Hawaii Tribune-Herald from Hilo, Hawaii • 6

6-Hawaii Tribune-Herald, Monday, May 21, 1984 Tribune- Herald SPORTS Lakers move a step closer in West finals PHOENIX (UPI)-When Magic Johnson and the rest of the younger Lakers get tired running and shooting, it's nice to have 15-year veteran Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hovering under the basket. The Lakers went to Abdul-Jabbar yesterday and he responded with 31 points to help the visitors beat the Phoenix Suns 126-115 and take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Western Conference finals. Game 5 is slated for Los Angeles Wednesday night. "There is a natural phenomenon called fatigue," said Los Angeles coach Pat Riley. "After a 6-minute sprint, human beings will get tired and then they take the ball into No.

33. I don't mind that too much." Suns coach John MacLeod said, "Kareem came ready to play today. They loaded him up in the low post and he was very, very active." Abdul-Jabbar, who hit 13 of 17 from the field, had a supporting cast of five other Lakers in double figures. Bob McAdoo came off the bench to get 23 points. Johnson finished with 20, James Worthy with 17, Byron Scott 16 and Michael Cooper 11.

Speaking of the Lakers' depth, Abdul-Jabbar said, "Versatility is the mark of a great athlete and we have great athletes on this team. We got guys that want to win. I think the pride is even more important than our talent." Taking his 31 points in stride, he credited much of the victory to the defense. "We were more physical and we got the rebounds we had to get. Lucas and (Larry) Nance were getting those offensive rebounds and putting them back in.

Once we took that away from them, it changed what they could do and put us in a much better position to win the game." MacLeod agreed the Lakers played better defense than. they did in Phoenix's only win of the series, a 135- 127 overtime decision Friday night. "The pressure really bothered us and we had a difficult time running much offense against the pressure," MacLeod said. "Throughout the series, that has been a problem for us." Boston will look to sweep Milwaukee tonight in the Eastern Conference finals in game 4 of their best-of-seven series. The Celtics beat the Bucks 109-100 Saturday in Milwaukee to take a 3-0 lead.

The teams played even through the first quarter which ended with Los Angeles leading 37-36. Los Angeles broke away by outscoring Phoenix 20-10 in the first seven minutes of the second and led 69-58 at halftime. The Lakers built an 18-point lead late in the third quarter, but Phoenix with four substitutes in the 1 lineup made one last threat midway in the fourth. Charles Pittman had two driving layups, sandwiched around a tip-in by Alvin Scott, and Paul Westphal added an off-balance jumper as the Suns ran off eight unanswered points to close the gap to 107-103 with 6:17 remaining. Los Angeles responded with seven straight points of its own baskets by Scott and Johnson and a threepoint play by Abdul-Jabbar to end the Phoenix threat.

The Suns' leading scorer, Walter Davis who hit a personal playoff high of 34 points on Friday managed only 18 yesterday. Nance led the Suns with 27 points, followed by Maurice Lucas with 21. Alvan Adams had 14 and Kyle Macy 11. Riley said the Lakers; aiming for their third title in five years, "have the momentum." However, he said the playoffs never start until the home team loses, so the current best-of-seven series only started yesterday. "We want to close it out on Wednesday," he said.

MacLeod said the Suns are "not in the best of situations" going back to the Forum, where they lost the first two games by 16-point margins. "But we're not out of it yet," he said. "We still have a chance and we're going to go back over there with the intention that we're going to win." UH Rainbows win championship HONOLULU (UPI) -The University of Hawai'i Rainbows became champions of the Western Athletic Conference Saturday night, edging out the San Diego State Aztecs 5-4 in the second game of the evening. Team members carried winning pitcher Greg Burlingame off the field on their shoulders after he struck out Steve Hill, to stave off a ninth-inning rally by the Aztecs. The Aztecs scored one run in the first inning, but the 'Bows pulled ahead to take a 5-1 lead in the sixth.

