A roundup of the sports information of the week

BASKETBALL—NBA: In an exciting two-overtime game with Baltimore, New York started its best-of-seven playoff series with a 120-117 victory. Willis Reed, who played 54 of 58 minutes for the Knicks, scored 30 points while Bullet star Earl Monroe put in 39 for the losers. The next night Monroe, who has been bothered by arthritic knees, hit for only 19 as Baltimore again went down to defeat, this time 106-99. In its third game Baltimore came back to win 127-113 and keep hope. Milwaukee and Philadelphia split their playoff games, the Bucks taking the first, 125-118, and the 76ers the second, 112 105, in a contest that produced a fight between Philadelphia's Luke Jackson and Milwaukee's Don Smith. In the Western Division, Atlanta twice downed Chicago, 129-111 and 124-104, behind the shooting of Joe Caldwell and Lou Hudson. Caldwell registered 39 and 23 points in the two games, while Hudson hit for 36 and 30. Los Angeles routed Phoenix 128-112 in the other playoff series.

ABA: Last week Indiana secured the Eastern Division crown, but the struggle for the next three positions and a place in the playoffs went on. Second-place Kentucky won all three of its contests, including a 130-127 double-overtime victory over New Orleans and a 101-98 win over Carolina that was decided by a 35-foot last-second basket by Darel Carrier. Earlier in the week Carolina had registered two wins, 127-112 over Miami and 121-107 over Indiana, and moved to within two games of second place, but the loss to Kentucky and a 112-107 defeat by Miami dropped the Cougars 3½ games behind the Colonels. Fourth-place Los Angeles was the only Western team to enjoy a winning week, defeating Carolina 106-92 and Washington 124-111 while losing mils once, 135-130, to the Caps. First-place Denver and second-place Washington each had a victory and a defeat, thus remaining I Vi games apart. Babe McCarthy, coach of the fifth-place New Orleans team, said, "If we can got into the playoffs, we're good enough to win," but for the Bucs, 1½ games out of fourth, the problem was getting into the playoffs.

EAST: Indiana (2-1), Kentucky (3-0), Carolina (2-3), New York (0-2), Pittsburgh (0-3), Miami (2-1). WEST: Denver (1-1), Washington (1-1), Dallas (2-2), Los Angeles (2-1), New Orleans (2-2).

COLLEGE: Rick Mount of Purdue scored 25 points and Jim McMillian of Columbia put in 23 to lead the East to a 116-102 victory over the West at the annual All-Star Game at Indianapolis.

BOWLING—The $6,000 first-prize check at the $45,000 New Orleans Open was won by DON JOHNSON of Kokomo, Ind. when he defeated Earl Anthony of Tacoma, Wash. 216-214 in the final.

BOXING—HENRY COOPER, 35, of Great Britain regained the British heavyweight title by twice decking defending champion Jack Bodell on the way to winning a 15-round decision in London.

In a middleweight bout in Paris, France's JEANCLAUDE BOUTTIER was awarded a decision over "Kitten" Hayward of Philadelphia.

GOLF—Veteran LEE TREVINO won the $200,000 National Airlines Open when Bob Menne of Andover, Mass. missed a five-foot putt in the sudden-death playoff at the Country Club of Miami course.

HARNESS RACING—POMPANO FLASH ($16.40), a Florican colt who had never won a race, took the lead at the start and was never challenged in the mile-long, $54,156 Florida Breeders Stake for 3-year-old trotters at Pompano Park. The bay colt, co-owned by Ed Ryan and Joseph Hardy, finished three lengths in front of Fred Van Lennep's Fashion Ette, a 5-to-2 choice driven by Glen Garnsey. Trainer-Driver Del Miller drove the 7-to-1 shot to victory in 2:08 for the $27,078 winner's purse.

HOCKEY—Boston's Bobby Orr scored his 31st goal of the season with less than four minutes left in a game with Detroit to salvage a tie for the Bruins and keep them one point ahead of second-place Chicago (page 18). Not far behind the leaders was Montreal, which moved up from fourth to third, replacing Detroit, after recording wins over Pittsburgh and Toronto and a 1-1 tie with fifth-place New York. The Rangers, who have won only one of their last 14 games, suffered two losses this week, including a 3-1 defeat by Boston, the first out-of-town victory the Bruins have registered over an East Division team this season. In the West tin race for the last two playoff spots was still close Minnesota, with three losses and a tie, slipped from fourth to fifth, while Oakland with two wins, one of them a 3-2 victory over first-place St. Louis, climbed to fourth. One of the North Stars' losses was a 4-2 defeat by Los Angeles, who in registering their 13th victory avoided tying the record for the worst season in modern NHL history.

