European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 17, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 24 the stars and stripes tuesday january 17,1989 dynasties crumbling around injured Bird fading Jabbar by Howard Ulman Boston a count the championship banners. One two three four and still much More. Go All the Way up to 16, Green White and hovering Over today s celtics from the ancient rafters of the Boston Garden. Then Stop. Check the championship smiles. The bubbly magic grinning broadly moments after the los Angeles lakers won their second straight Aba title Only seven months ago. Even the dour Kareem exulting in that Back to Back feat last achieved in 1969. Now Cut to the present. Bird is on the Bench in Street clothes Kareem is on the Bench in crunch time and their teams winners of eight of the last nine titles Are losing to the Indiana pacers and Sacramento Kings. The reasons both teams Are Strug gling Are fairly obvious said Charlotte Forward Kurt Rambis who was with the lakers when they faced the celtics in three of the last five Aba finals. The celtics miss their Leader and the lakers Are struggling because of the pressures of winning Back to Back on nov. 19, Larry Bird underwent surgery on both heels. He is expected Back with the celtics in late february or Early March. In los Angeles magic Johnson s Bril Liance remains but 41-year-old Center Kareem Abdul Jabbar the Aba s All time leading scorer May lose his Start ing Job. General manager Jerry West de Nied a newspaper report that consideration is being Given to benching the oldest player in league history. But the lakers Are still in first place in the Pacific division. The celtics who have made the playoffs in 34 of the last 38 seasons Are struggling to make them this season. Things did seem to be getting Bette for Boston. Its next two even if they were against Charlotte and the los Angeles clippers. Then came Indiana which had t won on the Road All season. Until last wednesday night. Indiana routed the celtics 127-108. That dropped Boston which had lost a total of eight Home games the past three seasons to 12-7 at Home and 15-17 Over All. A week earlier after the celtics had blown a five Point Lead in the last 2 /2 minutes at Home and lost to Phoenix 106-104, guard Danny Ainge said this is the Low Point of the year that s for it got lower against Indiana. It can t get any worse than this Ainge said after that loss. Teams Are coming in Here with the feeling they can beat us. They can smell it. They feel we re Boston which never lost More than 26 games in any of Bird s nine previous sea sons won three of its first 13 Road games beating Only Miami new Jersey and san Antonio. They Are missing one of if not the greatest players who Ever played the game. It s that simple Phoenix coach Cotton Fitzsimmons said. There s so Many things he does other than scoring such As adding leadership Rambis said. You can t expect to main Tain the status quo when you lose a player like the one thing i do like is this team through adversity has really stayed to Gether very Well and continued to work very hard and we re making improvements Boston s first year coach Jimmy Rodgers said. Last season the celtics had a weak Bench and an overworked aging starting five and lost the Eastern conference final to Detroit. Rodgers promoted from his assistant s Job was committed to developing Young players at the expense of victories even before Bird was Hurt. After losing five of six games it won Bird s absence gave second year for wards Reggie Lewis and Brad Lohaus and Rookie guard Brian Shaw even More playing time. All three especially Lewis have progressed and 13-year Veteran Center Robert Parish is having perhaps his Best season. But Shaw said we come out some nights and we re real aggressive and we come out other nights and we re a decline in guard Dennis Johnson s offence and the Lack of a reliable player to turn to in the final seconds also have Hurt. And the celtics Are adjusting to Rodgers system which emphasizes a running offence and pressing defense. Even without Bird the celtics beat the cold shooting lakers 110-96 in Boston on dec. 16, the second loss in los an Geles just ended Streak of eight Road set backs its longest in 13 seasons. The Lak ers played 17 of