European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 30, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday april 30,1989 the stars and stripes Page 25 commentary Road games cause heartburn in Aba a the luxuries of life on the Road. A Swanky hotel room. Dinner in some fancy restau rant. Cabs 10 go Tram Here to there. Who could com Plain anyone in the Aba. Throw out expansion Miami and Charlotte and the Home team in the Aba during this regular season had a .710 winning percentage. Only two teams had winning records on the Road. Bui thai changes in the playoffs right not realty. Going into the 1989 playoffs. 1,597 Aba postseason games had been played with the visitors winning just 529, a ,331 percentage. Even the Best playoff Road records Are less than dazzling. The most successful playoff teams Boston and los Angeles have dismal Marks away from Home. The celtics owners of 16 championships were 86 110, a .439 percentage and inc lakers who won 11 titles in Minneapolis and los Angeles did it with an 89-110 Road Mark for ,426. They Are however like most Aba teams awfully Good at Home. Getting the Hom court advantage throughout the playoffs is what Molina red us All season said Chuck Daley whose Detroit pistons earned that privilege with the Best record in the league 61-19. That included 26-15 on the Road by far the Aba s Best travel record and a 37-1 record at Home. Defending Champion los Angeles lakers were the Only other team to play belter than 500 Ball on the Road and they barely made it at 22-19. The rest of the earns nil lost More games than they won away from Home. Sometimes the Home Road contrasts were striking. Cleveland was just about unbeatable at Home with a 37-4 record that matched Detroit s for the league s Best. On the Road though the Cavaliers dipped to a nothing special 20-21, Denver and new York were both 35-6 at Home. Put them on the Road and they were distinctly Ordinary the nuggets 9-32 and the kicks 17-24. In player Dan Issei who now broadcasts Nugget games thinks Denver s mile High geography contrib utes to his team s Jekyll Hyde record the nuggets have an advantage at this Altitude he said. Get Ling up and Down the court Leams get a Little winded. The nuggets had several games when they pulled away at he end because of that. Even if the other team just thinks about it Llinat s an Edge for the nug gets. Playing on the Road requires mental Tough  general manager Al Bianchi whose new York kicks had a Streak of 26 Home court victories Dur ing the season remembers the Days when he was an assistant coach in Phoenix often the last Stop for an East team heading Home from a West coast Road trip. I could sit there and look at a schedule of a team that had been playing up and Down the coast Portland Seattle los Angeles. San Francisco and we d be sitting there waiting for them he said. Usually we were going to win those games. Teams on inc Road Are playing four games in five nights five in six sometimes. Playing flying playing again. Teams gel tired. That s a big part of the Equa  Bianchi said that from a technical standpoint teams seem to gel better production from their eighth ninth and tenth men when they arc playing at Home. Subs Are More important at Home than on the Road he said Why that is i Don t  it follows however that if More players contrib Ute a team has a better Chance to win. So the Superior Home court records would seem to support Bian Chi s subs theory people have struggled with this for years Bian Chi said. I Don t know the answers. 1 have theories Bull Don t know if they re right or  sports psychologist Eric Margenau said there arc a number of dynamics at work in the contrast Between Home and Road performances. On the Road your whole routine is unsettled he said. Aside from the physiological problems of trav Eling a player is in unfamiliar surroundings away from his support system. It s just hot As secure an environment emotionally As he has at Home. On the Road you arc playing in a hostile  then there is inc nature of the game itself. Basketball is played at a Breakneck Pace. It s not a meditation sport like baseball. Going up and Down up and Down creates a different emotional slate in an athlete. In basketball you have to generate Emo Tion to be successful at Home you can feed off the emotion of the Home crowd. The fans Are so close to inc game. On the Road you have to generate the emotion yourself from within the individual player or from the team s group dynamic. That is difficult to do in a hostile environment but it All seems to come Back to that rugged sched ule. A baseball player is in a town for three or four Days not one Day in and one Day out Margenau said. At least there is the Opportunity to Settle in to get your clothes out of a suitcase and into a Dresser. You Are establishing some kind of base even if it is Only for a Short Lime. The basketball player does t have that  until the playoffs that is. Then the schedule is less hectic with visiting teams settling in for two games in the same town. Hall of Famor Rick Barry broadcasting the playoffs for Tbs said that makes a difference i Don t think the Home Road difference is As