A roundup of the sports information of the week
BASKETBALL—NBA: BOSTON won its 10th league championship in 12 years, beating Los Angeles four games to two (page 34).
ABA: Eastern Division titlist PITTSBURGH gave its city a major league championship for the first time since the Pirates won the World Series in 1960 by taking the best-of-seven playoffs 4-3 over New Orleans. Connie Hawkins, who had suffered a torn knee ligament and missed the fifth game, scored 41 points in the sixth as the Pipers beat the Buccaneers 118-112 to tie the series 3-3. In the final game, won by Pittsburgh 122-113, Charlie Williams popped in 35 points and Hawkins scored only 20, but he led both teams with 16 rebounds and nine assists.
BOWLING—After 75 days and 228,775 games, the American Bowling Congress Tournament in Cincinnati finally ended with JIM STEFANICH of Joliet, Ill. and VINCE MAZZANTI of Philadelphia the winners of the classic and regular all-events titles. Other divisional champions were DAVE DAVIS of Phoenix, Ariz., classic singles; WAYNE KOWALSKI of Revere, Mass., regular singles; BILL TUCKER of Los Angeles and DON JOHNSON of Kokomo, Ind., classic doubles; RICH STARK and WALT ROY of Glenwood Springs, Colo., regular doubles; BOWL-RITE SUPPLY of Joliet, Ill., classic team; and DAVE'S AUTO SUPPLY of Philadelphia, regular team.
GOLF—ROBERTO DE VICENZO of Argentina won the $100,000 Houston Champions International tournament, shooting a final round 68 to finish at 274 for the 72 holes, one stroke ahead of Lee Trevino (page 63).
Carol Mann of Towson, Md. gained her third LPGA title in three weeks when she won the $11,500 Shreveport Kiwanis Club tournament with a 54-hole total of 217.
HANDBALL—Sixth-seeded SIMON (Stuffy) SINGER of Los Angeles defeated Ray Neveau of Oshkosh, Wis. 21-9, 18-21, 21-18 to gain the singles title at the USHA four-wall championships in St. Louis. JIMMY JACOBS and MARTY DECATUR of New York City successfully defended their doubles title, beating Oscar and Ruby Obert, also of New York, 21-19, 21-9 in the finals.
HARNESS RACING—Nevele Acres' 5-year-old New Zealand-bred CARDINAL KING ($3.20) gained his second straight victory in Yonkers' international pacing series with a¾-length win over First Lee in the $50,000 Good Time Pace.
HOCKEY—NHL: ST. LOUIS beat Minnesota 2-1 in double overtime to win the West Division Stanley Cup playoff series 4-3 (page 68). In the Stanley Cup final MONTREAL, the East Division winner, took a 1-0 lead by beating the Blues 3-2 in overtime.
HORSE RACING—DANCER'S IMAGE ($9.20) won the 94th running of the $165,100 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs by 1½ lengths over favored Forward Pass (page 28).
The $63,720, 1[1/16] mile Kentucky Oaks for 3-year-old fillies, also in its 94th running at Churchill Downs, was won by DARK MIRAGE ($4.40), Manuel Ycaza up, by 4½ lengths over Miss Ribot.
In Newmarket, England, favored SIR IVOR (11 to 8), a U.S.-bred colt owned by U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Raymond Guest, won the 2,000 Guineas mile race for 3-year-old colts by 1½ lengths over Petingo. The next day, in the 1,000 Guineas mile race for 3-year-old fillies, CAERGWRLE (4 to 1) finished a length ahead of runner-up Photo Flash.
LACROSSE—MARYLAND beat Army 13-8 to extend its winning streak to seven games and just about eliminate the Cadets from a shot at the national championship. In other big games JOHNS HOPKINS, held to a 1-1 tie in the first quarter, ended up walloping Syracuse 20-7, while NAVY edged the Carling's Lacrosse Club of Baltimore 9-7 and MOUNT WASHINGTON rallied to defeat Rutgers 14-11 with 11 second-half goals.
MOTOR SPORTS—UMBERTO MAGLIOLI of Italy and VIC ELFORD of Britain, driving a Porsche 907, took the 447-mile Targa Florio road race in Sicily in record-breaking time of 6:28:47.9 and at an average speed of 69 mph, finishing two minutes ahead of Italy's Nanni Galli and Ignazio Giunti in an Alfa Romeo.
