European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 31, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Thursday May 31, 1990 the stars and stripes Page 17 Safe at Home Portland survives another Cliffhanger by Bob Baum Portland Ore. A the port land Trail blazers Aren t blazing any trails when it comes to playoff Success. They re using a tried and True formula get the Home court advantage and protect it with your life. The Trail blazers 1 -6 on the the Road remained unbeaten in nine playoff games at Home on tuesday night pulling away in the final minute for a 120-114 Victory Over the Phoenix suns. Portland leading the Best-of-7 West Ern conference finals 3-2, can earn its first trip to the Aba finals in 13 years by winning thursday night in Phoenix. Clyde Drexler whose jump shot has been missing in action throughout the playoffs broke out of his slump with a 32-Point, 10-rebound Effort including the go ahead free throws with 34 seconds to play. This is a Gutsy team that just plays Well together he said. Even on nights when we re struggling we re still capable of winning Ball games. We have a never die attitude and right now we re up 3 2." for the suns it was the third straight Cliff hanging loss in Portland in the Best of-7 series. We always have close games but we never seem to pull them out Kevin Johnson said. I Don t know. Maybe they have a Little mystique about this after a pair of one sided wins in Phoe Nix the suns were full of Confidence for game 5. And they had a 106-101 Lead with 6 23 to go. I really believed we were going to come in Here and win the Ball game and perhaps we should have Johnson said. But we keep saying that Over and Over again. The Home court s really doing a lot for them. No matter How they play on the Road they have the Security Blanket of coming Phoenix coach Cotton Fitzsimmons made it Clear he s had enough of the blazers Home court transformation from a team that looks Over matched in the playoffs to one on the threshold of con tending for the Aba title. Portland has done everything it had to up Here but i think it s time they Stop hiding behind the umbrella of the Home court advantage he said. But if the suns win at Home thursday night they la play game 7 saturday in an sports television Aba playoffs Portland at Phoenix 3 . Friday. Aba playoffs Portland where Phoenix has lost 20 in arow. The crowd helps but you be got to win on the court Portland coach Rick Adelman said. It in t just us. Look at the other series. They re 2-2 and both teams win at Home. I think Here Down the stretch our team has the ability to do three things that you have to do. You be got to de fend you be got to rebound and you be got to make free throws. We did All thereof those Down the Drexler had been shooting just 40 per cent from the Field in the playoffs but Adelman had a talk with him before tuesday night s game. He said be a Little More aggressive going to the Hole take it Strong get things happening out there Drexler said. It was a real Confidence Drexler s performance was a vindication of sorts. Not Only has he been Strug gling offensively he had taken a beating in print As Well. Golden state coach Don Nelson was quoted As calling Drexler selfish and overrated. San Antonio s Wil lie Anderson called him a dirty player. He was due to have a Good game Fitzsimmons said. He s an All Star player and you knew he was going to have a game like none of Drexler s shots was bigger than the 3-Pointer he made from the top of the key with 6 09 to play. Phoenix had built a 106-101 Lead. Not Only did Drexler make the shot but Mark West fouled Kevin Duckworth in Side and the Portland Center completed a four Point play by making the free throw. Suddenly the Lead was just 106 105. It was a huge play Adelman said. I was hoping we d get two Points and we came away with four. They re up by five. If we miss they be got an Opportunity to take Complete the blazers finally caught the suns 109-109 on a Short jumper by Terry por Ter with 4 59 to go. Phoenix had four chances to regain the Lead before Jerome Kersey s two free throws made it 113 109 with 2 30 to go. But the suns weren t setting yet. West made one of two free throws with 1 53 to go then Dan Majerle scored inside to trim Portland s Lead to 113-112 with 1 16 left. Phoenix took its last Lead 114-113, on two free throws by Tom Chambers with 47 seconds to play. Drexler s two free throws put Portland ahead for Good. After Majerle missed Jeff Hornacek grabbed the rebound but lost the Ball in a scramble. Portland s see Aba on Page 22 sports Oakland s Rickey Henderson hoists Al record stolen base no. 893. A s Henderson Breaks the to a Oakland Calif. A Rickey Henderson broke Tycobb s Ameri can league record for career stolen bases tuesday night when he stole no. 893 in the sixth inning of the Oakland athletics game with the to Ronto Blue jays. Baseball Roundup son Page 26. Henderson is in his Lith major league season. Cobb stole 892 bases in 24 seasons from 1905-28. Henderson also moved into third place on baseball s All time career Sto Len base list. Only Lou Brock with 938 and Billy Hamilton who stole 937 be fore the turn of the Century have stolen More bases than Henderson. Henderson doubled with two out in the sixth off David Wells and stole third without a throw on a 2-0 pitch to Carney Lansford. It was his Ameri can league leading 22nd steal. The a s then presented him with a plaque consisting of a base with the number 893, a pair of White shoes and pictures of him stealing bases. New manager Harrelson promises discipline for mets by Marty Noble new Day Cincinnati the title fits him Well he thinks. Bud Harrelson has been preparing to be the new York mets manager since the last Day he was an Active shortstop in 1980. He does t particularly care for the circumstances that have put him in office however. He and Davey Johnson were and Are friends but Harrelson was delighted tuesday when Frank Cashen told him he no longer was the mets third base coach. I promptly accepted Harrelson said recalling the morning conversation in which Cashen offered him the Only managerial position he really wanted. The White sox Blue jays and astros inquired about Harrelson s availability in recent years. And Harrelson did want to manage in the major leagues. But he did t want to leave new York for the Opportunity. I did t have to manage to be Happy in baseball he said. It was t imperative. I did t want to go to another so now his circumstances Are Ideal. Well almost. I m sad for Davey he said. I was his third base coach his Bench coach and his third base coach again. He allowed me to run the bal club when he could t be there for and now Harrelson is running the club again. This time it s his. It will not be Johnson s team once Harrelson has time to make his Mark even though Many people perceive him As Johnson s disciple. I came up through the organization to Davey. I worked with Davey and i talked with Davey Harrelson said. It does t mean we re the same people. If people say i m like him that s Fine. Davey was very but he intends to be different from his predecessor in several regards. He will enforce team rules More strictly he May manage the game differently More situation baseball and less Reliance on Power and As he said we re going to play winning Johnson s last see mets on Page 22