drastic in the  he said. You want the Home court but i Don t think it s As big a Factor. In the playoffs you have More time to prepare. You re not popping into a town and then popping out. It s easier to play on the Road in the playoffs. You come in mentally prepared. When you re travelling you Don t have that Chance to  Barry s theory seems sound. The facts however do not support it and that s Why the Detroit pistons go into the playoffs this year feeling pretty Good about their chances Abc starts Pattonville on a 2-week Roll by Walt Morrissette stiff writer Stuttgart West Germany Europe s annual super bowl the men s american Bowling Congress the women s International Bowling con Gress championships followed by the european masters tournament is ready to Roll for a fortnight starting monday at Stuttgart s Pattonville lanes. There Wilt be familiar faces present. The 1966 and 1988 masters Champi on Fred fingers Wavion will defend his All events title at this 24-Lane Cen Ter As will 1988 w1bc Champ Nona Newborn. Heilbronn s Bob Gardner the 1987 masters Champion and sixth in 88, comes into the tournament having rolled n 298 game in february 1989. He bowled a 298 Triplicate last october and was inc 1984 Usa Keur Champi on. Five top Usa eur bowlers competed in Little Creek a. April 23-28 on the ail  team in the armed forces championships Lance Lonsdale of ram Sicin made the men s team while Janice Larsen of  Debbi Miller of ans Bach and Augsburg duo of Maria sum 1m and Virginia Loch made the women s learn Walton leads the Ramstein Ramblers. His credentials Over the past five years make him the favorite to add a 1989 masters title to hts list of laurels. He has qualified for the last five mis ters championships. He progressed from 16th in 1984. To second in 8s, to Hil first title in 86. He fell Back to Europe Bowling Walton eighth in 87, before rebounding to win the title again in 88, his to Gelwich a teams won Back Loback team titles in 8s and 36. And his masters record 684 three game so Ries bowled in 86, still stands. He brings a 196 current average n 300 game and a 768 High series into this years masters Lonsdale is Back from the states for this tournament. His resume includes 17 700 series third place in the 88 masters sixth in the 87 masters and fourth in the 81 masters. He is the 1989 Usarek singles Champion was on the 83 and 84 All  teams and has a 300 game and 754 High series. Me brings a 198 average into inc 89 Abc. Of course when you bring s60 bowl ers together on 140 teams for this bowl fast there arc Many possibilities for a Bowler to come out of nowhere Roll a hot Streak and Knock off Walton or Newborn. The men Lead off the action monday with in Cirac tournament with the first so Iliad starting with team Competition at 1 is ., followed by the Sec Ond squad at 6 10  The Rar Steih inn team that won the 88 title is  defend with Eric Boucher whose 206 average led the championship Effort. The team also includes Cosme Estevez who boasts a 79s High series and a 300 game Ken Brooks who was third in the 88 masters and ninth in the 88 All events is on the team representing the Host lanes beneficial. Brooks has two 300 games a High series of 792 and a 190 current average. Teammate Steve Cook also has two 300 games a 769 High series and was on the 86 All  and armed forces squads. He was both in team Usa Competition that same year. Pir Masens Christopher Holt the 1988 Abc singles titlist is Back to do 1 fend his title. Bennie Johnson of Giessen returns for the 23rd Lime with a 195 current average 705 High series and 299 High game. Greg Pai Mertyce of Hahn who was second on the 87 Mac singles and 87 Safe doubles boasts an 856 High series and bring n 300 game to Stuttgart As Well As a 181 current average. Offering living proof that Yaba bowlers move on to bigger things . A incr the i9b6 Yaba european Champion is representing Heidelberg s Patrick Henry Village lanes with a 258 High game 606 series and 167 current average the is Gonella Italy godfathers have entered with Bill Schlec who bowled the first 300 game at the Sigo Noclla lanes and Dan Banks who bowled a 714 series in february. The doubles event for the first group follows on tuesday with singles on wednesday. Shift limes arc again 1 15  And 6 30  The second group starts rolling thursday through saturday with 9 . And 2  Starting limes each Day. The final and biggest group Rolls on May 7 8-9. With squad times at 9 ., 2  And 7  The women Start rolling their euro Pean w1bc championships May 10 and end May 12. Salina Sandefur of Augsburg who won the doubles title with Jamie Griffin last year in Heidel Berg is Back for another shot. Nee Wallace the i9bs wisc singles Champion who bowled out of Mann Heim last year is now Bowling out of Mainz and Heads her team Mainz con i. Her current average is 183 and she has a High game of 299 and a High series of 697, the european masters for both men and women Climax the action Here on the weekend of May 13-14an sports television basketball Aba Plavo fsr Chicago at Cleveland 7  Sunday. Radio bomb null san Francisco at Pitts Burgh 7 30 pm. Sunday. Basketball Aba playoffs Houston at sea tie 11 01 . Monday