The Michigan Daily- Tuesday, April 13,1993 - Page 11
ThE1SPORINGVIEWS
East vs.West is only
playoff that really counts
by Jesse Brouhard
Daily Sports Writer
It's playoff time in the NHL and
NBA soon ... yawn. For the next
two weeks I will suffer through con-
stant bouts of extreme ennui while
waiting for the trivial 32 rounds of
preliminary playoffs to finish before
the East vs. the West is finally
reached. It's all about dollars.
I'm not sure why the owners
think all the fans are naive enough to
believe the playoffs mean some-
thing: maybe because they are right.
I've always believed in reverse
psychology. I don't pay attention to
anything on ice or hardwood until
the playoffs commence. OK, I do
find plays of the week entertaining,
but only because I have never
exceeded four m.p.h. or three inches
off the ground under my own power.
Basketball, for example, plays an
82 game regular season schedule.
Unless you're the Sacramento
Kings, an expansion team, or com-
pletely inept, your team will make
the playoffs.
The basketball world has been
up in arms over the race in the East
between the Bulls and Knicks for
home court advantage throughout
the playoffs. They make it sound
like the team with home court
advantage will host all seven games
in a location of their choice, say for
the Knicks a freighter in Long Island
Sound with no referees.
This is a blatant lie. What we are
really talking about here is an 82
game race to decide who gets four
e games in a plush NBA arena
versus three in an equally hospitable
domain.
I figure if a team can't win one
extra game on its opponents' turf,
why does it deserve to be world
champion anyway? This is like say-
ing Michigan lost the championship
game to North Carolina due to team
familiarity with Southern culture in a
society of French origins not origi-
nally settled by indigenous French
settlers. It's true, it really was.
Hockey has the same problems as
basketball, only worse. In the NHL,
Sacramento would definitely be a
playoff contender. In fact, any
league with the Mighty Ducks could
use a Sacramento.
This system in hockey has made
the regular season seem even more
ridiculous. If you were a player (yes
you do get to wear all of the funky
uniform adornments), would you
give your life and soul (quite a bit of
blood included) for your club in or-
der to secure a one home game ad-
vantage in the playoffs? We are talk-
ing 84 games of this soul, blood and
guts stuff.
I play two days in a row at the
CCRB and I feel arthritic.
Let's imagine 84 games with
guys named Bob Probert and Ulf
Samuelson. Sorry - this guy plays
professional Parcheesi in Fiji in-
stead.
Incredibly, fans pay thousands of
dollars for worthless season ticket
plans that include maybe four
important games if your team
doesn't choke the chicken first.
"You have reached the Anaheim
Ticket Office. Season tickets go on
sale tommorow for $2,500, including
a bonus copy of "Babes in Toyland."
I'm on the other end saying these
guys came straight off the set of
"The Gods Must Be Crazy."
I'll take $2.50 bleacher seats at
Candlestick Park all summer long
and wait for the real playoffs to be-
gin.
Piston comeback
falls short, 98-95;
win streak ends
AUBURN HILLS (AP) -- Reserve center Stacey
King scored 11 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter
Monday night as the Chicago Bulls blew a 19-point lead
before breaking the Detroit Pistons' six-game winning
streak, 98-95.
The loss also dropped the Pistons into ninth place in
the Eastern Conference, a half-game behind idle
5 'Indiana. The Bulls moved within a half-game of New
York for first place in the conference.
Chicago led 60-45 at halftime, and quickly expanded
the margin to 19 by scoring the first four points of the
third quarter.
Terry Mills then scored 10 of his 25 points, includ-
,;.ing two 3-pointers, as Detroit closed to 66-65 with a 20-
2 run. The Pistons then took a 75-74 lead on Olden
Polynice's tip-in with 4.5 seconds to go in the third
period.
.The game, which saw Scott Williams and Bill
Laimbeer ejected after a first-half fight, got increasingly
physical in the fourth quarter as Dennis Rodman was
called for a flagrant foul on Michael Jordan.
After that, Pistons coach Ron Rothstein was called
for two technical fouls, and was ejected by referee Don
Vaden. There was also a double technical on Isiah
Thomas and Chicago's John Paxson.
At that point, Chicago led 84-79, but Mills hit an-
other 3-pointer, and Thomas hit consecutive jumpers to
' put Detroit ahead 88-86 with 5:43 to go.
Jordan, who scored 23 points, put the Bulls in front
4/ 94-93 on a jumper with two minutes left.
Detroit failed on its next two possessions, but Jordan
missed twice and Polynice's dunk gave the Pistons a
95-94 lead with 45 seconds left.
B.J. Armstrong missed a jumper, but Horace Grant
.grabbed an offensive rebound and passed to Jordan,
who was fouled and hit both free throws with 22 sec-
onds remaining.
After Joe Dumars missed a potential go-ahead
jumper, King hit two free throws before Mills missed a
' 'Y y3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Bulls led 44-41 late in the second period before
--QO finishing the half with a 16-4 surge for their 15-point
AP PHOTOlead.
The half was marred by a second-quarter fight be-
Pistons' bad boy Bill Laimbeer takes a familiar stance against Scott Williams of Detroit's tween Williams and Laimbeer after a hard foul by
arch-rival, the Chicago Bulls. A perennial target of officials, Laimbeer was once again tossed Laimbeer. Thomas restrained Williams as both benches
last evening. The Pistons, one of the league's hottest teams, are making a run for the playoffs. emptied.