That lead grew smaller as the game progressed, but the Aztecs couldn't pull off the sort of comeback they used to win the first game. The Aztecs thwarted the Rainbows' first attempt to take the WAC title, coming back in the ninth inning of the first game to win 8-6. Oilers sweep NHL with tidal force EDMONTON, Alberta (UPI)-In their five- rise to the Stanley Cup championship, the Edmonton Oilers were considered hockey's potential new wave. The brash Edmonton upstarts have now swept the National Hockey League with tidal force. The Oilers defeated the New York Islanders 5-2 Saturday night to win their first Stanley Cup championship, stopping the Islanders' bid for a fifth straight title.

Edmonton won the bestof-seven series four games to one. But Wayne Gretzky said 1 the Oilers achieved more than mere league supremacy they also ushered in a new hockey era. "I think our team changed the style," said the Edmonton center, who broke loose for four goals in the last two games of the series. "It's a faster game now than it was. There are smaller players and more European players in the league." While his teammate was talking of a new wave in hockey, Conn Smythe winner Mark Messier was dancing to the new wave music of a dressing room loudspeaker.

"Turn it up!" shouted Messier, Phils sweep the West Coast Braves rally to beat Bucs United Press International No matter what the history books say, it was the Philadelphia Phillies who conquered the West. The Phillies beat San Francisco 7-4 yesterday, completing their ninegame West Coast swing as the first team in National League history to sweep the entire West Coast portion of their road trip. "They may tie it but they'll never break it," Philadelphia manager Paul Owens said. "We've been playing good. We've been getting consistent pitching, timely hitting and we're getting the long ball, too." Len Matuszek and Juan Samuel homered during a five-run second inning to power the Phillies to their ninth straight victory.

"We were going poorly and had a meeting in Houston," said Matuszek. "And the Pope (Owens) said that he had wanted to get out of April playing .500 ball like we did. He said he knew we'd start playing better and we believed him. It's a credit to him because we're using all 25 men." Matuszek started the two-out eruption with his seventh home run of the year, a solo shot off loser Jeff Robinson, 3-5. Ozzie Virgil and Ivan DeJesus followed with singles, then winning pitcher Charles Hudson knocked in Virgil with a single.

Samuel hit the next pitch over the left field fence for his third homer of the season. "We can't keep letting days go by," said San Francisco manager Frank Robinson. "Our pitchers have got 1 to stay away from big innings. Our hitters have to come up with more key hits. We have to do that and cut out silly mistakes if we're going to start to win." Mike Schmidt hit his major leagueleading 12th home run in the ninth inning for Philadelphia's seventh run.

The Phillies also scored in the third when Giant third baseman Joel Youngblood missed a throw from the outfield, allowing Joe Lefebvre to score from second. The Giants scored on John LeMaster's RBI single in the second, a an RBI single by Joe Pittman in the fourth and run-scoring singles by Al Oliver and Jack Clark in the seventh. Hudson pitched 6 1-3 innings in raising his record to 5-2. Larry Anderson earned his first save with two scoreless innings of relief. Hudson lost the first game of the road trip to Houston but came back and beat Los Angeles and the Giants.

"'We didn't get to Houston 'til 4:30 in CHARLES HUDSON ups sixth victory the morning," said Hudson. "I know I was dragging. I got some pitches up and they got on me early. When we got to L.A. Al Holland told me if we could win the first game, we could get a sweep.

He pitched in that game and won it. This team never gives in and never says die. We believe that we can win all the time." In other games, Atlanta beat Pittsburgh 5-1, St. Louis edged Cincinnati 3-2, Los Angeles shaded Montreal 3-2, the New York Mets downed San Diego 4-2 in 10 innings and Chicago defeated Houston 10-3. Braves 5, Pirates 1 At Pittsburgh, Bob Watson's two- run double highlighted a four-run ninth that lifted the Braves, who were held without a hit for the first seven innings by Jose DeLeon.

Kent Tekulve, 1-4, took the loss. Reliever Steve Bedrosian, 3-1, worked two scoreless innings for the win. Cardinals 3, Reds 2 At St. Louis, Darrell Porter hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Cardinals, who have won six of their last seven. Reliever Neil Allen, 2-0, earned the victory.

