Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 115

THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC Sunday, Mar. 30, 1969 Page 1-E ALSO IN SECTION: AUTOS Murphy leading Associated Press NEW YORK The ball-hawking New York Knickerbockers, led by Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere and Bill Bradley, stormed by Baltimore 107-91 yesterday and surged into a commanding 2-0 lead in their Eastern Division semifinal series in the National Basketball Association playoffs. The best-of-7 set continues this afternoon in Baltimore. NEW YORK, WHICH had not won two consecutive playoff games since 1953, broke open the game late in the third period and then cruised to its sixth victory in its last seven games against the Bullets, who finished on top in the East during the regular season. After 19 lead changes and 12 ties in which neither team led by more than six points, the Knicks pulled ahead to 28-1 outsider handy winner in TP feature By CARL SOTO Talk about a form reversal La Villita Ruler was a perfect example yesterday at Turf Paradise.

Never in the money in five starts here this winter which saw the four-year-old colt go postward at anywhere from 30 to Choices, entries Page 6-E again stay, 77-75, on Frazier's rebound. De- Busschere added a jump shot and Bradley two free throws as the margin grew to 84-77 entering the final period. Then, with the score 86-80, the Knicks, controlling the boards and stealing the ball consistently, ran off nine straight points, four by DeBusschere and three by Bradley. The Bullets never recovered. DICK BARNETT led the balanced New York offense with 27 points, four more than Frazier, who celebrated his 24th birthday yesterday.

DeBusschere added 19 points, 11 in the second half, Willis Reed had 18 and Bradley 16, 12 after intermission. Earl Monroe topped Baltimore with 29 points and his backcourt mate, Kevin Loughery, playing despite a painful groin injury, chipped in with 19. Wes Unseld scored 18 and had 27 rebounds for the bullets. The Atlanta Hawks, leading San Diego 1-0 in their Western Division semifinal set, entertained the Rockets last night in game 2. TODAY THE Boston Celtics invade Philadelphia, seeking their third consecutive victory over the 76ers in the other Eastern series.

The Los Angeles San Francisco Western series resumes Monday night in Oakland, with San Francisco on top 2-0. NEWY'K Barneft Lougherv 8 Mannlno 0 Marin 7 Monroe 12 Orms Quick 2 Scott 1 Unsold 7 Workman 0 Totals BALTIMORE NEW YORK 3-7 ra 5-7 0-0 4-S 0-0 15-77 Fouled None. Total Baltimore 4 18 0 23 Bowman Bradley DeBusschere Frailer Hosket May Reed Rlordan Totals 8 New York 0 7 1 If 23. 1 0-0 4-5 0-0 i75 if 23 0 18 107 107 1 to 90 to 1 odds, La Villita Ruler turned on unaccustomed speed to sink eight better-rated rivals in the featured Scottsdale Rotary Day Purse. With apprentice Jim Powell in the irons, the bay gelding owned by Ozzie Reeves of Alcalde, N.M., steamed over the course in 1:15 3-5 to register by two lengths over Jayandero, the people's second choice.

GOING POSTWARD at 28 to 1 after being a seventh-place finisher last time out, La Villita Ruler paid $59.20, 17 and 7.60 across the board for his first win in 10 starts spread over 15 months. Coming up to the race off two sharp second-place efforts, El Bahrain was made a slight choice over Jayandero. But these two finished fourth and second, respectively. The Reeves runner simply shot out to a quick lead under Powell's handling and, toting lightweight of the field at 108 pounds, made every post a winning one in zipping the first six panels in Continued On Page 7-E Law firm wants Cepeda's money SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Attorneys who represented baseball star Orlando Cepeda in his losing libel suit against Look Magazine filed a complaint in U.S. District Court Thursday saying Cepeda owes them $14,308 in expenses.

MarVin Lewis of the firm of Lewis and Stein which represented Cepeda, said the money represents only expenses and that the firm is making no attempt to collect fees. In 1967, Look said that Cepeda, then with the San Francisco Giants, was regarded as uncooperative and not a team man. Cepeda sued and the case went twice to the U.S. District Court, twice to the U.S. Court of Appeals and twice to the U.S.