their first 24 games on the Road but Are unbeaten at Home. Their 24-12 record on monday was four games off their 28-8 Mark after 36 games last season. Veteran Forward or Lando Woolridge in his first year with the lakers has been a disappointment Byron Scott and James worthy Are shooting worse this season and Abdul Jabbar s scoring has dropped by six Points a game. I can t remember it this bad John son said after los Angeles seventh consecutive Road loss. I be been looking for a while saying what is it people say defense and for a few games that was it. But Overall it has been our Lack of Offen Sive the most dramatic drop off has been in Abdul Jabbar s performance in his 20th and last Aba season. Described by one columnist As a parody of his former overwhelming self his playing time has decreased. If i m not helping the team he said i should t be out on the last tuesday night the lakers lost 106-97 at Sacramento which had the Aba s second worst record. Up convalescing Larry Bird. Celts Down at the heels too we re playing hard Johnson said but we re playing we need something to shake things up los Angeles coach Pat Riley said. I believe the Road defeats Are mental and our grading system shows some play ers Are 100 percent less effective on the scoreboard football shrine bowl at Stanford calif., sunday East 24, West 6 East West .0 7 3 1424.3 3006 West Fig Walsh 29 West Fig Walsh 42 East Tillman 1 run Gillette kick East Fig Gillette 44 1 run Gillette kick East Olsavsky 75 interception return Gillette kick a76,000 est first Downs rushes Yards passing Yards return Yards comp att int punts fumbles lost penalties Yards East West 18 12 40-98 31-1 147 141 200 27 12-27-3 17-45-3 3-30 7-38 5-2 0-0 5-23 8-40 individuals Rushing East Tillman Jackson st., 19-86 Gillette Michigan 1-18 Johnston Syracuse 5-13 , Clemson 4-9 Wilkerson Kent st., 2 5 Rison Michigan st., 1-0 Gruden Louisville 2 Reninus 5 Elkins Wake Forest 6- minus 28. West first Downs Richards California 8-15 , Utah 5-13 rushes Yards Henderson Iowa st., 2-12 Jenkins Washington 4 passing 6 Taylor Nebraska 8- minus 6 Wilhelm Oregon return cards st., 3- minus 15 Walsh new Mexico. 1- minus 24. Como att int passing East Elkins 7-14-2-97, Gruden 5 punt 12-0-50, Tillman 0-1-1-0. West Wilhelm 8-23-2 fumbles lost 62, Taylor 9-22-1-79. Penal be shards receiving East Rison 3-43 Ford Virginia y 3-34 Worthen n. Carolina st., 2-19 Wilkerson 2 18 Stock Vii 1-20 Reeves Auburn 1-13. West Affholter Southern Cal 7-63 Richards 6 47 Millikan Nebraska 3-31 1-0. Japan bowl at Yokohama Japan monday East 30, West 7 East 7 17 3 330 West 0007 East Drummond 41 run Stoyanovich kick West Ball 2 run kick East Brown 10 pass from Dilweg Stoyanovich kick East Drummond 1 run Stoyanovich kick East Fig Stoyanovich 30 East Fig Stoyanovich 22 East Fig Stoyanovich 49 a29,000. 35. East West 24 8 44-228 24-45 152 94 28 120 17-29-2 10-18-3 0-0 4-27 0-0 1-0 1-5 3-30 individuals Rushing East Drummond Syracuse 8-66 Green notre Dame 14-55 Hunter Kentucky 9 53 Brown West Virginia 8-27 Mcallister Michi Gan state 4-16 Dilweg Duke 1-11. West Ball Urcla 8-42 Perry Baylor 3-14 Webster South Ern California 2-5 Stafford Oklahoma 6-1 Hart Loeb Iowa 5- minus 17. Passing East Dilweg 6-10-0-70 Francis Tennessee 9-14-0-57 Mcallister 2-4-1-25 Stoyanovich Indiana 0-1-1-0. West Aikman Urcla 5-10-1-54 Hartlieb 5-8-2-40. Receiving East Mitchell Vanderbilt 6-87 Waddle Boston College 3-25 Drummond 3-17 Hunter 2-0 Brown 1-10 Weygand Auburn 1-7 Green 1-6. West Ingram California 3-39 or Washington. 2-21 Webster 2-15 Perry 1-7 Brison Nebraska 1-6 Phillips Houston 1-6. Missed Field goals East Stoyanovich soccer major indoor soccer league Baltimore Dallas san Diego Wichita Tacoma los angles Kansas City w l pet. Go 12 6 .667 12 8 .600 1 11 9 .550 2 9 9 .500 3 9 12 .429 4v, 9 11 .450 5 6 13 .316 so sunday s results Kansas City 7, Dallas 2 los Angeles 2, Wichita 1 american indoor soccer Assn. W l pet. Go Canton 12 7 .632 Chicago 2 8 .600 a Milwaukee 10 8 .556 154 Hershey 0 8 .556 1 i fort Wayne 10 10 .500 2 i Memphis 8 12 .400 46 Dayton 5 14 .263 7 sunday s results Chicago 6, Milf Waukee 1 Hershey 8, Dayton 6 Canton 15, Memphis 13, of May a to Flat to in their mba me Rory that no mave map am actual plavets oni tm6 Ti-�6 m ah/16. Again ? Chip tar pm
