Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 27

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 1994 DETROIT FREE PRESS 7C Ciireton wanted Pistons, but Rocketed to Finals 'pi (k -(! 1 1 1 tj i 1 1 .1 1 -JJ By Corky meixecke Free Press Sports Writer HOUSTON When the Pistons began showing up last September for informal workouts at Oakland University, veteran power forward Earl Cure-ton often was one of the faces in the crowd. He hoped for an invitation to training camp, but no. And when his old team desperately needed a big man, the Pistons turned to Charles Jones. "I was kind of hurt when they did that," Cureton said. "I mean, there wasn't an age difference or anything.

They brought him in and I was right there. I know Don (coach Chaney) real well, and he knew I was in shape. But they just didn't do it. "But it worked out for the best." That it did. Cureton, 36, was with the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

He had been there twice before in 1981-82 and '82-83 with the Philadelphia 76ers. He helped win a championship in the Sixers' sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in '83. "I'm amazed, but I still put myself in the position to be here," said Cureton, from Detroit Finney, who did not play Wednesday. "It didn't just happen. I continued to play ball, I continued to keep myself in shape.

I never thought DAVID J. PHILLIPAssociated Press this would happen. I can say that. It's a great situation, and I'm just loving every minute of it." When no offers came from the NBA or Europe, Cureton settled for a spot on Magic Johnson's traveling all-star team. And when that ended in March, Cureton "The Twirl" from the University of Detroit and former Titans teammate John Long decided to join the CBA's Sioux Falls Skyforce for the playoffs.

And then the Rockets called, three days before the end of the regular season. "I was excited and ready to go," he said. "I was just excited that somebody was willing to give me a chance." Cureton's chance to play came in the Western Conference final, after Carl Herrera suffered a separated shoulder. Cureton averaged 12.5 minutes in support of starter Otis Thorpe, who had trouble staying out of foul trouble. "I think Earl has been doing a heck of a job," Rockets coach Rudy Tomjan-ovich said.

"He has been one of our biggest pluses when he's been on the floor. What I mean by that is we seem to score more points than the opponent when he's out there." Grant Hill, On Pistons: The Duke swingman said at the pre-draft camp in Chicago that he's anxiously awaiting "It worked out for the best" for former Titan and Piston Earl Cureton, left, who greeted New York's Anthony Mason between practices for the NBA Finals that began Wednesday night with a Houston Rockets victory. Olajuwon, Earing 10 years later Free Press Wire Reports Ten years ago in Seattle, two foreign-born centers met in the NCAA championship game. It was the second of Patrick Ew-ing's three NCAA championship-game appearances for Georgetown. It was the last of Akeem Olajuwon's three Final Four appearances with Houston.

Little was known of their lives off the court. Olajuwon, a native of Lagos, Nigeria, had a heavy accent; interviewers strained to understand him. Georgetown coach John Thompson was so protective of Ewing who was born in Kingston, Jamaica that he rarely allowed interviews. On the court, it was different. Olajuwon had 20 points and 18 rebounds in 1983 when North Carolina State stunned the Cougars for the NCAA title when Dereck Whitten-burg's wild 30-foot shot was short, but jammed home by Lorenzo Charles at the buzzer.

In 1982, Ewing had 23 points and 1 1 rebounds as a freshman. But another college rookie, Michael Jordan, hit a jumper from the corner that gave North Carolina the lead in the championship game with less than 30 seconds left and set the stage for Fred Brown's pass to the wrong man the Tar Heels' James Worthy that sealed the 63-62 win. The 7-foot All-Americas dominated the talk before Georgetown's 84-75 victory in 1984. Some tried to make it into a second meeting of Houston's Elvin Hayes and UCLA's Lew Alcin-dor, whose showdowns in the regular season and tournament were the talk of 1968. "This game doesn't have that feel at all," said Guy Lewis, who coached Hayes and Olajuwon.

"Patrick and Akeem are the two primary figures," Thompson said, "but the June 29 draft. "Just as long as I'm in the league," Hill said, "I'll be happy to go anywhere. It's been a dream of mine for so long. I don't even want to think about it. I'm afraid I'll jinx it.

When I sign a contract, I'll be happy. Then I'll jump like in the Toyota commercial." As for the Pistons, "They have a young team," he said. "They have Lindsey Hunter and Allan Houston. And Joe Dumars is not too old. And Sean Elliott has been an All-Star.

