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 4 4 74. Dan ara us( c l igIani ...-..-..---.- - . - - - --- ,- Lunch Specials ap ALL WEEKt 41