division champion New York in the playoffs. Game 2 of the best-of-7 series is Tuesday at the Palace, with Games 3 and 4 Saturday and the following Monday at Chicago. Jordan, who entered the game as the leading scorer in the playoffs, averaged 27.7 points during the regular season it C'P i 1 1 0 111) A If A IS' -4 I Experience helps Unser at Downs By Al Hall Gazette sportswrlter Experience helped young Robby Unser as the American IndyCar Series got its start at Hawk-eye Downs Speedway Sunday. His father's experience.

Unser easily won both 100-lap features and then said it was his dad who helped him get off to a quick start in the second season of the AIS. Robby and his father, the legendary Bobby Unser, were at the track on Monday setting up for the weekend races. "It was just Dad," he said. "Dad got the car working and we didn't even touch it from when we practiced. It made a ton of difference." The untouched car was also untouchable on the speedway as Indy car racing made its first-ever Iowa appearance.

Only Bill Scott of Wheeling, 111., driving the Illinois Corn Growers' ethanol-powered car, was able to push Unser, finishing second in both races. "I'm not sad to finish second to 'Dr. Smooth' (Unser) anytime," Scott said. Unser led for 197 of the 200 laps before an estimated 1,800 fans Sunday and Dr. Smooth seems to be an appropriate nickname.

He handled lap traffic with ease and that's how he prevented Scott from closing the gap. He beat Scott to the finish by 3.75 seconds in the first race and won by 1.47 seconds in the second. Unser and Scott were the only racers to complete all 200 laps. til im in i AS Gazette photo by Lisa Powell Robby Unser is greeted by his pit crew after winning the first of two 100-lap IndyCar series races at Hawkeye Downs Sunday afternoon. Injured leg, winning feat L.

hey say you have to learn to 1 1 crawl before you can walk. That axiom has two meanings to auto racer Robby Unser, who drove to a pair of 100-lap victories in Sunday's American IndyCar Series event at Hawkeye Downs Speedway. One, Unser has to learn how to handle Indy cars before he tries to slay the dragon that is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Two, Unser can't walk, at least not without the help of a leg brace. He broke his right leg two years ago.

It didn't heal properly, so he had corrective surgery last year. After seven months of idleness, Unser jumped back into a cockpit this weekend, sans brace. It took him a few extra minutes to get to the judge's stand to claim his trophy for winning the first race. "I gotta walk first," Unser told a track official as he hopped "around, looking for a place in his pit area to sit down and rewrap his leg with the brace. A race driver with a messed-up accelerator leg? Not to worry.

Unser said he should be totally recovered in about six weeks. During Sunday's races, it hardly appeared his mind was clouded with pain or concern. "It was no problem," he said. THE FIRST FAMILY of auto racing in the United States is the Unsers. Al Unser, Robby's uncle, is one of only two drivers to win the Indy 500 four times, and he'll be on the front row when, the green flag is given at the old brickyard next Sunday.

Al Unser is looking for his first Indy win, but he's knocked on the door there, and has compiled a stellar record on the CART circuit. Bobby Unser, Robby's father, retired with three Indianapolis titles. Enter Robby, who has driven under more diverse conditions than cross-country truckers. He started racing go-karts at age. 7.

Between then and now, Robby Unser has driven late model stock cars, sprint cars, midgets, Formula Forda, super modifieds, hill climb cars almost anything with four tires, horsepower and decals promoting spark plugs. Finally, at the ripe old age of 21, Unser is piloting an Indy car with the major-league CART not too far down the track. Cedar Rapids, Unser said, was exactly where he wanted to be Sunday at this stage of his career. "This (the IndyCar Series), I think, is about the best training for my ultimate goal in life, which is driving Indy cars," Unser said. "How soon I run at Indy is something that depends on my development and learning curve as a driver at this level.

I don't know how long it will take. I don't want to go there before I'm ready, before I have the maturity and knowledge to compete there." UNSER'S FATHER has also been his mentor through the years. He's helped Robby plot a path that has given him a vast range of experience. "Indy cars take lots of maturity and just plain thinking," Unser said. "That's stuff you learn, and you only learn it by racing long enough.

You have to settle down and think out there. You've got to know when and when not to try different things." Like Robby, Al Unser Jr. operated all sorts of race cars on the way to the big time. "That's the thing I respect so much about my older cousin," Robby said. "He's a versatile driver.

And. that's the way it's been with our fathers, too. "They tried to teach us when we were young that we need to be "It was really good," Unser said of the Hawkeye Downs track. "I had a little bit of hesitation about where you could pass, but I found out where you could pass. I didn't feel I could run away from anybody, but the car's strong enough that I didn't think anybody would be a super threat to pass me.

Bill Scott was real close." Scott was dazed momentarily in the first race. "A rock hit me in the helmet and then stuck in the wing," Scott said with a smile. "It's what it's like when someone slaps you in the head. You kind of black out for a second and then you kind of have to keep going." Especially at these speeds. Unser's fastest lap in the sec ments.

We went a lot faster in the second race." Pepe Romero of Miami finished third in the first race, Richard Griffin of Silver City, N.M., fourth and Bob Tankersley of Denver, fifth. Kenji Momota of Tokyo, Japan, was third in. the second race, Please turn to 6B: Unser ond race was the 84th. He turned that in 17.52 seconds, averaging 102.74 mph. "He was working traffic a little more aggressively than we were," Scott said.

"The second race was a lot better," Unser said. "Everybody had a little different feel for the track and made some adjust C.R. Reds' 6-game win streak comes to an end at Rockford Flames even Cup series with win MONTREAL (AP) Mike Vernon got the best of Patrick Roy in the battle of the NHL's best goalies, and the Calgary Flames altered the course of the playoffs with a 4-2 victory over Montreal Sunday night in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals. Vernon shut out Montreal for nearly 51 minutes and STANLEY CUP stopped 17 shots, and linemates Doug Gilmour and Joe Mullen scored second-period goals as the Flames evened the -series at two wins each. Al Maclnnis' goal gave Calgary a 3-1 lead with 1:38 remaining.