ROWING—HARVARD'S heavyweight crew finished two lengths ahead of Penn and almost six ahead of host Navy to take the Adams Cup on the Severn River, giving the Crimson their fifth straight Adams Cup and 32nd consecutive collegiate victory. In other races, PRINCETON's eight-oar varsity took the Carnegie Cup on the Housatonic River for the first time in 16 years, edging Yale by ‚Öî length, while MARIETTA swept all four classes at the Mid-America Regatta on the Ohio River for the fourth year in a row.
SOCCER—NASL: In the Eastern Conference, Atlantic Division leader ATLANTA shut out Oakland 1-0, beat Houston 3-1 and lost to Vancouver 1-0 to gain a seven-point lead over runner-up NEW YORK, which edged Baltimore 2-1 and tied BOSTON 3-3. The Beacons also tied Chicago 3-3. WASHINGTON tied Cleveland 1-1, and last-place BALTIMORE lost its fifth and sixth games, both 2-1, to New York and Cleveland. In the Lakes Division, first-place CLEVELAND won one and tied one, while idle DETROIT and CHICAGO, which tied Boston, shared second place, seven points out. Last-place TORONTO did not play. In the Gulf Division of the Western Conference first-place HOUSTON lost to Atlanta and second-place KANSAS CITY beat Dallas 6-1 to creep within one point of the Stars. ST. LOUIS also rolled over Dallas 8-2, after losing 3-0 to San Diego, while last-place DALLAS ran its nonwinning streak to seven with the two losses. In the Pacific Division, SAN DIEGO, with one victory, moved 16 points ahead of runner-up OAKLAND, which tied one, lost one. VANCOUVER shut out Atlanta, and last-place LOS ANGELES was idle.
MILEPOSTS—HIRED: BILL SHARMAN, 41, as executive vice-president and coach of the ABA's Los Angeles Stars, the new team in town that played last year in Anaheim. Sharman resigned as coach of the San Francisco Warriors last week after a Western Division title and a third-place finish in two years. Taking Sharman's place in San Francisco will be GEORGE LEE, 31, a four-year NBA player and the Warriors' assistant coach last season.
HIRED: As head coach and executive vice-president of the ABA Oakland Oaks, ALEX HANNUM, 44, who resigned last week as coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, the Eastern Division champions. Hannum was signed to an eight-year contract and made a part owner of the team, while BRUCE HALE, 50, the Oaks' coach last season, moved into the front office as G.M.
SOLD: To a group in Atlanta headed by Carl E. Sanders, 42, the former governor of Georgia, and Thomas G. Cousins, 36, an Atlanta real-estate developer, the ST. LOUIS HAWKS, the NBA Western Division champions, for an estimated $3.5 million, by Ben Kerner, 52, the Hawks' only owner in the team's 19 years in the league. Said Kerner, "They have been all my life, not just a part of it. But the lack of attendance the past five years convinced me that the interest isn't there anymore." The Hawks, who will play their home games at Atlanta's Alexander Memorial Coliseum next season, drew only 5,018, 5,810 and 4,118 to three playoff games with the Warriors in St. Louis this season.
TRADED: By the Los Angeles Rams, Quarterback BILL MUNSON, 26, who had played out his option, and a third-round draft choice to the Detroit Lions for Quarterback MILT PLUM, 33, Running Back TOM WATKINS, 30, Flanker PAT STUDSTILL, 29, and a first-round draft choice.
RETIRED: Single-sculler DON SPERO, 28, of New York City, from competitive rowing to concentrate on his doctoral studies at Columbia University. "Physically, I seemed to be getting there, but mentally I was under a strain and it was no longer fun," said Spero, who was the pre-Olympic favorite in the singles. Spero held seven national, two Canadian and one world championship (gained at Bled, Yugoslavia in 1966 to give the U.S. its only world rowing title). He also won the Diamond Sculls in record time at the Henley Regatta in 1965 and was a finalist in the 1964 Olympics.
DIED: JACK ADAMS, 72, the fiery general manager of the Detroit Red Wings for 35 years and more recently the president of the Central Professional Hockey League; of a heart attack in his Detroit office. Adams played in the NHL for six years before taking over as G.M. and coach of the Red Wings in 1927, the team's second year in the league. He coached for 20 years, and when he was let loose by the Red Wings as G.M. in 1962 Adams helped found the minor league CPHL. During his 35 years the Red Wings finished first 12 times, including seven straight seasons from 1948-1955, and won seven Stanley Cup playoffs.