Porter, playing for the first time since suffering a chip fracture on his right thumb May 8, homered off loser Tom Hume, 24. NY shut out 10th time in 38 games United Press International California Angels manager John McNamara may have found the missing link to his starting rotation but then again it's hard to tell against the New York Yankees. Ron Romanick pitched a three hitter and Gary Pettis drove in two runs with a triple and a single yesterday, enabling the Angels to defeat the Yankees 3-0 and complete a sweep of their three game series in New York. It marked the 10th time that the Yankees have been shut out in 38 games and stretched their current scoreless inning streak to 19. "Not only does he have good ability but he has real good McNamara said of Romanick.

"He has good command of all his pitches. We went into spring training looking for a fifth starter and he was one of our top pitchers in spring training (2-0, 1.67 ERA in six outings.) "It was a very impressive performance, especially since it came against a predominantly left-handed hitting lineup." Romanick, who entered the game with a 5.17 ERA, allowed three harmless singles, struck out four and walked three in outdueling Ron Guidry, 2-3, and boosting his record to 5-3. The Angels' rookie right-hander completed his second game of the season for his first major-league shutout. "I had a good running fastball and a real good riser and I was able to spot it when I wanted to," Romanick said. "The breaking pitches were there also.

When you make pitches like -0 that, you're going to be successful. We were able to dictate to the batters what they were allowed to swing at." The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Dick Schofield, who went 3-for-4, tripled with one out and scored on a two-out triple by Pettis. Schofield doubled to right field to lead off the eighth, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Rob Picciolo and scored an insurance run on a line single to center by Pettis. The Angels added a run in the ninth on a one-out walk to Doug DeCinces, a double by Brian Downing, an intentional walk to Ron Jackson and a sacrifice fly by Bob Boone. Guidry allowed only seven hits, struck out two and walked two in going the distance.

In other games, the Chicago White Sox blanked Toronto 3-0, Boston edged Minnesota 5-4, Detroit nipped Oakland 4-3, Texas shaved Kansas City 3-2, Baltimore defeated Seattle 5- 1, and Cleveland beat Milwaukee 3-2. White Sox 3, Blue Jays 0 At Toronto, Rich Dotson tossed a six-hitter and Julio Cruz belted a tworun homer as Chicago snapped a fourgame losing streak. Dotson, 6-2, struck out six, walked three and hit two batters route to his sixth victory in seven games. Dave Stieb, 5- 1, worked seven innings for Toronto. Red Sox 5, Twins 4 At Minneapolis, Rich Gedman smacked a two-run double to key a three-run fifth inning and Jim Rice drove in two runs to pace Boston.

Roger Clemens, 1-0, notched his first major-league victory. He was the winning pitcher for Texas in the College World Series. Tom Brunansky smacked a solo homer in the sixth for Minnesota. Tigers 4, A's 3 At Detroit, Milt Wilcox and Willie Hernandez combined on a four-hitter and the Tigers capitalized on an Oakland error for two first-inning runs to complete a sweep of the threegame series. Detroit, which has swept 10 series this year, upped its latest winning streak to six games while slumping Oakland lost its seventh straight.

Rangers 3, Royals 2 At Kansas City, Bill Sample's seventh-inning grounder went the legs of shortstop U.L. Washington for an error to allow Curt Miller: 25-30 countries to follow Soviets WASHINGTON (UPI)- The United States and the Soviet Union are struggling to save the Olympics from extinction despite a growing Eastbloc boycott of the Summer games in Los Angeles, a leading U.S. Olympics official said. Meanwhile, in a last-ditch effort to avert the boycott, the president of the International Olympic Committee will meet Socialist sport ministers Wednesday. F.

Don Miller, the executive director of the U.S. Olympic Committee, told a news conference yesterday that he suspects at least "25 to 30 countries" will follow the Soviets. Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Laos, Mongolia, Poland and Vietnam already have announced Dodgers 3, Expos 2 At Los Angeles, rookie Franklin Stubbs drilled a two-run homer with two out in the seventh to power "the Dodgers. Pat Zachry, who pitched 11- 3 innings, improved his record to 2-0. Tom Niedenfuer pitched the final inning for his seventh save.

Bryn Smith fell to 5-3. Mets 4, Padres 2 At San Diego, Tony Gwynn dropped Jesse Orosco's fly to deep center for three-base error and set the stage for the Mets to score twice in the 10th. Orosco got the win to put his record at 4-1. Craig Lefferts was charged with the loss, his second without a victory. Wilkerson to score from second base and give Texas the win.

