European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 7, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday june 7, 1994 sports the stars and stripes Page 37knicks bring self to Aba once it was nothing More than a harmless exaggeration to describe an Aba player As a a  increasingly though its become a necessity we have the kicks to thank for that. A we want to win it the ugly Way Quot new Yorkus Anthony Mason said. Assuming that a True they re an unqualified Success. And As Long As their playoff run continues the pro game will be less and less about off Csc and More and More about defense. Self defense that is. Its not just the skirmishes and free for alls that have erupted though there have been enough of those. Its the risk a player has to accept every time he drives the Lane or the amount of pushing shoving and Rabbit punching he is willing to fight through just for a Clear Jim Latke look at the Basket. As a result the referees have become As Well known a and As crucial to the outcome a As anybody on the floor. Including sunday night s 94-90 win Over Indiana in game 7 of the Eastern conference final the kicks have survived two seven game series and produced More offensive officiating than offensive basketball. Anybody piecing together a highlight film of the former could go right to the Call against Chicago a Scottie pippin that decided game 5, or the flagrant foul whistled on Indiana s Reggie Miller that robbed the pacers commentary of their last Chance sunday. Try making a highlight film of the latter and the Only clip Worth including was Miller lighting up Madison Square Garden with 25 Points in the fourth Quarter wednesday. It used to be that you could count Oil a few of those moments in nearly every series. No More. Put the Best face you can on these kicks a a leering smile would do nicely a and what you have Are the Detroit Piston bad boys without an offence. Those pistons at least had Joe do Mars and Isiah Thomas slashing to the Basket or Vinnie Johnson dropping bombs from downtown to break the Monotony. But Only Patrick Ewing can reliably pile up numbers for new York and watching him wrestle three defenders in the paint to throw up that Little jumper every time Down the floor must be an acquired taste. Maybe a Tough town needs a Tough team. Even so the kicks have managed to do something almost no one outside the metropolitan area thought possible. They be Given new York a worse reputation than it deserves. And they re killing the game in the bargain. Quot it was a harrowing experience Quot kicks coach Pat Riley said after the win. Presumably he was talking about his team at the time though it turns out he could have been speaking for Many of us. Now we get to Sec whether the kicks can beat up and gum up yet a third team a the Houston rockets a by reducing what is supposed to be a game of Grace and Speed and athletic ability to just so much bump and grind. With countless interruptions for whistles of course. Whatever else it docs Success spawns imitations. You wont hear kids on the sandlot this summer taking their Hacks at the baseball and Yelling a Michael Jordan Quot to help it get through the infield. But out on the playgrounds already some of those same kids arc hoisting treys and Yelling a John Starks Quot to help the Ball find the Bottom of the net. If the Only thing Little hoop Heads across the land want to do is shoot like Gotham s maddest baddest boy no problem. But if they a or even worse their elders a take this role modelling bit any further the game of the l90 s will be taking a big step backward. A nothing should take away from their win Quot pacers coach Larry Brown said. Quot nothing 1 say is meant to do  in fac1\ Brown said nothing critical of the kicks a before or after that statement. The reason Why is that he is in the process of building a team very much like theirs. Everybody in the Eastern conference either to or will be doing the same very soon. Maybe the artist that lurks in every Aba coach would like to have a team that plays with brilliance on both ends of the court. But the proven talents that allow a team to do that a Jordan magic Johnson Larry Bird a arc either gone or not yet developed. Besides the pragmatist that lurks in every coach understands that owners done to judge them on artistic Merit. They have to win one Way or the other. And right now unfortunately it is the other a a smothering defense that Legal anti otherwise is making this anything but a Quot fantastic Quot game. A Iti also Clauad Artst. Wallace wins Budweiser 500 Dover Del. A Rusty Wallace biding his time As Ernie Irvan toyed with the Field Over the first 400 Miles sunday won the crash filled Budweiser 500 Lascar race. The two engaged in a Brief but stirring Duel before Wallace held off Irvan at the finish. The margin of Victory was about three car lengths .34 seconds. �?o1  catch Ernie Quot Wallace said. Quot he was Flat Tough. But then near the end he was having some trouble keeping a Low line in turns one and two. Then 1 found some killer  Wallace a Victory in the $931,186 Winston cup race tied him with Irvan the Points Leader and Dale Earnhardt the six time and defending series Champion for the most triumphs this season with