They have very good players, and I think I would fit in real well. "But I'd like to think I can fit in anywhere. And I cannot emphasize enough that I'll be happy wherever I go. When asked if he sought advice from former Duke teammates Christian Laettner and Bobby Hurley, Grant said, "I wouldn't ask for advice from Christian." BARRY SWEETAP Akeem Olajuwon, right, gave ground to Patrick Ewing over a rebound in the 1984 NCAA -championship game; but that isn't likely to happen in the 1994.NBA Finals that began Wednesday. it won't be just a one-on-one matchup." Ewing played the party line leading to the only matchup he would have as a collegian with Olajuwon.

"It's not Olajuwon against Ewing," he said. "It's Houston against Georgetown." He was right. His strong supporting case of freshmen Michael Graham (14 points) and Reggie Williams (19) and sophomore David Wingate (16) came up big. Ewing had 10 points and nine rebounds. Olajuwon, who picked up his fourth foul less than 30 seconds into the second half, had 15 points and nine rebounds.

Ewing, who would lose two championship games by a total of three points, had his NCAA title. "That was what we worked for all those days, long hours, long nights," he said. "We finally reached the goal we set for ourselves." Olajuwon was beaten by a miracle shot one year, shackled with fout trouble the next. Now known as Italceem Olajuwon, he was the NBA's MV? this season not bad for a man! who started playing basketball in l98i. Wednesday night, Ewing and Olajuwon came together again in Game 1 of the NBA Finals in what could be another epic struggle with another championship at stake.

Rockets are first to land in Finals; Knicks abort, 85-78 one that had been playing all along," guard Kenny Smith said. "This was the worst we've played in a while. We were fortunate to get away with the win." Olajuwon promises a better night for everybody in Game 2 Friday. "Now that we've played a game, we know how the series is going to go," he said. "I know I was tired.

And I know this game will help me Friday. I think everybody on our team is going to play high-energy basketball." like I have all year," Ewing said after getting 23 points and nine rebounds. "And we need to keep our defensive intensity up. If we can do that and make our own shots, we should be able to get a win." The Rockets gave up just two offensive rebounds in the first half, and Tomjanovich got solid contributions from almost everybody the most important sub being Carl Herrera, who missed all of the conference final because of a separated shoulder. Herrera benefited most from the Rockets' layoff.

"I kind of pushed it to get better," Herrera said before scoring 10 points in 20 minutes. "An injury like this one usually takes three or four weeks to heal. And in just two weeks I managed to get the pain and swelling down. So IH be OK." "Carl looked like he was the only NBA FINALS, from Page 1C made five free throws; the Rockets needed every one. "We knew what to expect," he said, "but we were very rusty.

I'm just glad this game is over." The teams combined for 28 points in the fourth quarter, 15 by New York a Finals record, breaking Chicago (12) at Phoenix (19) last June 20 in Game 6, the title game. Olajuwon and Tomjanovich believe their fourth-quarter collapse was a result of being idle since Houston eliminated Utah a week ago Tuesday in the Western Conference final. "Our guys played just as we expected," Tomjanovich said. "I felt the layoff would affect us, and it did. But our defense carried us." The Rockets defense wasn't that good.

Houston contested no more than half of the 24 shots New York took in the final quarter, but the Knicks got only six to fall. Nobody threw up more bricks than guard John Starks, who missed 15 of 18 shots including an air ball from three-point range with less than two minutes remaining and the Knicks trailing by three. Olajuwon followed with a free throw, then Rockets forward Otis Thorpe (14 points, 16 rebounds) dunked after a Greg Anthony turnover. "In the second half," Knicks coach Pat Riley said, "it was the kind of game we wanted. Our defense was starting to wear on them.

But when you get this far, and I don't care what your team is all about, you've got to make shots. And that's been a universal disease with us." Knicks center Patrick Ewing came down with it (10-for-26). "I gotta start hitting those shots, is rrm nnui inn tk i iinuiii i i laaia a i i ft ft Comerica Bank the Ambassador Funds are pleased to bring you free prix day, IBflE Qe QaaENlfe Gtas June 10, 1994. omerica and its affiliates The Southfield Civic Center will be rockin' and soccer balls will be rollin' when Legacy Tour '94, a program of World Cup USA 1994, comes to the Motor City. Teams, wear your Besides soccer, get ready for live entertainment, from musicians like Ursula Walker and the Buddy Budson Band featuring George Benson.

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