Page 16
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Cavs look to make
NBA playoff action
by John Musser
Collegian Sports Editor
The 89-90 NBA season has
been a long and arduous one for
the Cleveland Cavaliers, but
they just might make it
After a 50-plus win season
last year, the Cavs dropped back
into the mediocre status that
they had worked so hard to get
rid of. Injuries to key players
disrupted the chemistry of the
team, and Coach Lenny Wilkens
was often forced to use
inexperienced people in
important roles. Suddenly, the
team that many thought had a
chance to be a force in the 90's
took a nose dive and had to land
for repairs. Make that a crash
landing.
Brad Daugherty, Mark Price,
Larry Nance, and Tree Rollins
Imagine the magic tricks Big Len has
had to cast just to put a competitive
group of five out on the floor. As
Cleveland's record shows , Wilkens
not David Copperfield. Heck, he
even K-Mar, the discount magician.
have all missed or played with
injuries at some point during
the season. In some cases, most
of the season. The first three
were named to last year's all-star
team, and the last was their top
defensive reserve.
Then General Manager
Wayne Embry traded shooting
guard Ron Harper to the L.A.
Clippers. Imagine the magic
tricks Big Len has had to cast
just to put a competitive group
of five out on the floor. As
Cleveland's record shows (36-39
as of Monday morning) ,
Wilkens is not David
CopperlMd. Heck, he isn't even
K-Mar, the discount magician.
But Wilkens is a good coach,
a damn good one. Little by
little, he got his team back
together. Price came back and
opened up the court for the
offense. The Cavs'other outside
threat, Craig Ehlo, no longer
had to carry the three-point load
alone anymore. The inside game
was still hurting though. John
"Hot Rod" Williams, the Cavs’
sixth man, and Winston
Bennett, solid players both,
couldn't make up for the loss of
their two big men.
And when Daughtery and
Nance did come back, they both
had to shake off the rust and get
back into shape. Then there was
the problem of regaining that
team chemistry that they built
last year. The Cleveland
organization has been through
more trying times, but these
times have certainly been the
most frustrating. Now, with the
regular season coming to a close
and playoff time nearing, the
play of the Cavs is starting to
remind observers of last year's
team. Wilkens now must get
his charges back on track to
becoming the dominant team
that everyone predicated they
could become. It will not be
easy.
The Cavs hosted the Detroit
Pistons on Sunday and came
away with a 100-97 victory for
their eleventh win in 16 games.
This put Cleveland in the eighth
and final Eastern Conference
playoff spot, one game ahead of
the Atlanta Hawks. Detroit was
a tired team, playing on the road
without one of their best
players, guard Joe Dumars, who
is out with a broken hand. The
hosts did not have the services
of power forward Nance, who is
still nagged by injuries (sprained
ankle). The Cavs frontline, sans
Larry, was still quite
impressive.
Williams was hot, leading
all scorers and picking bushels
of rebounds. Price was his old
self, nailing outside jumpers and
making pinpoint passes on the
break for easy buckets.
Daugherty was a force down on
the blocks, at times
unstoppable. And Wilkens kept
his team focused, and his careful
planning in the final minutes of
the game lead them to the
triumph.
Unfortunately, Detroit, who
might be Cleveland's opponent
in the playoffs, won't always be
tired. And Dumars will be back.
But if the Pistons should finish
behind the Chicago Bulls, the
Cavs will have to play Jordan
and company instead, a rematch
of last years first round series.
The Bulls upset the favored
Cavs in five games, and
eventually lost to Detroit in the
Eastern semi-finals. Would the
boys from Cleveland like
revenge? I can answer that in
one wor± Youbetcha.
But first, they've got to
make the playoffs if they wish
to exact revenge, and they will
have to keep improving to do it.
If the last two weeks are any
indication, they just might
make it.
photo by Rick Brooks
Throw to third: Third baseman Joe Mason of the
Lions reaches for a wild throw while an RIT
runner slides in for the steal. RIT swept the Lions
in Monday's twinbill. See story on page 15
Thursday
SpfiMl
Geneva 3 pm
Tennis
lUP 3 pm
Saturday
Tennis
Allegheny 10 am
isn't
Weekend Eruption,
this Saturday at midnight on AM 1450
wpse
-*• am 1450
The Collegian
the Explosion.
Monday
Baseball
Gdinboro 1 pm
Tuesday
Pass,hall
Westminster 1 pm A
Softball
Allegheny 3 pm A
Listen
for
Wednesday, April 11,1990
Baseball team
struggles
(continued from page 15)
two, scoring a run and picking up
a run batted in. Wotus was
walked twice in the game
reaching base three out of four
times to the plate.
Catcher Paul Benim hit two
of three and batted two runs in for
the Lions. Benim picked up the
only extra base hit of the game
for Behrend with a double.
Chris Myers and Percy Gum
had the other two hits for the
Lions.
Behrend won the second game,
3-2, scoring in the eighth inning
on a wild pitch when Myers
crossed the home plate.
Scott Fleshman pitched the
complete game allowing only
three hits. Fleshman had seven
strikeouts and four base on balls.
Terrill batted two of four,
collecting a double and driving in
a run.
Myers also hit two for four
and scored the winning run.
Cerqua hit a double and also
scored a run for the winning
H Lions.
Sophomore Kirk McKinney
had the other hit for Behrend in
the closer getting a double and
picking up a RBI. McKinney
drove in Goard who was walked
to reach first base.
WPSE