Adam Miller
' Five straight Big Ten titles
i should silence 'M' critics
WE'VE
GOT
SCHOOL of FISH
After the Blue-White spring football game
Saturday, Michigan coach Gary Moeller assessed
the results from his viewing box.
"To be honest with you," he said, "I'll go
home and look at film and I won't want to get up
in the morning."
He was joking, folks. The Wolverines looked
quite snappy in their scrimmage, won at the final
gun by the White, 21-20.
Unfortunately, some "experts" aren't joking.
They're proclaiming this to be the Year of the
(Nittany) Lion, or perhaps the Buckeye.
I say, "quiet your tongue and let's wait for the
fall."
* This naysayer nonsense is getting boring. Ev-
ery year, about this time, we hear the same thing.
"The Wolverines can't do it again," these
commentators say. "Too much talent lost. Looks
like it's someone else's turn."
Can we get to something else please?
Immediately after Saturday's spring game,
positive comments filled the press box. Everyone
said that starting quarterback Todd Collins
looked good, that Ricky Powers was running like
the tailback he was two years ago, and that Gan-
non Dudlar looked ready to step into a leadership
role on defense, even if the defensive tackle did
spend the day at outside linebacker.
But wait a day or two, and look what surfaces:
a) Michigan's offensive line is too inexperienced
for the Big Ten; b) everyone is injured - they
better heal fast; and, my favorite, c) it's high
times in Iowa City.
It's time to stop the nonsense.
While these "critics" are not necessarily blow-
ing hot air - the line is inexperienced, injuries
have plagued the team this spring, and I'm sure
our Hawkeye friends have as big and strong a
group of linemen as ever - there's no reason to
think that the defending Rose Bowl champs don't
stand a good chance of ringing in 1994 in
Pasadena.
Of course, nothing is guaranteed. Starting
quarterback Todd Collins could get run over by a
truck between now and September, you never
know. And the law of averages does say that, as
Michigan searches for an unprecedented sixth
consecutive Big Ten title, the chance of success
has to be mathematically dwindling.
However, based on what I saw Saturday, I am
confident that Todd will look both ways before
he crosses the street and Michigan will be in the
thick of the Big Ten race come November.
First, about those mathematics, and the fact
that no team has ever won six consecutive Big
Ten footabll titles. Is it mathematically likely that
the Michigan swimming teams should have won
as many consecutive Big Ten titles as they have
- seven for the women, eight for the men? No.
And had any men's or women's swimming
team achieved the streak Michigan has earlier?
. It is a sign of the right combination of talent,
dedication, and coaching. Women's coach swim-
ming Jim Richardson and men's coach Jon
Urbanchek are two of the best in their business,
and they coach a plethora of talented, dedicated
athletes.
Or don't the names Namesnik, Hooiveld,
Humphrey and Borges mean anything to you?
Similarly, Wolverine coach Gary Moeller has
proven himself to be one of college football's
elite, stepping in for a living legend and taking
the program to new heights.
But coaches only count for so much - even-
tually, it comes down to the players, and Michi-
gan fans need not worry there. Elvis Grbac is
gone, but Todd Collins returns, and he's joined
by three solid backups.
Hutchinson, Corwin Brown and Dwayne
Ware have moved on, but Ty Law, Shonte Peo-
ples, and Dudlar return. Law and Peoples saw
significant action last year, and you already know
about the rapidly rising Dudlar.
Yes, the upcoming season will be long, the
opponents will be fierce, and the unexpected
could occur.
But, come on everybody, it's only April.
Let's wait at least until the third Saturday in
November before cancelling our LAX plane
reservations.
SCHOOL OF FISH
Human Cannonball
includes
Take Me Anywhere." Fountain " Fuzzed And Fading
' SCHOOL OF FISH
School Of Fish
includes
3 Strange Days " ing Of The Dollar " Speechless
/'
~~1
IS
ON
Men's Tennis ITA Rankings
These are the Intercollegiate Tennis Association
(ITA) rankings for individual players in Division I
competition as of April 6.
1. Daniel Courcol (Mississippi State)
2. Wade McGuire (Georgia)
3. Chris Woodruff (Tennessee)
4. Roland Throngvist (North Carolina)
5. Tamer El Sawy (LSU)
6. Mike Sell (Georgia)
7. Michael Flanagan (Stanford)
8. Brian McPhie (Southern Cal)
9. Mark Merklein (Florida)
10. Sabastian LeBlanc (UCLA)
_" m B k2tu IMA6h )
4
The Office of Minority Affairs
is looking for energetic, reliable, and highly
motivated students for its:
1993 King/Chavez/Parks Career
Exploration Sumnmer Institutes Program
Mid-June through Mid-August
Program Description: Students hired will supervise high
school students from southeast Michigan who reside on
campus for one week visits, during which time these 10th and
11th graders will attend workshops, presentations, mini-
lectures, field trips, etc. The emphasis is on the student
exploration of his or her career interest.
Compensation: Hourly rate ($5.80 - $6.80) and University
room and board for duration of the program.
Selection Process: Completed application and personal
statement of interest. Individual interview process, full
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74. Dan ara us( c l igIani
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ap ALL WEEKt
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