I I SPORTS Go ahead, don't worry. Pistons Will Win It All, Heat's Rothstein Says HARLAN ABBEY Special to The Jewish News A Enjoy your vacation. But only if you call Progressive Care to take care of your loved ones while you're gone. Progressive Care is a professional private duty health care service dedi- cated to assisting your loved ones when you're not there. Progressive Care offers experienced personnel who serve in homes, hospi- tals, senior housing facilities and nursing homes. Our personnel is sensitive to Jewish traditions and customs and is better prepared to assist your loved ones by not only meeting their clinical require- ments, but also their personal and spiritual needs. Progressive Care offers: ❑ ❑ ❑ • ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ Registered Nurses Nurses Aides Licensed Practical Nurses Physical Therapists Occupational Therapists Male Attendants Live-ins Companions So, before you leave, be sure there's someone to care for the one you care about. Call,Progressive Care at (313) 273-2005. PROGRESSIVE CARE Progressive Care is an affiliate of Comprehensive Aging Services, Inc., a subsidiary of Jewish Home Aging Services. END YOUR ROOFING PROBLEMS THROUGH CRAFTSMANSHIP Woolf Roofing & Maintenance Inc. A Third Generation Roofing Family in Detroit Commercial - Industrial — High Rises Single-Ply and Built-Up Systems Fully Insured Member 5-20 Year Warranties 18161 W. 13 Mile Rd. National Roofing Sheet Metal Fabrication in Southfield Contractors — 52 Association FRIDAY, MAY 5, 1989 Free Inspections 646-2452 sked to pick the next champion of the Na- tional Basketball Association, Ron Rothstein, coach of the expansion Miami Heat, unhesitatingly answered, "The (Detroit) Pistons." He quickly added, "I'm speaking with my head, not my heart. "Except for Mark Aguirre, the nucleus of the team has been together for three years, and seven of the top nine players have been together three or four seasons. "In addition, they have everything you need to be a champion, plus the mental toughness and commitment from last year" when they were only four points shy of dethroning the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoff finals. One of the Pistons' major attributes is their strong defense, which Rothstein was credited with installing when he was an assistant to Detroit Coach Chuck Daly. He took the Miami job this season. In his first season as an NBA head coach, Rothstein's Heat set a league record —17 straight losses to open the season. But the team continued to improve, winding up with a league low of 15 wins and 67 losses. "We did much better than I expected, however," said the ex-Pistons aide, explaining: "For much of the season, we were third in the league in of- fensive rebounding, an indica- tion of the players' work ethic. "We lost 24 games by eight points or less and only had 20 or 21 'blow-out' losses by 20 points or more. "We won four games the first half of the season and 11 in the second half, when we had a 10 and 13 home record." . Business-wise, the Heat was a whopping success, play- ing to 98 percent capacity, selling 12,500 season tickets and selling out 28 of its first 35 home games. Rothstein, a former point guard at the University of Rhode Island and NBA assis- tant for five years at Atlanta and Detroit, credits the Heat's management with drafting for character as well as skill. The Heat had six rookies and two third-year players on its roster of 12. Its "old pros" were Scott Hastings, a six- year vet with career average of three points per game and nine-year pro Pat Cummings, with a 10-point lifetime average. Better-known were its former Syracuse teammates, Ron Seikaly and "Pearl" Washington, who missed half the season with injuries. In=- juries also kept Sylvester Gray out of 30 games and Cummings out for the last month of the season. Reserve I Coach Rothstein guard Jon Sundvold, the NBA's most-accurate 3-point- shooter, missed the team's last 14 games. "We had good people, will- ing to work," Rothstein con- tinued. "And it's difficult to keep working hard when you're not winning?' The Heat probably has more Jews involved in its front office than any other NBA team, starting with its two Israeli-born partners, Ted Arison and Zev Buffman, and managing partner Lewis Schaffel. Rothstein's assistant coach, David Whol, a one- time Buffalo Brave, also is Jewish. Making Rothstein's first season easier was the Miami sports media, which he called "supportive and understan- ding. But we didn't tell them one thing and do another." In Miami, Rothstein is close to his parents, Howard and Bea Rothstein of Lauderhill, Fla. His father, he admits, "still tells me when he disagrees with my strategy." His mother also is knowledgeable about the sport: her brother, Leo Got- tlieb, was one of the original New York Knicks, and was high scorer in the first game they ever played. "Dad is 6-4 and played a lot when he W9S young," said his 5-foot-9 so, "so Mom was 1