Page 14-Wednesday, June 7, 1978-The Michigan Daily
The end is near
At last, presenting the NBA final!
SEATTLE (AP) - Finally, the end is
in sight. One game, 48 minutes of
basketball between the Washington
Bullets and the Seattle SuperSonics,
will determine the NBA champion for
the 1977-78season.
After 902 games of the regular season
and 30 playoff contests, these two solid
but unspectacular clubs who emerged
from the pack and got better as the
weather got warmer, will slug it out one
more time tonight at the Seattle Center
Coliseum.
"the best
kept secret
on campus."
Bowling
at the UNION
Open I1 am Mon-Fri
I pm Sat-Sun
F
The winner will become the 32nd NBA
champion. The loser will be left with
disappointment.
"It's right there for both teams," said
Washington guard Tom Henderson.
"We'll see who wants it more."
The team that is willing and able to let
clear of whatever obstacles are in its
way is the team that will win," said
Seattle forward Paul Silas.
It's been an interesting series for
basketball purists, as two evenly mat-
ched and well-coached clubs have jab-
bed and sparred, probing each other for
any sign of weakness. It's been a chess
game between the coaches,
Washington's Dick Motta and Seattle's
Lenny Wilkens, as they alternately
have uncovered a weak link in the other
team and discovered problems of their
own.
The latest move came during Sun-
day's lopsided 117-82 victory by
Washington at Landover, Md., which
tied the best-of-seven championship
series 3-3 and prolonged the lengthiest
NBA season ever to its limit of seven
OLD BACK THIS FLAP d SEAL WITH TAPE
months, 23 days since the opening tap of
the regular season.
Because his best shooting guard,
Kevin Grevey was injured, Motta
moved 6-foot-6 forward Bobby Dan-
dridge into the backcourt. That enabled
the Bullets to get another big man into
the game, giving more playing time to
reserves Mitch Kupchak and Greg
Ballard. They helped the Bullets
dominate the boards, fueling a running
game that enabled Washington to roll
up the widest margin of victory ever in
the final playoff series.
Seattle tried to counter by keeping
four frontcourtmen in the game,
which was fine with Motta.
"By putting forward John Johnson in
to cover Dandridge, that got a guard
out of here," explained Motta. "And it's
been their guards who have killed us."
So after all the sparring is over, what
it boils down to is that the club which
can accomplish what it sets out to do
will be the one that wins. If Washington
dominates the boards, gets its running
game going and works the ball into its
big men like Dandridge and Elvin
Hayes, it should win. If Seattle's
sparkling guard trio of Gus Williams,
Dennis Johnson and Fred Brown con-
trols the tempo of the game, the Sonics
should win.
This will be the ninth year in a row
the NBA is crowning a new champion.
Last year's winner, Portland, was
ousted by Seattle in the playoff quarter-
finals this season.
And it will be the first championship
in the history of either franchise. The
Sonics have been in the league 11 years,
the Bullets 17.
Baseball
leaders
AMERICAN LEAGUE
G AB R H
Car-ew Min. . .....49 186 30 69
S"ndbe-g Tex. 46 160 17 35
Rice Bsn ..................54 226 43 76
Reynolds Sea .............. 51 171 15 57
Cooper Mil ................48 184 32 59
Piniella NY ................ 40 144 18 46
Cubbage Min .............. 42 136 14 43
GBrettKC.................33 127 26 40
Chamblss NY. 51 197 29 62
Whitakes Diet........37 118 13 :17
Pct.
.336
.333
.321
.319
.316
.315
FROM
SC
SC
t C
Daily Classifieds
Student Publications Building
420 Maynard Street
Ann Arbor, Mich. 48109
Home Runs
Rice, Boston, 19; Baylor, California, 14; JThom-
son, Detroit 13; LMay, Baltimore, 11; Evans, Bos-
ton, 11; Hobson, Boston, 11.
Runs Batted In
Rice, Boston, 52; Zisk, Texas, 37; LMay, Balti-
more, 36; Hobson, Boston, 35; Staub, Detroit, 35;
Chambliss, New York, 35; AOliver, Texas, 35.
Pitching (6 Decisions)
Guildry, New York, 8-0, 1.800; Kern, Cleveland,
5-1, .833; Gale, Kansas City, 5-1, .833; Tanana,
California, 9-2, .818; Torrez, Boston, 8-2. .800; Lee,
Boston, 7-2, .778; Eckersley, Boston, 5-2, .714; Slaton,
Detroit, 5-2,.714; Lacey, Oakland,5-2,.714.
FOLDU
NATIONAL LEAGUE
G AB
Monday LA ................ 41 132
Simmons stL .............. 54 180
Burroughs Atl ............. 49 160
Griffey Cin................53 215
Buckner Chi ............... 36 133
GMaddox Phi-............ 46 168
Puhl Htn ...... ......... 49 201
Foster Cin ................. 53 214
ClarkSF .................. 50 192
RSmith LA ................ 49 183
R H
25 44
28 61
26 53
34 70
14 43
18 54
24 64
35 68
32 60
31 57
Pct.
.333
.332
.331
.326
.323
.321
.316
.318
.313
.311
Home Runs
Kingman, Chicago, 11; Foster, Cincinnati, 11;
MOnday, Los Angeles, 11; Bench, Cincinnati, 10;
Luzinski, Philadelphia, 9.
RunsBatted In
Foster, Cincinnati, 42; Montane New York, 37;
RSmith, Los Angeles, 37; Cey, Los Angeles, 36;
McCovey. San Francisco, 35.
Pitching (6 Decisions)
Bonham, Cincinnati, 64, 1.000; Zachry, New
York, &-1, .857; WHrnandz, Chicago, 5-i, .833; Mof-
fitt, San Francisco, 5-1, .833; Grimsley, Montreal,
9-2,..818: Knepper,'San Francisco. 7-2, .718; Norman,
- Cincinnati. 6-2, .750; 2 TIle wfitr.714. '