European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 13, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday december 13. 1989 the stars and stripes Page z5 commentary and there Are still 66 games to go up the Miami heat before ii s too late. Unless something is done fasl 1his team will car up the Nua record Book. It does t seem fair. Oiler franch Lei Drift along for years making less Impact from one season to the next than those hotshots from Miami have made in 16 Short games you win a few you Lew a few and ii Ati adds up to inc Phoenix suns or san Antonio spurs or Washington bullets. Mediocrity catches the attention of no one. Rut string the losses together the Way Miami has with no wins marring the landscape and Bingo you re the stuff of legend with your very own line in the record Book. The heat made in into history the other night putting up Token resistance in a 111-88 Blowout against the Chicago bulls. That s 16 games and 16 losses no team in Aba history has Ever lost ital Many in 3 Row at the Start of a season much less the Start of a franchise. Could this be a plot a cynical bid for attention who s going o remember inc first year Dallas Mav Ericks or Cleveland Cavaliers. Ulicy won now and then a game Here a game there. 15 for the season. Not Miami. This heat wave is already preserved for posterity. And there Are still 66 games to go. Rory Sparrow one of the few veterans on the roster offered some perspective on the situation. When you took Al a building lie said the a Dulcet gels All the credit not the Blue Collar workers who put in up Down the Road this team will win and they la forget All about us. The ones who suffered inc Agnnyofo-i6." like Miami s record the loss to Chicago was almost perfect. The heat fell behind after 41 seconds Art except for two Brief ties in the next do min utes failed the rest of the Way and with Good reason. The heat shot a Chilly 34-of-Yo from the floor and a woeful 20-of-35 from the foul line. Still coach Ron Rothlein puts up a Brave facade. Most of our games have been Prilly compel Ilive he said. We won t quit. Well keep working and Well get better. I be known How difficult this league is. They re the lessons have been harsh. If losing builds Char Acter this Young team leads the league in that commodity. There Are a half dozen rookies on the roster and Rothstein often starts four first year players. You re always disappointed when you lose but you be got 10 be realistic and understand How Many Young kids Are in that foam and what we arc trying to said. It s not easy. Vou re competitive. You want in win. But you be got to be realistic Kven Lually Well be Good. Basically it s rookies. I keep coming Back to that word realistically 16 straight losses is a harsh Way to Start a professional career. Leading scorer Kony Sci Kaly is phlegmatic about the situation i knew it would he a hard season he said. I knew we would not be in the against the hulls the Lea committed the full Range of mistakes travelling air balls foul Lane violations. 24-Sccond violations. It look some of the suspense out of the game because there was no Way they could win toting around that kind of baggage. Still they come Hack every night fully expecting the Streak to end. Logic suggests that every team is going to win now and then even if it s Only by Acci Dent. Thus far however. Miami has won no games. The heat has been beaten just about every Way possible. They were blown out by 47 Points by the world Champion los Angeles takers and beaten by two by nobody s Champion Sacramento. This will not go on forever. Next year expansion teams will be added at Orlando and Minne Sota. So role slain was asked when might we expect Miami to win one when is our next game he asked. Monday in Utah Well win monday in is that us guaranteed coach Etol Holcin s eyes narrowed the fire or perhaps in was the heal showing. A Mon he snapped what am i Jimmy the greek naw the greek stays away from Long shots like that. Tom Liuti Tiitu Prait Abdul Jabbar reminisces with old teammates Milwaukee Al sporting an. Unfamiliar lie and jacket rather than his no. .13 Laker uniform Kareem Abdul Jabbar said goodbye sunday 10 the cily were lie began his n1ia Cartel 20 years ago. Abdul Jabbar Wjt bout the Beard and Eye goggles he wore when he powered the Bucks to six winning seasons and one Aba championship More reflective moment with the 18,633 fans a the i Railley Center As his Farewell Lour made its final Stop in Milwaukee. I be gone through so Many personal changes. Hut there s one thing that s Here and that s All the warmth and appreciation you be provided me with he ind fans. The 7-foot-2 Center a knee injury bal Lias kept him out of action for iwo weeks did no play the Bucks hosted Angeles. Instead he turned Over his role As the Aba s most dominant Center to a younger generation of players there Are other players who Jiava obviously taken Over inc More prominent Type of of recognition Al the Center position and Hev deserve it Abdul Jabbar told reporters Al a news conference "1 eople like Akeem Pla Jawon and Patrick Ewing. Their teams Are doing Well and i hey. Deserve some of the credit said the Nha s All Lime leading scorer right now i m just concentrating on what i can do for the team. Lakers owner Jerry Kuss told me he. Did t expect me to play up to the level 1 had played at earlier in Nivy career he said ranked by his parents and several former teammates including Jon Mucci Locklyn Liob Dandridge Greg Smith and former Bucks coach Larry c ostello Abdul Jabbar accepted several standing ovations from Ian and a har icy Davidson motorcycle from the hucks Abdul Jabbar played his first Sis. Seasons in Milwaukee before he requested to be traded in 1975, a re
