European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 25, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                New York apr after playing second Best to the new York rangers a season the new Jersey devils have finally reversed that. Its now the devils who Are ahead of the rangers the devils Lead their Eastern conference final 3-2 following monday nights 4-1 Victory and can dose put the series with a Victory in game.6 on wednesday night at the Meadowlands. A a Victory would put the devils in the Stanley cup finals for the first time and nil playoffs Send the cup starved rangers Home for yet another summer a continuing their futile Streak from 1940. A a we la be nervous no question a said new Jersey Center Bernie Nicholls who scored two goals monday night. A we accomplished what we set out to do monday night and if we can play the Way we played the last two games Well have a great Opportunity to win a. The devils who lost All six regular sea Hack pm Olajuwon slips but keeps control of the Ball As Utah a Felton Spencer watches. In son games to the no. 1 rangers and finished six Points behind them in the Overall standings have played More comp Stively against them in the playoffs. Their victories in the past two games have been textbook examples of tight defense Good goal ending and opportunistic offence. A a that a the Way we played All year a devils goaltender Martin Brodeur said. A it Shook us up when we allowed so Many shots in the first three games. So the Guys really bore  the stars and stripes May 25,1994 Page 36 rockets strike where it hurts by Michael a. Lutz Houston a while Utah fully expected Hakeem Olajuwon to get his Points the jazz did no to anticipate being shelled from the outside by Houston a guards. Olajuwon got 31 Points and the guards a led by Kenny Smiths 27 Points a left the jazz trying to defend inside and outside As the rockets rolled to a 100-88 Victory monday night in game 1 of the Western conference final. A when they re shooting like that from outside it opens up the inside a jazz Forward Karl Malone said. A what killed us open shots. But this is just the first game. Was that second Quarter. I missed a lot of. Inis its not  Smith hit 6-of-9 3-Point shots and 9-of-14 Overall. For the second consecutive game Rookie Sam Cassell came off the Bench and created a spark with nine straight Houston Points to Start the second Quarter. \ Cassells run ignited the rockets to a 54-34 halftime Lead and they never looked Back. He had 22 Points against Phoenix in game 7 of the semifinals. A in the playoffs you have to have a Guy step up. Kenny Smith was the Guy to night Quot rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said a the was phenomenal. You be got to do it against Utah because John Stockton is such a great Guy at moving the Ball  the jazz got a 14-9 Lead to Start the game but it did no to last. The rockets 11 0 run Over the next 4 03 gave them the Lead for Good. It was 20-18 to Start the second period when Cassell broke it open. A Sam came out and really changed the Tempo of the game a Tomjanovich said a the kid has something special. He seems to Rise to special occasions. He was Aba playoffs a very positive Factor in this  Felton Spencer who guarded san Antoniq a David Robinson and Denver ski Kemble Mutombo in the first two rounds found Olajuwon a stiffer Challenge. He had double team help but it did no to work. A maybe Well rotate someone else in on him maybe Hakeem wont hit 31 again and maybe Kenny wont hit 27, but they re a very athletic team a Spencer said. \ a a. A Utah a slow Start was its undoing. A this game was decided in the first half a jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. A we turned the Ball Over 12 times in the first half and that a not characteristic of us. You Don give yourself much of a Chance when you do that. A when they shoot the Ball like they did tonight from the perimeter and Olajuwon is inside they re hard to Deal with a Robert Horry held Malone to four Points in the first half before the latter came to life to finish with 20. Jeff Horna Cek had 19 Points a All in the second half a Spencer had 15 Points and Malone had 16 rebounds. A just because something does no to work one game you done to change your whole defense scheme Quot Malone said. A we did a lot of Good things tonight too. Hopefully it will work out in the  it the rockets faltered at the Start of the third Quarter and it was Hornacek who helped the jazz Back into the game. He was 0 for 5 in the first half but had 13 Points in the third Quarter. Still the jazz could get no closer than nine Points the last time at 61-52. The teams split their season series 3-3, with each team winning one game on the. Others Home  to new Orleans by Mike Nadel Minneapolis a twice Minnesota has failed to keep an Aba franchise. Now its new Orleans turn to prove it deserves a second Chance. A group led by top rank of Louisiana on monday agreed to pay Timber wives owners Marv Wolfenson and Harvey Ratner an Aba record $152.5 million and plans to have the team playing in the new Orleans super dome when the 199495 season tips off. Quot its a devastating Day a said Wolfenson who paid the Aba $32.5 million for the expansion Timber wives to begin play in 1989. A we never thought it would. Come to  for the second time in 34 years an Aba franchise has left Minnesota. And for the second time in 13 months the state has lost a pro sports team. The Minneapolis lakers moved to los Angeles in 1960. And the Minnesota North stars left for Dallas after the 199293 nil season ending pro hockey a 26-year run Here. A new Orleans meanwhile will have pro basketball for the first time since 1979, when the jazz moved to Utah. The Timber wives will join the nil saints on new Orleans sports scene a i think football and basketball Are the two top sports draws now a said Bob arum the boxing promoter who is part of Tod ranks ownership group. A you have the new Orleans saints in football now you la have the new Orleans Blank Blanks. I can to see us retaining the name  by any name the loss of an Aba franchise a is a big blow to Minnesota and the City of Minneapolis a said gov. Arne Carlson who earlier this month signed legislation approving a Public buyout of target Center aimed at keeping the team in the state. _ not too Long ago with its status As the smallest Market to have teams in All tour major pro sports leagues and with Mega events like the super bowl final four and . Open being staged Here the i win cities was considered the sports Boom Community of the �?T90s. Suddenly the area is Down to two pro teams twins the nil Vikings and baseball so in a afraid its setting a dangerous precedent a said sports fan Bob Dolan of Vadnais Heights who heard the news while at a St. Paul bar. A first the North stars leave then the Timber wives. What next a its the a bad a first franchise move since 1985, when the Kings went from Kansas City to Sacramento. For the transaction to become official it must be approved by the a bad a franchise relocation committee and ultimately the other owners. But fearing lawsuits pro sports leagues have been reluctant to Challenge such moves in the last decade