Supreme Court, which refused to act. FLOOR Bullets guard Earl Monroe (10) and New York Knicks center Willis Reed (19) scramble for loose ball in New York's Madison Square Garden yesterday. In back- AP Wircphoto ground are Knicks' Walt Frazier (10) and Dave DeBusschere (22). Knicks won playoff game, 107-91. Field of 24 Paradox features Ivl BUSY AS BfcES-The pits at Phoenix International Raceway were the scene of much activity yesterday as drivers and crews prepared their machines for practice for today's Jimmy Bryan Memorial 150-mile race.

The United States Auto Club event has drawn top drivers the nation to the track. More pictures Page 10-E. Bryan prize today By HARDY PRICE They're all here Foyt, Andretti, Unser and Unser, Ruby, Pollard, McCluskey, and yesterday they were making themselves heard. Making themselves heard, for the likes of A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Bobby and Al Unser, Lloyd Ruby, Art Pollard, and Roger McCluskey, meant flying around the one-mile oval at Phoenix International Raceway in near sub- record time.

And it's all for the annual Jimrny Bryan Memorial Race, the first national championship race on the United States Auto Club's 1969 racing trail. THE "FOR REAL" action gets under way today at 2:30 p.m. after morning practice and early afternoon time trials. Twenty-four cars will make the starting grid, seeking the all-important opening race win. Bobby Unser, the defending Byran champion, found that winning here can be important as it proved the difference between he and Andretti for the USAC national title in 1968.

IF A MAN were making book on the event, he would be hard pressed to pick a winner. Most all drivers are out in new equipment, with the notable exception of the 1968 Bobby Ball winner at PIR, Gary Bettenhauser. "I won with it here before," he explained "why not try again?" But Foyt, the three-time Indy 500 winner from Houston, has two brand new Coyote turbo-charged Fords. Joining Foyt is Tucson's McCluskey. ANDRETTI, WHO just last week joined Andy Granatelli's STP stables, has a bright new "Dago Red" turbo- charged Ford prepared by Phoenix mechanic Clint Brawner.

Andretti was ripping around the track yesterday with consistent lap times of 28.85. Ruby, the veteran Texas driver has the all-time lead in points at PIR, and is driving a super wedge turbo-charged Offy, dubbed Wynn's Spitfire. Both machine and driver looked strong in the practice. BOBBY UNSER is staying with a turbo-charged Eagle-Offy, much like the one he won the Indy 500 in last year. Brother Al has gone to the Lola Ford of former Indy winner Parnelli Jones.

Continued On Page 1C-E Lew rich Associated Press NEW YORK How can the struggling Milwaukee Bucks afford to pay Lew Alcindor $1.4 largest amount of money ever handed any athlete even in this era of rapidly escalating sports contracts? The fact is that there is a startling paradox in the situation for while it's doubtful that the more successful National Basketball Association teams could afford Alcindor's price tag, the Bucks can because they are not one of the league's big money-makers. The very same economics are the major reason why the rival American Basketball Association reportedly pooled its resources behind the New Vbrk Nets in entering the bidding battle for the services of the 7-foot-lVa UCLA star. THAT BIDDING battle came to a quick end Friday night when Alcindor disclosed that he had agreed to terms with the Bucks, who came in with the bigger financial package than the Nets. What is involved, in paying Alcindor $1.4 million is a case of matching assets against liabilities. To decide the price they eventually submitted in a one-shot sealed bid against the Nets, the members of the Bucks' board of strategy had to take the following economic factors into considerations.

-THE SIZE of their playing area vs. the crowds they have been drawing. length of the contract and what had to be paid in cash vs. what was put into deferred items. economic factors such as the clulrs over-all player payroll, television and even the ABA.

himself, and his ability, even at the cost of $16,444 for every inch on his tall frame, to enable the Bucks to wind up in the black financially. THE KEY, OF course, is the anticipation that Alcindor, a physical phenomenon, an outstanding talent and an almost sure-fire super star, will make the Bucks what they now are not a guaranteed box office attraction. In that way, the Bucks are looking to gain from Alcindor's services more money than they will have to pay him. It would be considerably more difficult for an established team such as the New York Knicks to do that. THE currently are playing in an arena that seats 11,000 people and are averaging about 6,000 a game.

