The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 14, 1994 -15 .NBA rules to shorten 3-point line to 22 feet THE SPORTING VIEws K.C., Dallas to vie for ol CHICAGO (AP) - The NBA's competition committee Tuesday rec- ommended shortening the 3-pointline so it would be a uniform 22 feet from the basket, a move to increase scoring and ease congestion in the lane. The line is currently 22 feet in the corners and extends to 23 feet, 9 inches at the top of the key. By shortening the distance, Rod Thorn, the NBA's vice president of operations, said teams will be forced to play more defense on the outside. "It is significant when you move * he 3-point line even though it is only a foot and nine inches," Thorn said after a four-hour meeting. "I think we will have a little more offense and a little less congestion on the court. It will be somewhat easier for players to move. Therefore we project we will have a little more offense. The 3-point line will be more inviting and you will have to guard people out there.". Thorn said the vote to shorten the line was not quite unanimous. He said there were few dissenters. "I think their basic premise was that we've had the line for a long time and it has served us well. Maybe it's a little too easy from 22 feet," Thorn said. "I think you are going to have to have people who can shoot. Our shoot- ing percentages have been going down and with this shorter line you are going to see more taken and more made," Thorn said. "In international basketball you have to guard the line and it can lessen the congestion in the lane." The 3-point shot was adopted in the NBA for the 1979-80 season. The committee also recommended that a shooter fouled on a 3-point shot be awarded three free throws instead of two. Those rule changes must be ap- proved by a two-thirds vote of the NBA's Board of Governors at a meet- ing next month, and Thorn said he expected them to pass. Other recommended rule changes include changing the "clear path" foul rules to include contact in the backcourt so a player who is breaking up court can't be grabbed; requiring that the second or more of back-to- back timeouts where the ball has not yet been inbounded be limited to no more than 45 seconds; ejecting any player who commits two unneces- sary-contact fouls during one game. A recommendation to enlarge or change the shape of the foul lane was tabled so it could be studied more thoroughly, said Thorn. The league also will implement several measures to address fighting and physical play, including a one- game suspension and maximum $20,000 fine for any player who leaves the bench during an altercation. These measures will be effective with preseason play this season. Technical foul fine amounts will be increased to $500. The current fine is $100 for the first in a game and $150 for the second. There will be stricter enforcement of technical fouls for taunting and other behavior that could lead to fight- ing; hand checking will be prohibited from the end line in the backcourt to the opposite foul line; illegal screens will be called more closely. NFL Championship By PAUL BARGER 7. New Orleans won't get their DAILY SPOtns WRIER chance to win a playoff game. The The NFL season has provided a Saints are the only NFL Team never to great amountofexcitement in its early make itpast the firstround.Free agency stages. Defense has been at a mini- has decimated one of the greatest -mum thus far as teams have been linebacking corps ever, so it is once lighting up the scoreboards. Hard- again time to rebuild. ened veterans like Joe Montana, Dan 6. The Lions will continue getting Marino, and Randall Cunningham a lack of support from their fans. have shared the spotlight with spec- 5. The AFC central will once again tacular newcomers Marshall Faulk, establish itself as the division of me- Drew Bledsoe, and Rick Mirer. diocrity. Nobody deserves to winthis Fans have a lot to look forward to division. The Steelers may prove to and can anticipate a great many sur- be the best by the end of the year, but prises during the year. Here are ten it will only be because the other three things fans can expect to see during teams have very limited talent. The the rest of the NFL Season: Oilers and Bengals are clearly two of 10. The Buffalo Bills will not par- the worst teams in the league. ticipate in the Super Bowl. Many fans 4. Marshall Faulk will run away will be relieved to hear this since the with the rookie of the year honors. Bills have lost the big game four years Faulk is an awesome back that will in a row. Buffalo never had a chance make his presence felt for