Claude Lemieux's goal pulled the Canadiens to within 3-2 with 27 seconds left but Mullen's empty-netter with 11 seconds remaining iced the win for the Flames. Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday night in Calgary before the best-of-7 series returns to Montreal Thursday night. A seventh game, if necessary, is scheduled for Calgary next Sunday night. Only one of the last 17 finals has lasted seven games. Vernon lost his chance to tie an NHL record of four playoff shutouts in one year when Russ Courtnall scored.

13 batters down in order until Duane Mulville reached him for a one-out single in the Reds' eighth. Risley retired the first six Expos he faced. The string was snapped when Joel Smith launched a home run, his third of the season, leading off the Rockford third. Esteban Beltre then singled and stole second. One out later, Rod Boddie boomed a drive into the right-center field gap that Reds right fielder Donnie Brown ran down but was unable to hang onto.

Boddie's double scored Beltre. Adam Terris singled home Boddie and Terris went to second on the throw to the plate. Bryn Kosco followed with an RBI single which sent Risley to the showers. Keith Kaub greeted reliever Quinn Marsh with a single but Kelly Zane hit into a double play to end the inning. The Expos' six hits and four runs in the inning were three more runs and one more hit than they had totaled in the two previous games of the series.

Marsh was the most effective Reds hurler, striking out five Expos in 2 innings of work. Please turn to 3B: Reds ROCKFORD, 111. Rod Boddie's one-out double in the third inning broke a 1-1 tie and sent the Rockford Expos to a 7-2 Midwest League win over the Cedar Rapids Reds Sunday, snapping the Reds' winning streak at six games. Despite the loss, Cedar Rapids maintained its one-game lead in the Southern Division over Springfield, which was beaten by Appleton, 3-2. Southpaw Chris Nabholz (5-1) scattered five hits over eight innings for the win.

He did not walk a batter and struck out six. Right-hander Brett Davis pitched the ninth and gave up a two-out home run to Mike Malinak, his first homer of the season. Reds right-hander Bill Risley (1-4) was rocked for five hits and four runs in 2y3 innings. Nabholz retired the first four. Reds, three via strikeout, before Greg Lonigro swatted a one-out double in the Cedar Rapids second.

Jeff Branson's sacrifice bunt moved Lonigro to third and on Chris Schnurbusch's double to left-center field which put the Reds ahead, 1-0. The Reds had runners on first and third with two outs in the third, but failed to score when a double-steal attempt went awry. Nabholz then set the next Sacramento Kings win NBA lottery, 1st pick in draft remains undecided able to run any kind of car for Lopez collects 40th win at LPGA tourney ASON, Ohio (AP) Nancy Lopez says she wants to I I be remembered as the best woman golfer ever. Li She already has locked up that title at the Jack Nicklaus Sports Center. Lopez won her third LPGA Championship Sunday all at the Jack Sports Center Grizzly Course with a final-round 6-under-par 66, overtaking Ayako Okamoto on the final eight holes to win by three shots.

The victory was the of her 13-year professional career. "Nancy is No. 1 Okamoto said. Lopez, who started the day two shots behind Okamoto, pulled even at the turn. But a three-putt bogey on the 10th hole, while Okamoto made birdie, gave Japan's top player a 2-stroke lead.

"I got angry with that three-putt," said Lopez, a member of the LPGA Hall of Fame. "I just said, I'm not going to do that (again). I wanted to win. I wanted it so badly, that my Please turn to 4B: Lopez seasoning. Then when you get to NEW YORK AP) The Sacramento Kings, who have never won more than 37 games in a season, won the NBA lottery Sunday and the first pick in the college draft June 27.

Gregg Lukenbill, managing general partner of the team, called the lottery victory another step toward bringing Kings' fans a winner. Every Sacramento home game has been a sellout since the team moved from Kansas City in 1985. "No fans in America deserve a break more than the fans in Sacramento," Lukenbill said. "I was thrilled to be in the top three. I never allowed myself to think we would get the first pick." The Kings, who finished sixth in the two previous lotteries in selected Danny Manning first.

San Antonio, which picked David Robinson of Navy after winning the 1987 lottery, was third. Following the Kings', Clippers and Spurs in the draft will be Miami, Charlotte, Chicago, Indiana, Dallas and Washington. Potential No. 1 picks besides Rice include Danny Ferry of Duke, Sean Elliott of Arizona, Stacey King of Oklahoma and J.R. Reid of North Carolina.

Bulls general manager Jerry Krause said Michael Jordan will get a voice in who the team gets with the sixth pick. "We're going to get a good pick," Krause said. "There probably will fVj trades." which they participated, in 1985 and 1987, had their team logo drawn last out of a hamper containing the cards of eight other teams. The team's doubt about who it wants in the draft was made perfectly clear by the back of a Kings jersey Lukenbill unveiled after the lottery. It had a big question mark on it.

"There are three or four players we have in mind, but we have to choose which one we like," Lukenbill said. Lukenbill said that Bill Russell, general manager of the team, likes Glen Rice, who led Michigan to the NCAA title last month. Following the Kings in the draft will be the Los Angeles Clippers, who wor last year's lottery and Indy you use everything you've learned from everywhere, including, your local dirt track." Unser was pushed by only one other driver Sunday. When Bill Scott closed on Unser in the last 10 laps of the second race, Unser showed a master's touch in weaving through lapped traffic and pulling away. "I call him 'Dr.

Scott said. Just calling him an Unser says enough. V' y..