Western Semifinal Notes

Game 7 hype hits a crescendo in Los Angeles

By DARRELL FRY, Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 4, 2000

LOS ANGELES -- Naturally, tonight's Game 7 is a hot ticket. The sellout crowd figures to include a bevy of celebrities, even more than the usual number of stars who regularly attend Lakers games.

The players are pretty hyped about the game too. After all, it pits the league's topteams from the regular season in a winner-take-all showdown.

"I think many people anticipated seven games, and the way it has happened has thrown people for a loop," Lakers guard Derek Fisher said. "Here you are with the two best teams in the NBA right now playing one game to advance to the NBA Finals. I think all of us are looking forward to the opportunity to play in that type of game."

DID ANYBODY SEE THAT?: The Blazers did a job on Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal in Game 6 Friday, holding him to 17 points on 7-for-17 shooting. Lakers coach Phil Jackson said it was a combination of good defense and illegal defense.

"We need to get their defense legal. Once their defense gets legal, we'll be all right," Jackson said. "They're being allowed to get illegally lined up, and then their rotations are shorter and everything happens even quicker around Shaq. So we need to be more patient, more aware of where they are."

NO SURPRISE: Lakers forward Rick Fox spiked the end of Game 6 with his heated verbal exchanges with Portland forward Scottie Pippen and coach Mike Dunleavy. But Fox was quiet Saturday, refusing all interview requests.

Jackson denied that Fox was trying to bait Pippen into doing something that would get him suspended for tonight.

"Rick's a physical player and he's going to exact something out there," Jackson said. "But he's not trying to take Scottie out."

PIPPEN WANTS O'NEAL FINED: Pippen, who was knocked down hard by O'Neal during Game 6, said, "It was obvious what he was trying to do. He hit me hard. He never made an attempt to go after the ball. Is that going to cost him $10,000?"

Pippen's comments were a not-so-subtle jab at officials, who fined him that amount for an elbow to the back of John Salley's head in Game 4.

Pippen led the Trail Blazers to victory in Game 5, prompting Jackson to say he should have been suspended for the elbow.

"We noticed as the games went on that they sort of turn away from playing the game and start to do other type of activities away from the game, taking cheap shots at guys and trying to start altercations," Pippen said. "I'm just telling my guys to stay focused and continue to play hard -- try to walk away from it."

O'Neal was assessed a flagrant foul.

IN THE DARK: Asked if he had a sense of what he'll get from his team tonight, Jackson said he had no clue:

"I've seen games that have been well played and I've seen games that have been real erratic because of the tension, so you can't measure exactly what's going to happen."

Around the league

EWING DECISION AWAITS KNICKS: Another season ended for Knicks center Patrick Ewing minus that elusive championship and with him looking more beaten down than the year before

Most of the Indiana Pacers had cleared out when Ewing entered the visitors' locker room at Madison Square Garden Friday night. He congratulated Pacers forward Dale Davis and then met briefly with coach Larry Bird.

Ewing and Bird, who became friends as members of the original Dream Team, chatted briefly, then embraced.

"He said he's going fishing," Ewing said. "That's what he's doing before the Finals."

The future is murky for Ewing, who turns 38 in August and will earn $14-million next season in the final year of his contract.

His age and contract make a trade unlikely. Ewing refused to discuss whether he even wants to return next year. This season, he hinted that he may ask the club to offer him an extension, but Garden president Dave Checketts all but shot that down.

MAGIC: With New Jersey not enthralled with the likely top four picks -- Chris Mihm, Kenyon Martin, Stromile Swift and Marcus Fizer -- the New York Times reported the Nets considered swaps with Orlando, which has the fifth, 10th and 13th selections, and Chicago, which has the fourth, seventh and 24th picks. Vancouver reportedly has also been talking with Orlando about trading its No. 2 pick for a compilation of Orlando's picks.

PISTONS: George Irvine is expected this week to sign a three-year coaching contract for less than $2-million a year, according to published reports Saturday.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.

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