If Alcindor turns out to be what he is supposed to be as a gate attraction, the Bucks very well could average 11,000. They are gambling then that they can almost double home that's the main reason the Bucks can afford Aicinclor and why it would be so much more difficult for a club like the Knicks. THE KNICKS attract almost a full house at home for every game they play with their current squad, so there is little room for therefore little room to get back what would have to be paid for Alcindor. The second economic factor is much less of a gamble since a carefully laid out contract undoubtedly has been prepared by the Bucks, enabling them to pay the $1.4 million not only in cash, but in annuities and what has been termed WHEN HUGE player contracts became the fashion during the -war tween the American and National Football highest contract ever received at that time was the $700,000 reportedly paid for Donny Anderson by the Green Bay Packers it also became the fashion to stretch the payments over more than the length of the contract. In other words, although Alcindor may have signed for five years, the Bucks may not have to pay off the $1.4 million for 15 years.

That enables the Bucks, for example, to invest $200,000 and have it grow to $500,000 before it has to be paid. BY DOING that, of course, the contract is actually costing less cash than the face value. While any club, new or established, can do that, the Bucks have another great edge in being able to afford Alcindor by -comparison with an old club-the entire player payroll. By the very nature of an expansion club there are no Wilt Chamberlains or Oscar Robertsons in the lineup, and therefore the Bucks' player payroll undoubtedly is far less than that of one of the established clubs. BY THE NATURE of assets and liabilities than, it's economically more feasible for the team with the lower payroll to afford a player of Alcindor's statute.

Lionel Hebert running 2nd in Airlines Open Associated Press MIAMI Bob Murphy, who is built like a fireplug and is just about as emotional, canned putts of 30 and 25 feet on the incoming nine yesterday for four-under-par 68 that sent him three strokes ahead of the field with one round to play in the $200,000 National: Airlines Open golf tournament. The 26-year-old former amateur champion from Bartow, Fla. sizzled while his chief rivals cooled and, never faltering, posted a 54-hole total of 203, 13 under par. IN SECOND PLACE at 206 was 41- year-old Lionel Hebert, who posted a 69 while playing head-to-head with Murphy as the last twosome over the par 72 Country Club of Miami course. Dave Stockton and Butch Baird, two of the game's new young tigers, were in third place tied at 207.

Stockton played like a machine, missing only one fairway in posting a 67 while Baird, 32, shot a 70. The hottest round of this gray, windy day was posted by Bunky Henry, who a few years ago kicked 50 straight extra points for the Georgia Tech football team that, was then a college record. SINKING PUTTS of 20 and 25 feet on two holes, he tied the course record with a 66 that put him eight under par at 208. Two crowd pleasers of different eras, Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer, thrilled their fans with brief charges but neither got within menacing distance of Murphy's blast-hot putter. Palmer, sinking putts of 50 and 35 feet for two of his four birdies, stumbled with a bogey 6 on the 16th when he drove into the water, and settled for a 69 and a 211 total.

SNEAD, A GROTESQUE sight with his modified croquet putting stroke, once leaped to within two shots of the lead and then took two quick bogeys on; the return nine for a 71 and 210. Bill Casper, the leading money winner last year with more than fell victim of his Florida allergies and pulled out, flying home to treat a case of rash and aching joints. "I feel as if needles are sticking in every pore," he said. "I'm not sure I will be able to play at Greensboro next week or the Masters the week after but I hope so." MURPHY, 5-FOOT-10 and 217 pounds, missed birdie putts on the first three holes but got going on the fourth where he ran in one from six feet. He sank a 15-footer at the sixth and then, aftar bogey ing the 10th, rolled in a snake of 30 feet at the 13th and another of 25 feet at the 15th to end his birdie surge.

"I feel very strong I am really relaxed," the 1968 Rookie of the Year said." MURPHY SEEMS TO play his best when he is within sniffing distance of big money. He won more than $70,000 in the space of eight days last year when he finished in a tie for first in the $200,000 Westchester and won the Philadelphia Open. Two players were tied at 209 Terry Wilcqx, with a 71, and Dale Douglass, who fell off the pace with a 73. Tied with Snead at 210 were Terry Dill, Deane Beman and Orville Moody. Net site BOSTON (AP)-The U.S.

Pro Tennis Championships will be held for the sixth year at Longwood in nearby Brookline July 9-13, it was announced by the sponsoring New England Merchants National Bank. Defending champion Rod Laver of Australia will head the field of 16 top pros. I Sports today RADIO- TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP BOWLING-(Fllnied), Ch. II GOLF Preview of Masters To Augusta, Ga. (filmed), Ch.

10, round action In National Airlines ps HORSE RACING-Turf a each race), KHAT (1480), feature race (taped), Ch. and I I I i I I I'.