European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 21, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Olajuwon s Block sends it to game 7 by Clifton Brown Houston not the door that led to a championship was open for the new York kicks and John Starks was about to walk through it. Hakeem Olajuwon slammed the door shut. Blocking a potential game winning 3-Point jumper by Starks with 2 seconds to play Olajuwon saved the Houston rockets who Hung on for an emotional 86-84 Victory on sunday night in game 6 of the National basketball association finals at the Summit. The series is tied at three games apiece and game 7 for the championship will be played wednesday night at the Summit. It was a deflating loss for the the stars and stripes june 21,1994 Aba finals kicks who trailed by 7 Points with 1 minute 26 seconds to play then mounted a furious comeback led by Starks who had a spectacular game scoring 16 of his 27 Points in the fourth Quarter. But thanks to Olajuwon the rockets survived and history now favors them to win their first championship. The Home team has won 19 consecutive game 7�?Ts in the Aba dating Back to 1982. For the kicks to win their first championship since 1973, they will have to do it the hard Way. A i know what history has to say about seventh games and in a sure Well be Reading about that a said kicks coach Pat Riley. A a it a time for that to be broken. Maybe that a the Way it has to be for this team to reach the promised  the kicks almost reached it on sunday night. But Olajuwon  let it happen. The final play began when the kicks unbounded at mid court with 7.6 seconds to play. Trailing by 2 Points. New York had the option of going for 2 Points to tie or 3 Points to win. Riley left that decision to Starks and a pick and Roll play featuring Starks and Ewing was galled giving Starks the option to either drive pass the Ball to Ewing or take a jumper the rockets had a foul to give without sending new York to the line and Robert Horry committed it Witer 53 seconds to play shortly after new Yorkus inbound pass giving the kicks plenty of time to set up the play again. Charles Oakley inbound cd again to Starks who drove to his left and got the pick from Ewing against Vernon Maxwell. But Olajuwon jumped out at Starks near the 3-Point line. Starks continued driving to his left but he pulled up and launched the three Point shot Over Olajuwon with about 2 seconds left. If Starks had made the shot the kicks would Likely have been champions. But , using his height and leaping ability got a Large piece of the shot which fell Well Short into the hands of Otis Thorpe. The final Buzzer sounded. The rockets had won. A i was just trying to get close to the Ball a Olajuwon said a Starks is dangerous on the pick and Roll. I got picked and just tried to make him change his  Starks refused to comment after the game too upset to discuss coming so close to a title Only Toby denied. Trailing by 84-77, the kicks mounted a stunning comeback Starks continued his Brilliant fourth Quarter by scoring on a drive. Then Starks made a key defensive play knocking the Ball off maxwells foot and giving new York Possession. Then Starks struck again making a three Point jumper from behind the key to pull the kicks to within 2 Points at 84-82. After Olajuwon missed a Baseline jumper the kicks had a Chance to tie. But As Starks drove to the Basket his pass intended for Ewing was deflected by Olajuwon who stole the pass. Olajuwon made two free throws with 39.3 seconds loft to give Houston an 86-82 Lead. But Anthony Mason answered with a 10-foot jump shot with 32 seconds remaining to pull new York within 2. Knick guard John Stark flies to the hoop under rocket Center Hakeem Oli Jumon in game 6 sunday night. The rockets did not score on their next Possession. Kenny Smith missed a jumper from the foul line and the kicks called timeout setting up the final sequence. It was a deflating loss for the kicks who hoped to avoid a seventh game showdown and to win their first championship since 1973, but the kicks must now attempt to win this hard fought series the hard Way a by taking the last game on the Road. A 3-Way tie pushes open into playoff by Thomas Bonk the los Angeles times Oakmont a. Is this the . Open that nobody wants Well time a has run out and somebody either Loren Roberts Etc Els or Colin Montgomerie is going