European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 13, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse Pace 36 stars and stripes june 2007 Aba championship in Cleveland cars fans 37year wait Over As City gets Chance to Host basketballs climactic series by Tom Withers the associated press Cleveland almost 15 years before Lebron James was born a few exits Down the the Cleveland Cavaliers were still in their on tuesday make More his tory at at for the first time since r its 1970 birth As an expansion Cleveland will Host pro basketballs climactic ending a 37year wait for cars fans who sometimes wondered if the Day would Ever Down 20 to the Power Ful san Antonio the cars will look to Bounce Back in front of their ador ing and raucous Home which has helped carry them further in this r postseason than Treyve Ever been its going to be a great experience for All Cleve land for Northeast for the whole state of the 22yearold James said its going to be its been a Long Road to the finals for the whose team colors have under gone numerous changes Over the years and whose fortunes changed dramatically when the Ping Pong balls bounced their Way in the Aba draft lottery a few years giving them the Chance to pick aprons favorite son now Cleve r lands adopted but All has not gone As planned in this be dubbed by some As the Lebron James in the first two games in san the Cavaliers looked like lost tourists while being roughed up by the who with the exception of a fourth Quarter letdown on have toyed with san Antonio Cleveland Besto seven san Antonio Cleveland 76 san Antonio Cleveland 92 san Antonio leads series 20 tuesday san Antonio at Cleveland thursday san Antonio at Cleveland sunday san Antonio at june 19 Cleveland at san june 21 Cleveland at san if necessary san cars coach Mike Brown said after a 10392 loss in game is a great bouncing toward their fourth title since the spurs have outplayed the cars in every facet of the Treyve been More relentless and much More composed than their Cleveland on san Anto Nios big 3 of Tim Tony Parker and Manu i Nobili combined for 78 including 68 in the first half when the Awe some threesome out scored the cars by the Cavaliers made the score trim Ming a 29point deficit to eight in the final minutes before the spurs stopped made a few More clutch and finally put them although it fell the fourth Quarter come Back May give the cars some Confidence going into game Duncan didst think it exposed any problems for the nothing went the usually stoic Center said when asked about san Anto Nios momentary loss of we won the game right int that the Point of the whole thing they made some the whistle was blown and we won the the spurs Are mindful Cleveland can make a greater Treyve seen it in the 2005 san Antonio destroyed Detroit in the first two win Ning by a combined 46 but when the series shifted to Auburn the pistons won by 17 Points in game 3 and 31 in game we need to remember that and learn from our said who had 30 Points in game that enough to make us get Mark workmen finish hanging a 70 foot High Banner of Cleveland Cavaliers Center a Drunas Lugauskas on the Side of a parking garage across from quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland the Cavaliers Host the san Antonio spurs in game 3 of the Aba finals while the spurs Are concerned about Fin Ishing starting them has been Cleveland despite having three Days to the cars came out flatter than a Tortilla for the second straight they match the spurs made mental errors and costly mistakes the experienced spurs pounced weve got to play harder than were playing right Brown theres nothing magical that going to help no magic no magic weve got to bring the and right now were though new to the the Cavaliers Are in a familiar place Down 02 in a play off they lost the first two games to Detroit in the conference finals before win Ning four in a Row Over the the difference this is that the spurs Are Superior to the pistons and while the cars could have easily won both games in Detroit they lost each by they had Little Chance in san the comforts of Home will but Noth Ings we can not rely on because were going that our games Are going to improve and our shots Are going to Center by Drunas Lugauskas were going to have our crowd and the Energy and but we have to make some adjust there just playing harder than us simple As the cars have a been a different team at where the baskets seem the rims softer and the crowds have been Cleveland went 3011 at the q during the regular season and Are 71 in the play three teams have overcome an 02 Defi Cit in the finals to win the including Miami last the heat looked As bad As Cleveland did in games 1 and 2 at dal Las before winning four Holdsclaw stuns Sparks by announcing retirement Elaine six time Allstar Chalique hold surprised the los Angeles spirits by deciding to retire just five games into the by Beth Harris the associated press los Angeles five games into her ninth season in the Chalique Holdsclaw sur prised the los Angeles Sparks by deciding to the 29yearold a six time All Star who resigned with the Sparks in was averaging a Tea High rebounds and assists this this is not what we Sparks co owner Kathy Goodman told the associated press in a Telephone she said shed Given it a lot of thought and decided she didst want to play Goodman said Holdsclaw didst give a reason and the own ers didst ask for we decided to respect her de Goodman in not sure How Long she had been think ing about the first we heard about it was Over the this was not an easy decision and i put a lot of thought into Chalique Holdsclaw six time Wanba Allstar in not sure what All led into her Goodman and fellow co owner Carla along with coach Michael Cooper and Gener Al manager Penny tried unsuccessfully to persuade hold claw to she was playing on a oneyear this was not an easy i put a lot of thought into hold claw said in a statement re leased by the i want to wish the Sparks great Success this season and in the years Cooper said the team would miss it wont be but we will go on without her and wish her All the before joining the Sparks two years Holdsclaw played seven seasons with the washing ton who made her the leagues top draft pick in she was the Wanba Rookie of the year that season after leading ten Nessee to three consecutive Mcaa championships and twice winning National player of the year but the mystics had Only one winning season during hold claws losing in the Eastern conference finals in she asked to be traded after dealing with hold claw didst talk publicly about that which came after the death of her grandmother who raised she left the mystics in july 2004 and played basketball in Spain before the Sparks went after Holdsclaw later said she was Happy to be in los Ange where the Lidback nature of things appealed to Holdsclaw missed the first two weeks of last season with an excused absence to spend time with family in North Carolina after her father and Stepfather were both diagnosed with she retired without winning a Wanba i have a lot of other things i can be As Good at As i am in she told the a in july declining to i like to keep things to the news was a Jolt to the Sparks who had already lost Star Center Lisa Leslie to preg Nancy this Point guard Temeka Johnson has yet to play while recovering from of season knee Cooper rejoined the team this season after ing stints in the Aba and its development we have a great team and our goal is still the to win a Goodman till be Little the Sparks Host Houston on wednesday s 1 i l 1
