Abilene Reporter-News from Abilene, Texas • 19

9 I 1 it'--! "vs W-l -st WVvvi vvvv-i W-A- Opinion 6B httpwwwtexnewscx)m -y Abilene Reporter-News Saturday May 30 1998 i NBA playoffs: Pacers 92 Bulls 89 series tied 3-3 Pacers force 7th game V- 1 a S'? 1 I fits A1 Pickett 'Lr Sports Editor By CHRIS SHERIDAN i-r M5 gaveCombread his nickname 4 the big plays down the Chicago called a timeout to set up a final play and it was no surprise to anyone when the Bulls inbounded to Jordan Guarded by Derrick McKey he made a move to his right and stumbled Coach Phil Jackson popped off the bmich looking for a foul but the ball popped loose and McKey grabbed it and was fouled With confetti prematurely falling from the rafters McKey made the first free throw and then purposely missed the second so that the dock would expire Jackson continued his criticism of the they swallowed the whistle on that last call" he said referring to the play when Jordan slipped "He got tripped what in basketball is more evident than a guy getting tripped? He didn't foil on his Smits finished with 25 pants on ll-fbr-12 shooting Davis had 19 points and eight rebounds and Mark Jackson added 13 points fin: the Facers Miller shot just 2 for 13 and had eight points "We have a bunch of game people on this team a lot of drarecter and I think we shored that Best aid It was the Pacers' eighth straight home victory in the playofis didn't think see a line like we did from Reggie Miller and that if we did we'd win the Phil Jackson said Indiana hasn't lost at Market Square Arena in two Please tee PACERS 5B 4'V INDIANAPOLIS The Chicago Bulls aren't going to the NBA Finals just yet and maybe not at alL Instead be going where Michael Jordan hasn't been in six years a Game 7 Jordan had an unusually mortal moment when the Bulla needed him most slipping and falling as he drove to the basket for what would have been a tying hoop with less than five seconds left He lost the ball the Pacers recovered and finished it off with a free throw for a 92-89 victory in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Friday night Game 7 will be Sunday night at the United Center and one more slip-up could mean the end ofthe dynasty It will be Chicago's first Game 7 with Jordan on the team since the second round of the 1992 playoffs For the Pacera it will be their third Game 7 in a can-ference finals in five years They lost in 1994 to New York and in 1995 to Orlando This time they can thank Trims Best Rik Smits and Dale Davis and not Reggie Miller for getting them there Best refused to flinch despite being guarded by Jordan fiar moat of the final minute He idt a driving 8-footer with 33 seconds left for an 89-87 lead and actually drew a foul on Jordan with 8 A seconds left that led to two free throws that gave Indiana a 91-89 lead game like that you have to keep playing basketball you can't worry about having five fouls or what-Pacers coach Larry Bird said Best made 1 Indiana's Reggie Miller finds his path Mocked by Chicago Luc-Longley (13) as he drives in the first half Friday star haf surgery on Wji 1L 1 1 1 DALLAS (AP) had surgery on Prairie Dogs 6 WhiteWings 3 Dogs9 Smith neap-perfect in 1st victory By MARK WILSON Staff Writer No one was happier to see the Abilene Prtirie Dogs get their first victory of the sea- sen than Mike Smith Smith had a perfect game through 5X innings and the Dogs scored three runs in the seventh inning or the way to a 6-8 Ttexas-Louisiana League- baseball win over Rio Grande Valley at Scott Field Friday night The frairie Dogs cams into the game win-less in their first five games of the season and Smith who had started the season opener pitching five innings in Amarillo took the mound with a team-high 1260 earned run J) -i i ii 5 'I II The Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Dallas weren't the only hall of fame activities Thursday The North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame also held its annual induction with a slight Tbxas connection to the event Cedric Maxwell who won two NBA championships during his eight seasons with the Boston Celtics was among those honored Thursday in North Carolina Although a great player in the NBA and the -time rebounding leads1 in North Carolina-Charlotte history Maxwell is as well remembered fix his nickname as he is for his accomplishments on the court One of his teammates who is starting to mshs a pretty good name for himself is credited with giving Maxwell his nickname Melvin Watkins the new head basketball coach at Tbxas spoke last week at the annual convention of the Southwest Region of the Associated Press Spats Editors in Austin and told the story of how Maxwell became known as Watkins Maxwell and another teammate went to see the movie "Combread Earl and Watkins thought Maxwell looked like the lead character in the film and the trio laughed about it Maxwell didn't like the nickname however so it was dropped But North Carolina-Chaiiotte made it to the National Invitational Tburnameni and the New York City media found out about the nickname "Ihe New York media picked up on Watkins said lost to Kentucky in the finals but Cedric was named the MVP" And the name was born That was and junior year at UNCC The next year Maxwell made first team all-American as he led the 49ers to the Final Four North Carohna-Chariotte lost a lasteec-ondhearthreaker to Marquette in the semifinals The chemistry was said Watkins "We made the Final Four and thatk a dream no one can take away firm me I had a fortunate career We never lost a home