to win his first major Golf title at Oakmont country club an extra Day after the 94th . Open championship stumbled into a rare three Way playoff. The Trio is also together on one More thing. They All know it already should have been Over. A Roberts could have won if he had made a 4vi-foot putt for Par on the 18th Hole. �?o1 can kick myself a Roberts said. A Els could have won if he had known what the score was played it Safe and kept his drive at the 18th Hole on the Fairway instead of underneath some Trees. A i just tried to smash the living stuffings out of it a Els said. A Montgomerie could have won if he had not bogeyed nos. 11, 12, 13 and 15 coming in. A you have to accept there Are going to be More mistakes than birdies at that stage a he said. So there you have it. After 72 holes Roberts Els and Montgomerie Are at 279, 5 under Par. The last time there was a three Way playoff at the . Open was in 1963, when Julius Boros Defeated Jacky Cupit and Arnold Palmer at least this playoff has got some history going for it. What happened sunday also will go Down in history certainly not for its brilliance though. From the very first Hole there were enough mistakes and bad shots to fill the nearby Allegheny River Els got the error Derby off to a roaring Start on the first Hole when he hit his drive far left and was erroneously awarded a drop by a Urga rules official. A forklift camera position for Abc to was in else path to the Hole. According to Urga rules a drop is awarded Only if the obstruction cannot be moved. Or. Trey Holland of the Urga ruled Els was entitled to a drop because the forklift could not be moved. A i made a mistake a Holland said. Els wound up with a bogey at no. 1, but he might have made worse. Els also was a awarded a drop this one correctly when he hit his drive on no. 17 under a grandstand at the Green. Allowed to Advance the Ball about 10 Yards from his lie Els parred the Hole. By then it was dear that the . Open would be a three Man Montgomerie race. One by one the other contenders dropped out most notably Hale Irwin he shot 78, falling from a tie for third into a tie Tor 10th, eight shots behind the leaders. Curtis strange i of Watson and Frank Nobilo fell out of Contention on the Back nine. Strange shot his fourth consecutive round of 70 and finished fourth but he could have made a noise if he had been Able to avoid bogeys at nos. 15 and 16. Watson began the Day tied with Roberts and Montgomerie but shot 74 and finished in a tie for sixth. Nobilo shot 39 on the Back nine 76 for the Day and finished in a tie for ninth. John Cooke a 71 earned him fifth place at 282, two behind strange. With no one making a run at the leaders the open looked As if it would be lost by the player making the most mistakes Between Els Roberts and Montgomerie. This category also was a tie. Roberts 38, from Memphis found himself even with Els when the 24-year-old South of Riean bogeyed no. U. Roberts took the Lead by himself when he birdied no. 13, Roberts was still even with Els when his second shot on no. 18 hit a downward slope on the Green and rolled into the fringe. He chipped to 4vz feet left with a putt he needed to make for Par. He missed. The bogey put him one shot Back of Els who had finished no. 17. Montgomerie 30, should have been on a plane Back to Scotland after his bogey explosion on the Back nine but he calmed himself and birdied no. 17 to get within one shot of the leaders. That Birdie probably would have been minor if Els had opened his eyes 1 Els did not Check the Leader Board before he got to the 18th tee. He did not see that Roberts had bogeyed the Hole. He did not see that he had a one shot Lead and a Par on the 18th would win. What he did do was pull out his Driver ignore a More accurate Iron and blast the Ball far left nearly to the 15th Green which is located adjacent to the Fairway. �?o1 never looked at the scoreboard a he said a if i Hadi think t would have gone with a 2-Iron or a 3-Wood but i thought i had to make a Birdie and i wanted to hit it As far As i could.�?�. From there Els looked at the scoreboard and decided to play it Safe. He chipped out onto the Fairway but the Ball landed in a  third shot a Sand wedge was to the front end of the Green and he two putted from 40 feet for bogey the second putt from four feet. A i guess i was fortunate to make 5,�?� Els said. 246850