Rangers rookie lefty Mike Mason, 2-2, scattered six hits for his first majorleague complete game. Orioles 5, Mariners 1 At Baltimore, Cal Ripken smashed a two-run homer in the fourth inning and Eddie Murray added a three-run shot in the eighth to give Mike Flanagan and the Orioles a victory. Ripken's 11th home run of the season came off Mike Moore, 1-3, and tied him for the league lead with Dave Kingman of Oakland. Murray's was his ninth. Indians 3, Brewers 2 At Milwaukee, pinch hitter Carmelo Castillo drove in the winning run with a bases-loaded grounder in the eighth inning and three Cleveland pitchers combined on a nine-hitter.

The Indians snapped a 2-2 tie against starter Don Sutton, 3-3. Ernie Camacho hurled 1-2 innings of hitless ball to pick up his first major-league victory against three losses. Yankee Notes--The New York Yankees announced yesterday they have placed left-hander Shane Rawley in the 15-day disabled list because of an inflamed sinus condition. To make room on the 15-day list, the Yankees shifted pitcher Dale Murray to the 21-day list. Replacing Rawley on the roster is left-hander Dennis Rasmussen, recalled from the Yankees' Triple A affiliate in Columbus.

Rasmussen was acquired in the deal that sent third baseman Graig Nettles to San Diego on March 30. Rasmussen was 4-1 at Columbus with a 3.09 ERA and three complete games in six starts. waving a champagne bottle. "It's time to rock 'n' roll." When the Oilers entered the NHL in 1979 with the demise of the Worldl Hockey Association, most NHL teams espoused the Islanders' brand of patient, rugged playoff hockey. Gretzky, the -time NHL scoring champion saw the Islander defeat as the signal that an era ended for the entire league.

Some teams Minnesota, Winnipeg, Quebec, have already adopted Edmonton's fastskating approach. Now, said Gretzky, more imitators will emerge. "I hope the kids watched us play," he said. "We proved that you can play a fast-skating game and still win the Stanley Cup. You don't have to win.

every game in this league 1-0. You. can win with -out offense." Gretzky, with four NHL scoring titles, has been at once the leader and the symbol of the Oilers' style. But it was often said the Oilers, like Gretzky, were just a lot of fancy window dressing. "After this, I won't have to read anymore about how Wayne Gretzky is See OILERS, Page 8 they will join the Soviet-led boycott.

Miller also said as many as 70 nations may stay away from the games if a dispute flares over South Africa and its racial policies. Miller, who met Soviet Sport Minister Marat Gramov at an emergency meeting of the Olympic committee in Switzerland Friday, said the United States and the Soviet Union are working to ensure the future of the Games. "We discussed a possible mutual agreement between our two countries to support and enhance the Olympic movement in the future," Miller said. "'We also discussed an exchange of athletes, coaches, technicians and sports medicine personnel. "We reached an agreement in principle," he said.

Miller also disclosed the United States suggested establishing per-. manent Olympic sites on each of the five continents. Despite the Gramov meeting, Miller blasted the boycott as "a blatant attempt to justify political devices by using the Olympic charter." The Soviets announced the boycott May 8, claiming the United States was not taking enough precautions to protect Soviet athletes. In 1980, the United States, protesting the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, boycotted the Summer Olympics in Moscow. IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, hoping to avert the boycott, travels to Prague, Czechoslovakia, Wednesday to meet Socialist sports ministers, who are planning a series of renegade games.

Samaranch, whose trip has been described as "Mission Impossible," will also attempt to persuade uncommitted Socialist countries. such as Romania, to defy the Soviets and compete in Los Angeles. "Lam going more in hope than in confidence, but I will fight until the last minute," Samaranch said in Zurich, Switzerland. "Things look very black." In Los Angeles, a former nsvchologist for the Soviet Olympic Committee said the Soviets may never again compete in the Olympics because they are no longer confident of beating the Americans. "The Russians lost their superiority this year," said Dr.

Gregory Raiport, who defected in 1977. "They realized it wasn't going to be an easy victory and might not be a victory at all. Russians cannot take chances to lose. They can't afford to be second.".