game We were 58-0 at home during my four years" Watkins admitted he wanted to attend an Atlantic Coast Conference school like North Carolina or Duke coming out of college 1 no one wanted a 6-4 center from a small school" he said "I read in the paper that Cedric Maxwell had signed with North Carolina-Charlotte so I called them In fact I borrowed my sisterk car and drove myself then to visit" His stay proved to be a long one After four years of playing fcr the 49ers Watkins was drafted in the NBA But he returned to North Carolina-Chariotta as an assistant coach a job he held for 18 years Ttoo years ago he was named heed coach Watkins led UNCC to the NCAA Tbumament both years The 49ers won their first-round game each year and this year took top-ranked North Carolina to overtime before losing in the Becond round After 24 years as a player and coach at UNCC Tbxas hired him away this Bpring to try to rejuvenate the sagging basketball program Watkins who said the new Reed Arena which opens next season at played a big part in his derision said he talked to a lot of coaches before accepting the job "Across the board every one of them said it is a diamond in the rough" he said There is no reason why we can't get the job done (at Tbxas and fin just crazy enough to think fin the one who can do it There an lot of great players in this state and theyhe not aQ wearing football helmets Well get the job done and well do it in a firstriass A1 Pickett can be reached at 6772arpkhetkabineumjcom his left ankle Friday but the a 1 1 as Cowboys said the cornerback isn't expected to the tart of training camp -which starts in Bix weeks Sanders Sanders who will need 4-tbl6 weeks of rdiabilitation had bone chips removed from the left ankle Cowboys spokesman Rich Daliymple said The surgery took place in Miami and was performed by Dr Jobp Uribe The surgery went finiSI1 Dalrymple said go rehab and the ankle isn't to keep him from the start -if 1 Wl Sanders flew to Miami last week for an MRI by Uribe the Miami Dolphins team doctor vtfid? operated on the same ankle fiv' 1995 Dalrymple said the Cowixjjrs' have known since early May -the ankle was bothering the dm1'' netback 1 C--'' ankle problems from a bane diip suffered playijSg'v baseball for the Cincinnati Reds in 1995 He hurt the ankle sliding into third base Sanders has aggravated the iryury playing rac-quetbalL Sanders missed the last thrge games of the 1997 season witlfk'J broken rib but that injury hAST-healed 1 i ni Smith (1-0) was brilliant early not allowing a baserunner until Wil PoUdar singled with two outs in the top of the fifth Smiths attempt at hurling a perfect game was spoiled by two-out dean single to left between short and third The veteran Smith who signed his first pro contract in 1984 said ha didn't feel pressure either to win or maintain the perfect game Smith who in his second year of pro ball had a perfect game with two outs in the ninth inning before giving up a hit held the WhiteWings to four hits while striking out six and walking only two There was no pressure because I've played 12 years of pro ball" said Smith a former Ranger College player been in tough situations before I just accept any challenge tried not to think about (the perfect game) I was afraid to look at the Smith who also serves as the teamfc pitching coach said he didn't feel he pitched much differently than he had in Amarillo's Potter County Memorial Stadium which is much more a ballpark They just blooped me to death" Smith said of the Amarillo game broke about six bats I jatched the same I might have had a PRAIRIE DOGS 5B tr -r A Pitcher Mike Smith had a perfect game for the first 5X innings to lead the Paririe Dogs to their first victory of the season 83 over Rio Grande Valley Friday NHL playoffs: RedWings 5 Stars 3 Red Wings lead 2-1 RedWings get roui on Stars7 By HARRY ATKINS Detroit blasted its way to a 4-0 lead but th Stars charged back with three straight goals one in the second period and two in the third Modano taking a feed from Langenbruner stuffed the puck past Chris Osgood from in dose with 12:26 left Id the game Detroit claimed Modano was in the crease but a review let the goal stand cutting the Red WingB lead to 4-3 Tjpninto gave Detroit some breathing roan when he brat goeltender Ed Belfour with a hot from the slot with 4:05 remaining game plan obviously was to he more physical in this game The Stars by their own admission were nasty in a 31' win in Game 2 in Dallas that evened the series so the Red Wings came out hitting to start this oie Lapointe knocked down Dallas forward Mike Keane an old nemesia from his days with the Colorado Avalanche Juha Ilnd was i DETROIT Nicklas Lidstrom had two goals and an assist as the Detroit Red Wings hung on for a 5-3 victory over the Dallas Stars on Friday night in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals Brent Gilchrist Jamie Macoun and Martin Lapointe also scored for the Red Wings who took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series Jere Lehtinen scored twice and Mika Modano breaking an eight-game scoring slump made it a one-goal game late in the third period for the Stars The Stars who are 1-15-2 at Joe Louis Arena since the franchise moved from Minneapolis had gone an NHL-record 10 straight games without allowing more than two goals until the assault by the defending Stanley Cup champions Game 4 will be played Sunday afternoon at Joe Louis Arena A umps Dallas left wing Pat Vertreek forcing him STARS 5B to loee contrirl of the puck during 't 1.