European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 03, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Targets lakers pistons by Bill Barnard a basketball writer the list of contenders is getting longer but the los Angeles lakers and Detroit pistons still arc at the top. The two teams that have played for the last two Aba championships Lead their conferences at the Midway Point in the season but they arc hearing footsteps. San Antonio with a Bunch of new faces is threaten ing the record for single season improvement. Port land has found the Leader it needed in Buck Williams. The spurs and Trail blazers Are in the Hunt with Utah saturday february 3,1990 Aba at the half and Phoenix for the Western conference title won eight times in 10 seasons by the lakers. Last year. Cleveland was the Leader in the East at mid season. But injuries to All stars Brad Daugherty Larry Nance and Mark Price have crippled the Cava Liers. Coming on to take their place alongside new York and Chicago As challengers to the defending Champion pistons arc Boston and Philadelphia. I m Happy with where we arc because you never really know How far you might fall because of injuries Detroit coach Chuck Daly said. The bulls. Kicks. Philly and Boston All have a Chance to catch  Daly who earned his first coaching berth for the feb. 11 All Star game by haying the Best record in the East said the conference is in a volatile situation be cause everyone has stretches where they look Good and then struggle for  the kicks first in the Atlantic division did t have a two game losing Streak until their 38th game then lost five straight killing Rookie coach Stu Jack son s chances for the All Star game. Before the losing Streak. New York was running away from Philadelphia and Boston which have ral lied to make the division a three team race. We be been up and Down there s no question about  said Larry Bird who missed All but six of the celtics games last season because of foot surgery. But we re winning on the Road. If we can keep that up. We re going to turn some things around to where they should  Bird reclaimed his starting Forward spot on the All Star team although his 23-Point scoring average is his lowest since 1982. Earlier in the season a teammate called Bird a can cer on the celtics and there were other reports of dissension on a team Long known for its cohesion. But while the celtics show obvious signs of age at times their Talent and savvy make them dangerous. The kicks. 76crs and bulls arc dominated by All Star starters Patrick Ewing. Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan which makes All three teams Strong yet vulnerable. All three arc deserving most valuable player Candi dates dominating both ends of the floor. But their teammates arc inconsistent which usually translates into brilliance at Home and mediocrity on the Road. Together the three teams passed the Misca son Mark with a combined total of seven losses at Home and 39 defeats on the Road. The pistons have an All Star starter of their own in Isiah Thomas but he in t the same kind of dominating player As Jordan. Ewing and Barkley. Thomas combines with Joe Dumars As one of the Best guard tandems in the league but As the two top scorers on the pistons neither is in the Aba s top 30. In the West the lakers have their own map candidate in magic Johnson but los Angeles also has built Bench strength to rival anyone. Reserves Orlando Woolridge. Larry Drew Rookie Vlad Dirac and Michael Cooper give Riley a nine Man rotation. The chess game of substitution revolves around Johnson who spends Lime As a Center and Forward As Well As guard. For Riley. The moves arc part of the Challenge of coaching his first team without Kareem Abdul Jabbar. We have a Chance to Sec if Kareem was the differ ence in the 80s or not Riley said. The team now has a Challenge to Sec who they really Are. The stars and stripes Page 23 Duke fans Blue Over crackdown Mychal Thompson s los Angeles takers Lead the West with Terry Cummings san Antonio spurs close behind. This is the most exciting year for me. The Competition is going to be so Tough and i love that. I be never been so excited about a season in knowing that we might not win 60 games. Just knowing that we can be areal Good team would be More satisfying than anything we be done  in the Midwest division san Antonio and Utah have played tag with first place. The jazz continue to rely on the most productive duo in the Aba. Karl Malone and John Stockton. Malone. Averaging better than 30 Points per game and trailing Only Jordan in the scoring race was snubbed by fan voters for an All Star starting berth. But he answered the injustice by scoring 61 Points in 33 minutes last week against Milwaukee. Karl is on a  coach Jerry Sloan said. His judgment has been better As he s played against each team. He s improved at a tremendous rate and the game has become easier to  my teammates make things easy for me Malone said. They get me the Ball inside and we re playing together. As individual players we complement each other  and Malone arc the perfect complement with Stockton leading the Aba in assists for the third straight season. The spurs arc on a Pace to win 56 games which would be an improvement of 35 Over last season. The Aba record is 32 by the celtics in 1979-80. Leading the Way Are Rookie David Robinson