three. A spate of blown tires resulted in 12 cautions for 99 laps at the treacherous Dover Downs International Speedway. The track is to be resurfaced next fall a we had our Springs set up so we  use up our tires a Wallace said. A that was  although he sat Ort. The pole after Budweiser 500 breaking his own track qualifying record with a Speed of 151,956 Mph and dominated most of the race Irvan was not upset with his second place finish. A a we re looking at the big picture the Points race Quot he said. Quot Rusty just got a Little bit the better of  the dominance of the two Fords never seriously imperilled by any of the others in the 42-car Field brought a crowd estimated at a record 94,000 to its feet with about 40 laps remaining. Irvan and Wallace exchanged the Lead four times before the latter was Able to drive away to an advantage of about a second. It was reduced Only because a late caution bunched the Field. Wallace got one of his patented fast restarts and Irvan was never Able to make a serious bid when the final five taps were run under Green. Despite his Strong run Irvan was Lucky to be there at the end. The mapped car of Dave Marcis blew a tire just in front of him on the Back stretch with 140 laps remaining. Irvan braked narrowly avoiding the Fate that befell Earnhardt and some of the other contenders. Earnhardt who now trails Irvan by 163 Points crashed his Chevrolet on Lap 288. Geoff boding whose Ford started next to Irvan on the front Row was collected in a five car mishap on the 69th Lap. After 100 laps at the Oval billed As the monster mile Only Wallace refused to join the vanquished. He passed Irvan on hip 400 and held the advantage until Lap 445. Then Brett boding spun Morgan Shepherd who earlier had hit him bringing out the Ullh caution of the race. Lascar gave iodine a five Lap Penally. Wallace and Irvan pitted together and returned to the track in tandem. The Green fell on Lap 454, and six laps later Irvan got under Wallace and the Duel began. It ended with Wallace out handling Irvan Over the final laps. Ken Schrader was third in a Chevrolet followed by the Ford of Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon a Chevrolet. Wallace collected $70,605 by averaging 102.529 Mph in a race that look 4 hours 52 minutes 36 seconds. There were 22 Lead changes among eight Drivers. Rusty Wallace ,. Overtakes Ernie Irvan Penske team sweeps without Milwaukee a Mercedes Benz or no Roger Pensker a Drivers find their Way to Victory Lane. This time Marlboro team Penske raced to a 1-2-3 sweep in the Penske Allmor car As Indianapolis 500 Winner a1 Unser or. Fought off Emerson Fittipaldi to win sundays rain shortened Miller genuine draft 200 at the Milwaukee mile. Paul Tracy the third team Penske Driver finished two laps behind in third As the 200-Lap event was stopped eight laps Short a a Quot the first thing Roger said to me is a we did no to need that Mercedes after a i Quot Unser said with a wide Grin. B was the third straight Victory for Unser and with Fittipaldi winning the previous event at Phoenix the fourth in a Row for the team a both Penske  200 Unser who has 22 career victories leads the pig cup standings with 79 Points followed by Fittipaldi with 54. A week earlier Unser anti Fittipaldi dominated the indy 500 with much of the credit going to the super powered Mercedes engines that car owner Roger Penske had built just for that event the Only indy car race run under . Auto club rules. With the More conventional Allmor indy is Back in the sleek Penske Chassis there still was no doubt who was the class of the Field sunday As the three teammates led every Lap. Quot at indy we needed the Mercedes. It definitely was a big advantage for us Quot said Unser in Bis first season driving for Penske. A it definitely helped us dominate the Day at indy and Here in Milwaukee a lot of it is the car. If the car can get through the Corners that pretty much dominates  Fittipaldi a two time formula one and one time indy car Champion said a the momentum this team has now five never experienced in my whole career. I finished second in the opener at Australia and the team has won every race  Tracy who finished a race for the first Lime this season said �?o1 wish my car would have handled belter but Al and Emmo put on a great show and i was just sitting Back wailing for the checker to come  it was an unusually clean race with no caution flags until Lap 158, when a Large i Etc of debris on the Backstretch Rought out the Pace car for the first Lime. By then Only Unser and Fittipaldi were on the Lead Lap. Fittipaldi had a shot at his teammate on the restart As the two red and White cars started nose to Tail. But Unser was Able to retain control. Another Chance for Fittipaldi came on Lap 171 when Stefan Johansson a engine blew bringing out the second yellow Flag. Again Unser the 1990 Milwaukee Winner was Able to hold off the brazilian on the restart. Quot i knew How Tough Emmo is especially on one mile ovals so 1 was doing everything i could to keep him behind me Quot Unser said that a when the rain which had been threatening on and off throughout the event began falling bringing out the third and fast yellow on Lap 181. The cars finished the race under the caution