Miracle needs 1 more

Orlando takes the first game from Cleveland in the best-of-three first round of the WNBA playoffs.

By GREG AUMAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 12, 2000

ORLANDO -- Adrienne Johnson worked hard Friday to do all the things someone is supposed to do when she runs into a former employer. Be polite. Smile. And, above all else, get it over with and move on.

Johnson's performance in helping the Orlando Miracle beatthe Cleveland Rockers 62-55might not qualify as burning a bridge, but know this: The team she's with got its first playoff win, and her old team isdown 1-0 in the best-of-three first round of the WNBA playoffs.

Time and time again, the Rockers took control of the game, quieting the crowd of 6,265 at TD Waterhouse Centre, only to be stopped cold by Johnson, who played sparingly for two seasons in Cleveland before joining the Miracle last year.

"A.J. always has that effect. She always comes in right when the other team thinks, "Yes, this is our run,' " said teammate Taj McWilliams, who set a WNBA playoff record shooting 7-for-7 from the field. "She comes in and hits them with a three. We got that from her, and we were rolling after that."

It's hard to tell which momentum-killing shot she was referring to. It could have beenthe two three-pointers Johnson hit in the final 1:20 of the first half -- her first points of the game -- to cut Cleveland's halftime lead to just one point.

It could have beenthe jumper she hit 20 seconds into the second half, igniting a 14-2 run that gave the Miracle its largest lead at 42-31. Or the three free throws she hit with 8:46 remaining after being fouled attempting another bomb, again stopping the Rockers when they had trimmed Orlando's lead to three points.

Better yet, it might have been Orlando's last field goal of the night, a driving layup she dropped in with 35 seconds left that gave the Miracle a five-point lead and ended Cleveland's last rally.

All this from a player who didn't score in the first 18 minutes, missing her first five shots before catching fire.

"She just keeps shooting," said forward Nykesha Sales, who scored 12 of her 15 points in the second half. "She has the confidence to put those balls in, and I'm glad she just continued to shoot."

Johnson said she figured Cleveland would keep coming up with runs, so she just focused on stopping them each time they got some momentum.

"We knew they were going to make a run," said Johnson, who hit a three-pointer in her 19th straight game. "It was just whether we were going to weather the storm or not. We picked up our defensive intensity, and that's why we prevailed in the end."

While Johnson saved Orlando (17-16) a few times Friday, her teammates were the ones making Cleveland (17-16) play catch-up most of the way. The Miracle shot 52 percent from the field, putting four players in double figures -- Johnson (13 points), McWilliams (16), Sales (15) and Cintia Dos Santos (12).

Point guard Shannon "Pee Wee" Johnson had only six points, but she chipped in eight rebounds and five assists and drew praise from her coach.

"I've said it many times: She's probably one, if not the best point guard in the country," said Carolyn Peck, whose team improved to 12-5 at home.

Said Johnson: "It wasn't important that I get in double figures tonight. It was important that I take care of my players."

Former Florida standout Merlakia Jones led the Rockers with 24 points, but hit only 8 of 24 shots. Orlando's perimeter defense held Cleveland to 2-for-13 shooting beyond the arc.

The series resumes Sunday at 3 p.m. at Gund Arena. As the higher seed, Cleveland gets the rest of the series at home, where the Rockers beat the Magic twice in overtime this season. Orlando is 5-11 on the road, but Peck said the only game that matters is Sunday's.

"We can't drag the past with us," she said. "What we've done on the road, struggled or whatever ... Hey, we're alive and we get to play. That's a privilege, and we're looking forward to it."

TOP ROOKIE: Betty Lennox of the Minnesota Lynx, selected sixth in the draft, was named the 2000 WNBA Rookie of the Year, receiving 59 of a possible 62 votes from a panel of writers and broadcasters. She received a trophy and $5,000.

Also receiving votes were Minnesota's Marla Brumfield, Edwina Brown of the Detroit Shock and Adrian Williams of the Phoenix Mercury.

Lennox averaged 16.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.7 steals. The 5-foot-8 guard from Louisiana Tech started 31 of 32 games for Minnesota, which finished sixth in the Western Conference and missed the playoffs.

MIAMI SOL: Center Sharon Manning is retiring to become a full-time assistant coach at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia.

Manning was the Sol's fourth pick in the 2000 expansion draft. She played 24 games for Miami this season, the team's first, averaging 4.3 points per game and 4.2 rebounds despite being hampered by a hamstring strain.

- Times wires contributed to this report.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.

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