Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 15

I Detroit 4fircc UONS SECTION Defensive end Robert Porcher is working hard to be Lions' No. 1 pick. Page 7B. Saturday, June 6, 1992 Baseball, Page 4 Scoreboard, Page 6 Comics, Pages 10, 11 Scores: 1-900-370-0990, Sports: 222-6660 Blazers set to keep their distance NBA FINALS Bulls lead Blazers, 1-0 All games on NBC (Channel 4 in Detroit) and WWJ-AM (950). RESULT GAME 1 Game 1 Bulls 122, Blazers 89 at Chicago, inc.

Friday Let Jordan shoot for 3, is their plan "I can't tell you of any team that wouldn't rather have him shoot from the outside rather than in the paint," said Portland coach Rick Adelman. "We've got to get to him quicker and not give him enough room. We'll have to make some adjustments, but I can't tell you if they'll work." It seems odd that the Blazers could still show arrogance following their 33-point whipping Wednesday. But Terry Porter challenged Jordan to do it again. "If he wants to get into a three-point shooting contest, I'd still think I'd win," said Porter.

"He just had one good shooting game." By Drew Sharp Free Press Sports Writer CHICAGO Obviously, Portland wasn't impressed with Michael Jordan's record-setting three-point accuracy in Game 1. Before Friday's Game 2, the Blazers maintained they'll continue to concede the three-point shot if Jordan wants it. "I'll still give him that shot," Clyde Drexler said. "You want Michael Jordan shooting 20 feet from the basket. He had an incredible game.

He got into that shooting zone that every player dreams of, but can he do that for a second game?" Jordan's distance from the basket made it more difficult for the Blazers to effectively trap him, but they're going to have to do something different if Jordan explodes as he did in Game 1 when he tied a Finals record with six three-pointers. COOLER HEADS NEEDED: Containing Jordan is just part of the Blazers' problems. There were three other areas in which they had to improve: 1. Better defensive rebounding. 2.

Better poise in the half-court offense when the Bulls apply defensive pressure. 3. Reduce frontcourt foul trouble. The fouls especially upset the Blazers. They had four players with two fouls before the first quarter expired.

Forward Buck Williams was limited to six first-half minutes because of three fouls. That hindered the Blazers' defensive rebounding. Williams believes his pre-Game 1 statements that they were going to play the Bulls physical as New York did in the second round prejudiced the officials. "After the New York series, every-See NBA FINALS, Page 12B TIME SITE DATE Sunday Portland 7:00 Wednesday Portland 9:00 Portland Friday 9:00 7:00 9:00 June 14 Chicago June 17 Chicago necessary SUE OGROCKIReuter Chicago's Michael Jordan is mobbed by the media after the Bulls beat Portland by 33 points in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Fabi Belle of the ball, for now 1 BELMONT STAKES WHAT: 124th Belmont Stakes.

WHEN: 5:32 p.m. today. WHERE: Belmont Park, Elmont, N.Y. DISTANCE: VA miles. TVRADIO: ABC (Channel 7 in Detroit); WPZA-AM (1050).

SIMULCASTS: Detroit Race Course, Windsor Raceway. MORNING-LINE FAVORITE: A.P. Indy, 6-5. PURSE: winner's share $458,880. LAST YEAR'S WINNER: Hansel, 2:28.

RACE RECORD: 2:24 by Secretariat, 1973. GENE GUIDI'S PICKS: 1. A.P. Indy; 2. Pine Bluff; 3.

Cristofori. i f. rf- 1 4 if'' 1 A 4 I I Associated Press Defending champion Jim Courier swept Andre Agassi, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, m- sr rr-" 1 in Friday's semifinals at the French Open. Courier Belmont field of 11 has lots to prove today hole show over Agassi Free Press Wire Reports PARIS Top seed Jim Courier bulldozed his way to another final when he crushed fellow American Andre Aeassi in straight sets Friday, leaving JULIAN H. GONZALEZAtetrolt Free Press Michael Andretti can't believe his eyes or his luck after failing to qualify Friday for Sunday's Grand Prix.

Andretti gets another chance today. PRIX-PARE mmiS ill One Andretti smells a rat on the island And it was going to be such a good day, too. The grass was green, the breezes were gentle, the sky was gray but dry, and the crowds Charue Vincent Czechoslovak Petr Korda as his last obstacle to retaining the French Open tennis title. The eagerly-awaited rerun of last year's Roland Garros Stadium final turned into a one-man show with Courier showing total mastery over Agassi in a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win that took just two hours. Korda, the seventh seed who had never got beyond the third round in a Grand Slam event before, defeated local favorite Henri Leconte 6-2, 7-6.

6-3, on a cool, gray day when the tennis seemed to match the weather. Sunday's final will be only the third meeting between Courier and Korda. who played twice in three months last year and won one match apiece. Courier, 21, will be trying to become the first man to retain the French title since Ivan Lendl five years ago. Agassi, losing finalist here in each of the last two years, was never able to cope with Courier's strong serve and crunching forehands.

The 22-year-old Agassi, seeded only 1 1th here after dropping out of the top 10 for the first time in four years, failed to find the kind of form he displayed to tame former U.S. Open champion Pete Sampras in the quarterfinals. The top-seeded Courier broke Agassi for 5-3 and went on to win the first set in 46 minutes. He took Agassi's serve again in the third game of the second set and stayed on top of the i i'it il 1 by Gene Guidi Free Press Sports Writer ELMONT, N.Y. This just in from Paris: Francois Boutin, trainer of Kentucky Derby dud Arazi, said the colt's confidence is rebounding nicely after his unexpected loss in Louisville.