year' to in the first week of the season vs. the come. He has run for over 100 yards Jets and barely squeaked by the Patri- in both of his games thus far and ots in week two. should continuing getting better. This 9. Contrary to preseason consen- is all contingent on the assumption sus, The Los Angeles Raiders will not that Faulk does not fall victim tothe make the playoffs this year. Obvi- Colts' rookie curse and can make it ously those that predicted the Raiders through the entire season. to be the team to dethrone the Bills did 3. Changing their name to Ari- not realize that Los Angeles has zona will not put the Cardinals into absolutely no defense. After getting the playoffs. Buddy Ball does 'not manhandled by the 49ers, 44-14, in seem to be working in the desert'and the opening Monday night game, the the Cardinals will stumble to a §ub- Raiders were embarrassed by the .500 record. If defense were all that Seahawks, 38-9. mattered, Arizona would be a very 8. It will be a season to cheer in New good football team. Unfortunately for York. Before the season began, many Ryan, in football you need an offense. thoughtthattheJets'early season sched- He just doesn't have one. ule would knock them out of legitimate 2. AFC Playoff Teams: Miami, playoffcontention.Games againstteams New York, Pittsburgh, San Diego, with Jim Kelly, John Elway, and Dan Denver, Buffalo. The Broncos, are Marino are certainly causes for con- starting out 0-2, but they are too good cern. However, the Jets have answered to finish behind the Seahawks. their doubters in impressive fashion. NFC Playoff Teams: Dallas, The Jets have had one of their best starts New York, Green Bay, Minnesota, in recent memory, handling Kelly and San Francisco, Atlanta. Detroit's vic- the Bills 23-3 in the opener and show- tory over Atlanta in week one may be ing their character in an overtime win enough to give them the final wild against Elway and the Broncos in week card spot, but the lack of talent o1 the two. offensive line will continue to haunt Giant fans should be elated with them throughout the season. their undefeated start considering the 1. TheDallas Cowboys will notwin glum preseason outlook. Dave Brown the Super Bowl this year. Troy Aikinan has shown a great amount of poise and company will once again win the stepping in for future hall-of-famerPhil NFC Championship, but the Chiefs Simms and the defense has made great outstanding defense combined with the strides. The Giants have a good chance experience and talent of Joe Montana of going 10-6 and making the playoffs. will give Kansas City its first title, sd'AP PHOTO Defensive end Reggie White leads the Pakckers' charge in the NFC Central. Barry (Switzer) S IRVING, Texas (AP) - Forget Billy Sims or Thurman Thomas. The best running back Barry Switzer saw in the Big Eight Conference was the onehe faces next Monday night,Barry Sanders. "I remember watching film when I was at Oklahoma getting ready to play Oklahoma State," Switzer said. "I saw this back run a kickoff back 100 yards. Then a little while later he did it again. "I walked over to our coaches in says Barry (Sanders) is the best he has ever seen another room and I told them 'you better hope Thurman Thomas doesn't get hurt. Look at this freshman cat run." Switzer said Tuesday, "Barry Sanders is the best back I saw out of the Big Eight Conference I've seen in the last 30 years." Sanders and the Detroit Lions take on Switzer's Dallas Cowboys Monday night in Texas Stadium, home of the NFL's top running back, Emmitt Smith. "Both are great players," Switzer said. "Barry doesn't get to touch the ball like Emmitt does. If Barry did his stats would be better. Barry always makes things happen. His supporting cast isn't as great as Emmitt's. "All great backs look the same when they have no place to run." Switzer recalled Sanders always gave Oklahoma trouble. "His teams had trouble winning because the defense wasn't good enough," Switzer said. "Buthe would scare you." Switzer said Oklahoma State got Sanders locked up before he knew about him. "Nobody had a chance to get him," Switzer said. "Oklahoma State got a film of Barry out of a Wichita high school from the coach. I think they destroyed the film after they saw what a great player he was. Nobody saw him."~ wNOoolth on emostpopar camuste unles ar. Now you can really clean up when you buy a select Macintosh® Performa* For a limited time, it comes bundled with a unique new student software set available only from Apple. It's all the software you're likely to need in college. 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