EAST: Boston (2-0-1), Chicago (2-0-1), Montreal (2-0-1), Detroit (0-1-1), New York (0-2-1), Toronto (1-1-1). WEST: St. Louis (1-2-0), Pittsburgh (2-1-0), Philadelphia (1-2-0), Oakland (2-1-1), Minnesota (0-3-1), Los Angeles (2-1-0).

HORSE RACING—Raymond Curtis' MY DAD GEORGE ($5.20), ridden by Ray Broussard, ate up Corn Off The Cob in the stretch and finished a neck in front of the favorite at the $144,600 Florida Derby. The winner ran the 1‚⅛-mile Gulfstream course in 1:50[4/5] (page 22).

The $141,400 Santa Anita Derby was won by TERLAGO ($5), the favorite owned by S. J. Agnew and ridden by Bill Shoemaker, who covered the 1‚⅛-mile course in 1:48[2/5] to finish a comfortable 2½ lengths in front of George Lewis (page 22).

Eddie Belmonte rode DEWAN ($22), a 5-year-old son of Bold Ruler to a three-quarters length victory over Gaelic Dancer at the $57,600 Westchester Stakes at Aqueduct. Arts and Letters, last year's Horse of the Year, who was carrying 130 pounds, the largest handicap of his career, finished a disappointing fourth.

At Doncaster, England 100-to-9 shot NEW CHAPTER, Sandy Barclay in the saddle, finished first by half a length in the Lincolnshire Handicap, an Irish Sweepstakes race.

ROWING—CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY led from the start and finished three lengths in front of Oxford to win its third consecutive victory in the 141-year-old event held at London.

SWIMMING—At the NCAA championships in Salt Lake City, MIKE BURTON of UCLA took three gold medals: the 1,650-yard freestyle, the 500-yard freestyle and the 200-yard butterfly. BRIAN JOB of Stanford set two American records with clockings of 57.57 in the 100-yard breaststroke and 2:05.99 in the 200-yard breaststroke. Indiana's Mark Spitz was an early disappointment (page 26) but even so the Hoosiers again won the team title.

WRESTLING—In the last match of his collegiate career Dan Gable of Iowa State was defeated for the first time when LARRY OWINGS of Washington beat him 13-11 to gain the 142-pound crown at the NCAA championships in Evanston, Ill. IOWA STATE, with wins in the 158- 167- and 177-pound classes, took the team title (page 72).

MILEPOSTS—NAMED: As head basketball coach at Furman University. JOE WILLIAMS, highly successful Jacksonville coach who this year led the Dolphins to a 27-2 record and the runner-up spot at the NCAA championships. Williams, who was an assistant at Furman in 1963-64, says the reported $6,000 increase in salary was not the primary reason for the change. "In Jacksonville I walked the pavement, sold tickets, raised money and worked with publicity I've done so many things I'm anxious to get back to coaching." Tom Wasdin, the assistant coach, will take over for Williams at Jacksonville.

BARRED: From the 1970 Davis Cup competitions, SOUTH AFRICA, whose apartheid policy in sports and politics led a seven-man cup committee to exclude the team. A few days later the International Amateur Cycling Federation told South Africa it could not compete at the world championships in England this August.

DIED: CARROLL BIERMAN SR., 51, California jockey in the '30s and '40s, whose wins included the 1940 Kentucky Derby on Gallahadion, the 1939 Santa Anita Derby on Ciencia and a 1942 match-race victory on Alsab over Whirlaway; in Seattle.

DIED: MARTIN TANANBAUM, 54, president of Yonkers Raceway for 14 years, who during his reign made a number of harness-racing innovations, including the first International Pacing series, and frequently became involved in racing and political controversies ("He was never one for keeping silent." said a friend. "He believed in speaking up for his ideas"); of a heart attack; in New York.

DIED: JOSEPH KIRK, 56, swimming coach at La Salle for 26 seasons, who developed 18 All-America swimmers while recording a 213-65 won-loss mark; after a long illness; in Philadelphia.

DIED: GELINOTTE, 20, called by some experts "the trotter of the century," who won 54 of her 86 races, including the 1956 Prix d'Amérique; while foaling.