"Arazi's morale is good now," Boutin said. If only the same could be said of all the folks back in the United States who were deflated emotionally and financially by Arazi's defeat. Today was supposed to be the day Arazi won the Belmont and was crowned Triple Crown champion. The charismatic French colt would then have taken his place alongside Secretariat and other thoroughbred greats who swept the spring classics. More important, Arazi would have given racing the Michael Jordan-type hero the sport so desperately needs.

The national media, which all but ignores racing except for a few days in May, was ready to embrace Arazi. There were journalists in Louisville who hadn't covered a Kentucky Derby in more than a decade. And they were there for one thing: to chronicle Arazi's every move. Had Arazi won and followed that up with a victory in the Preakness, the Belmont Paik press box would have been bulging with hundreds of reporters, both foreign and domestic. But Boutin admitted afterward that the under-trained Arazi wasn't up to the 1 Vi-mile Derby, finishing eighth; the media couldn't get back to basketball, baseball and hockey fast enough.

"From now on, the only Frenchman I'll trust is a chef," said one of the writers on his way out of the Churchill Downs press box. So while Arazi prepares in France for his first start since the Derby probably the Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamps on June 28 today's Belmont has been left to 1 1 horses who still have a lot to prove. Derby winner Lil E. Tee bled in the Preakness and wasn't entered in the Belmont. Preakness runner-up Aly-deed, another bleeder, won't race in New York because it's a jurisdiction that doesn't permit race-day use of the anti-bleeding medication Lasix.

See BELMONT STAKES, Page 7B yt were happy and big. The track was fast. The expectations high. Day One, Detroit Grand Prix XI on Belle Isle. The course is smooth, with sweeping turns, lined with trees.

And best of all, the entire course contains only two manhole covers, those dreaded JULIAN H. GONZALEZDetroit Free Press WHAT: Detroit Grand Prix. WHEN: 1 p.m. Sunday. WHERE: Belle Isle.

TVRADIO: ABC (Channel 7 in Detroit); WWJ-AM (950). LAST YEAR'S WINNER: Emerson Fittipaldi (78.824 m.p.h.). TICKETS: Call 259-7749. PROVISIONAL POLE: Teo Fabi, 100.614. Qualifying continues today.

SUPPORT RACES: Trans-Am 3:15 p.m. today; Indy Lights 10 a.m. Sunday. Predictions CHARLIE VINCENT: I picked Bobby Rahal to win the Indy 500 and he might have, if he hadn't flattened a tire during one of the infrequent green-light segments of the race, costing him a lap. I'm going to keep picking him until he wins.

Michael Andretti will be second Sunday and Emerson Fittipaldi third. STEVE CROWE: Michael Andretti to win forget his engine difficulties of Friday Eddie Cheever to place, and Emerson Fittipaldi to show that he only wins in Detroit every other year. DOUG CHURCH: Bobby Rahal followed by Paul Tracy and Emerson Fittipaldi in Sunday's main event. In today's Trans-Am race: Tommy Archer. And in Sunday morning's Indy Lights: Robbie Groff.

Details, Paget 2B, 3B. Teo Fabi, the provisional pole sitter, talks things over with a crew member after averaging 100.614 m.p.h. around the Belle Isle circuit. Backup drivers move to front after first day of qualifying obstacles that dotted the downtown track and caused drivers to hang on for control. Finally, it seemed, they had gotten this right.

Finally, they had it perfect, Indy-cars on the island course instead of Formula One cars downtown. It seemed too good to be true. It was. After 90 minutes of practice, Michael Andretti stepped from his car and darkened the day by declaring the new 2.1-mile, 14-turn course "Mickey Mouse." Emerson Fittipaldi had fallen in love with this track a couple of weeks ago, declared it "seductive" and said it is See Charlie Vincent, Page 2B aemorauzea rtgassi 10 capture me last two sets. Last year's final between the two men was a hard-fought battle, with Agassi taking a two sets to one lead before losing in five sets.

But this with rain again threatening, Courier was in a hurry and showed no mercy. "It went much better than I could nneQihlv PYnprt caiH a smilino" Cnitri- "It's like Disneyland it's really Mickey Mouse. "There's nowhere to pass. It's twisty and doesn't make sense. But this is a track we'll have to deal with." Andretti's comments followed a brush with the Turn 13 wall in practice, leaving his Lola-Ford Cosworth in need of a pre-qualifying engine transplant.

Andretti, the only pole-sitter in the three previous years of Detroit Indy-car racing, was literally and figurative-See GRAND PRIX, Page 3B by Steve Crowe Free Press Sports Writer Friday's Belle Isle debut of Indy-car racing was of more than passing interest to Teo Fabi. In his first Indy-car action since 1990, Fabi a replacement for injured Mario Andretti turned the day's fastest qualifying lap. His 100.614 m.p.h. in a Lola-Ford Cosworth won the provisional pole for Sunday's Detroit Grand Prix. But his teammate, reigning series champion Michael Andretti, said of the smooth and scenic 2.1-mile course: er, sporting his customary white baseball cap.

"I'm happy it's over because it looked like it was going to rain but also because I played really well.".