European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 27, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday january 27,1989 the stars and stripes Page 23 magic in 3-d writes a whole new volume commentary by Scott Ostler los Angeles times it s time to rewrite the Book on the All time All Aba team. This Brilliant idea came to me recently when i sat under the los Angeles lakers Basket at the forum and watched Earvin magic Johnson coming at mein living 3-d. Usually when i go to a Laker game i am seated inthe rafters in the main press Section. No complaint. Broadcaster Chick Hearn sits up there. You can really see the plays unfold watch the entire court. Great seats if you re a scout. I m not a scout. I can t eve read a Compass. But at the lakers game against the Houston rockets i lucked out and Drew a seat on the Baseline press Row normally reserved for the reporters who cover every game. I had forgotten what a different sport it is when you re two feet away. The players sweat curse bleed Bellow whine punch gouge slap grab and Elbow. Some of them even play dirty. They also do remarkable things such As making baskets while their defender is doing All of the above. The great thing about the end court front Row seat is that it is the Best place in the world fro which to View the most exciting sports play in the world the lakers fast break. Therefore it is great place to watch magic Johnson operate. Magic s teammates Call him Buck Ever since hews a Rookie and Norm Nixon referred to him As the Young Buck. For a different reason the name still fits. Other Point guards like Isiah Thomas and John Stockton resemble Pesky Little bugs dodging and darting. Magic in wildlife terms is More of a run away Buck crashing through the Forest. He pounds the Ball he Lowers a shoulder he whirls and twirls. He directs traffic with one hand and slaps away his defender s hands with the other. The Ball dribbles itself. Against the rockets magic had 17 Points 18 assists and 13 rebounds. Routine game. What did Surprise me that Day though was that on at least three occasions magic threw a pass that caught a teammate unawares. Ten years into i Saba career it would seem that there would be no Way Johnson could still Surprise a Laker with a pass. You play on magic s team there Are two Cardinal rules 1. Move. 2. Look. In fact that s the entire Laker play Book. Just kidding Riley. But the lakers know that you must look for Heball when you re not open. The traditional basketball definition of open is greek to Johnson. When you re on the court with magic you re like a truck Stop Greasy spoon always open. He never fools me Byron Scott said. One passe threw to Mychal Thompson today was unbelievable. I could not believe it got through. But my firs year i Learned that you always watch  it does t happen often but that afternoon magic caught Thompson . Green and James worthy by Surprise. They knew they had goofed. They knew magic knew. And they knew that he knew that the knew so they knew it was of. They la Tell me til get the next one Buck " magic said. Because the lakers won the game easily magi could chuckle about the minor mix ups. I m thinking after All these years they should know me " Johnson said. But hey it happens. I m making passes we had t did in a  is he still inventing passes this late in his career you Don t be satisfied magic said. You re Al ways looking for ways to  and seemingly he has improved his game this season. There s probably not much doubt now that magic belongs on the All time All Aba starting five. In fact this might be a Good time to revise the entire team. So i will. Criteria my team has to consist of Guys who not Only stunned and excelled but who also raised the entire game to a new level for everyone. Each in a different Way invented the wheel. My team Elgin Baylor Forward. Translated playground Flash and flair into Aba language. Opened the sport to a whole new style. Paved the Way for or. J. This is no All nostalgia team by the Way Baylor s game would hold up today. Larry Bird Forward. Individual statistics team results style intensity. It Breaks my heart to leaved. J off the team but nobody said this was going to be easy. Wilt Chamberlain Center. So dominating it was in magic Johnson s hands the Ball dribbles  scary. Because of Wilt they widened the key changed the rules finally succeeded in holding him to 50 Points a game one season. The Aba game i better today of course. Bring Wilt Back in his prime right now and he d Only score 45 a game. Michael Jordan guard. While everyone else was trying to invent the wheel Jordan showed up with a radial tire. Not a team player we won t know until he gets a team. Look i Don t want to hear any rebut tals or equal time pleas for Oscar or Jerry. Just Roll the film. Earvin Johnson guard. A blend of Joe Montana and Minnesota fats. Magic s personal View of a basketball game must be something like Dali s personal View of clocks. If you Don t like my team pick your own. Meet you at the gym. Bring your trash and your Cash. Graf blasts Sabatini in semifinal by Thomas Bonk los Angeles times Melbourne Australia Asri varies go Steffi Graf and Gabriela Saba Tini in t much of one. Graf who has become the most pow Erful player in women s Tennis asserted her dominance Over one of her highly regarded Peers in convincing fashion thursday at the australian open. With surface temperatures reaching140 degrees Graf turned Center court into so much scorched Earth in the 6-3,6-0 semifinal Victory Over Sabatini. Graf will play Helena Sutkova in the final saturday. Sutkova struggled to de feat Belinda Cordwell of new zealand 7 6,4-6, 6-2 in the other semifinal. The no. 1 player in the world Graf needed just 50 minutes to eliminate the fourth ranked Sabatini who said she gradually wilted under pressure in the intense heat during the second set. Grass superiority was never More Evi Dent than in the second set when she gave up Only 8 Points. It was like i could t do anything said Sabatini. But Graf could do everything. Shewn the first 10 Points of the set break ing the Argentine at love in the first game and holding serve at love in the second game. Australian of i by then it was Only a matter of time 20 minutes for the set. Graf who plays doubles with Sabatini was asked whether she would speak with her 18-year-old partner about this match. I Don t think so Graf said. There really in t much to say. Graf has beaten Sabatini 15 times in 17 meet Ings which makes the Graf Sabatini rivalry something less than say Martina Navratilova is. Chris Evert. At first though Sabatini appeared Tobe intent on keeping up her Side of the rivalry. She broke grass first two service games but Graf did the same to Sabatini so neither player held serve in the first four games. After Graf broke Back the second time to2-2, the 19-year-old West German began to assert herself. Graf hit a Winner for the firs Point then Sabatini committed three errors to lose the game at love. I think i started doing too Many mis takes Sabatini said. But there was t much Sabatini could do from then on. Graf broke Sabatini a love in the sixth game and soon served out the set. The second set was Brilliant for Graf. It was probably the Best Tennis i have Ever seen said women s Tennis historian Ted Tinling. I can t remember anyone be seen who could counteract  Graf allowed Only four Points on her serve in the second set. She kept Sab Tinion the move and forced her into repeated errors. On successive game Points Sabatin hit a backhand wide to drop to 3-0, missed a forehand into the net to Trail 4-0 and double faulted to fall behind 5-0. At 30-30 in the sixth game Graf serve Dan Ace and then on match Point forced Sabatini to return a second serve Long. She was moving me and i was t run Ning very much said Sabatini who said she was tired from her earlier match Sand indicated she had All but Given up. I was angry because i did t try. Idin t try to fight a Little bit  there will be other opportunities Sai Sabatini who believes it is still too Early to Call her rivalry with Graf no contest. She s going to be maybe my rival inthe future Sabatini said. I m thinking to be no. 1. I need to work More Only  Graf said a rivalry cannot be judge Don Sabatini s semifinal performance be cause Sabatini had an off Day. Otherwise Martina is still not easy to play against i would say Lori Mcneil sometimes has a Good shot. Pam Shriver. I Don t know Graf said. Defending Champion Steffi Graf. Title match is. Helena Sutkova