an newcomers Terry Cummings and Maurice checks with Willie Anderson Frank Brickowski and Vernon Maxwell the Only holdovers. What we did goes against every principle i be held dear in the 17 years i be been an owner red Mccombs said. I always Felt if you added More than a couple of players you were treading on thin ice. But some unusual opportunities came to pass and we jumped on them trailing the lakers in the Pacific division arc the Trail blazers who barely made the playoffs with 39 victories last year. Trading for Power Forward Buck Williams gave the Trail blazers a by the Book starting five of Williams Center Kevin Duckworth Small Forward Jerome Ker sey shooting guard Clyde Drax scr and Point guard Terry  gives Portland the right chemistry after years of  brings so much to this team that you can t express his True  coach Rick Adlman said. He s a natural Leader. He does whatever is  Phoenix a 55-Gamc Winner last season struggled Early in the season because of a hamstring injury to Point guard Kevin Johnson. 1988-89 s most improved  return to form As a super Quick play maker and scorer paid immediate dividends in a 10-game winning Streak longest in the Aba All season. It May be too late for the suns to catch the lakers but not for the playoffs. By Doin Markus the Baltimore Sun of no. Not Fred. Of no not Fred after ruling that Duke basketball fans at Cameron indoor stadium would subject their beloved Blue Dev ils to a technical foul if they repeated some of their pc game antics Atlantic coast conference assistant commissioner Fred Barakat figured that he would be in fora bit of  came wednesday night when Barakat showed up to watch Duke beat Clemson. There were a few signs and a couple of of no chants usually reserved for lesser known visiting players. But there were no sneakers thrown or Popcorn boxes tossed onto the court during introductions. The sneakers about 75 pairs were showered onto the floor during the Blue devils Victory Over . State Jan. 24. In reference to one of the charges by the National collegiate athletic association against the College basketball notes Wolf pack last fall. The Popcorn boxes along wit Candy wrappers and soda cups were directed at a slimmed Down Dennis Scott during sunday s game against Georgia  questioned Harakal s safely and sanity show ing up in Durham. Certainly his wife. Florence did. It was her  said Barakat. We went out to dinner before and i told her i wanted to go to the game. She said. You re going to go in there i told her i wanted to go right into the Teeth of the  word around the act is that Duke students arc less creative than Ever. Then again at least they Don throw condoms anymore. Former Maryland player Merman veal knows about that. Though Krzyzowski s recent a rated run in with the Duke student newspaper was considered unusual an thus noteworthy because of the coach s Long standing reputation of getting along with the Media some have been Quick to Point out that coach k tutored in this area with another famous coach k As in Knight and other coaches have enjoyed a joke or two at the expense of some unsuspecting student  conversation was overheard at an acc school lately. Reporter coach. I m from the Campus  coach want me to curse at you the death Penally watch has begun at the University of Illinois where charges of promising to pay prospective players arc causing a flurry of denials by assistant coach Jimmy Collins and a vote of Confidence by head coach Lou Henson. And the re ports which involve for Mer High school All americans Laphonso Ellis and icon Thomas Are not talking about Small , now at notre Dame reportedly told investigators he was offered a $25.000 signing Bonus plus $60.000 in Cash and a car by Collins. Thomas Laphonso Ellis who is silting out the season for the fighting Zillini while the Mcaa conducts an investigation reportedly received an $80,000 Deal. Because the school s football program was placed on probation in 1988 for violations the basketball program could be forced to close shop. Said Hanson i believe in Jimmy. I m 100 percent supportive of him through this. Anyone might inadvertently break a Rule in recruiting but it will be a Surprise to me if a major Rule was  could be in for a big Surprise. Michael Edwards did t get anywhere near the publicity of his More celebrated teammates at Syracuse out of High school. But since Jim Boch Cim inserted the 5-foot-11 freshman into the starting lineup the Orang Emen have come out of their slump beating Pitts Burgh. Georgetown and St. John s in succession. The move really has paid off for Sophomore Billy Owens who returned to Forward and has gone on a tear shoot ing 29 of 42 from the Field after going 34 of 96 in the team s first six big East games. Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun has been mentioned for the Virginia Job and could get a supporting vote from his athletic director Todd Turner who used to be an assistant and in Charlottes Villa. Anthony Peeler s career High 42 Points for mis Souri in a 95-93 win Over Iowa state moved the soph Omore guard from eighth to fourth in big eight scor ing. A 77-percent free throw shooter he was 20 of 20 from the line. When Kansas won its 20th game of the season saturday it marked the second straight season in which a big eight team reached that Pinnacle first. Missouri did it last season