A roundup of the week Nov. 23-29
BASKETBALL—NBA: New York ran its winning streak 10 seven and tied Boston for the Atlantic Division lead despite the continued absence of injured Willis Reed. Jerry Lucas, substituting at center, made 33 of 52 shots as the Knicks beat Cincinnati 125-110, Baltimore 114-94, Boston 104-89 and Chicago 100-99. The victory over the Celtics was played before 15,315—the largest crowd in Boston's NBA history. After losing to the Celtics, surprising Cleveland won three in a row to climb out of the Central cellar. Rookie Guard Austin Carr, in the lineup for the first full week since his preseason foot injury, had 69 points as the Cavs knocked off Baltimore 104-102, Cincinnati 128-114 and Atlanta 103-95 for their longest winning streak since they were formed last season. Baltimore split its four games to hold the Central Division lead. Los Angeles continued its red-hot pace, winning three more to make it 14 in a row. Gail Goodrich paced the Pacific leaders with 27 points as they handed Milwaukee its second loss in a row (the Bucks' first losing streak of the season) 112-105. Then the Lakers outclassed runner-up Seattle 139-115 as Jerry West scored 26 points. Finally, Wilt Chamberlain exploded for 31 points and 31 rebounds in a 132-113 mauling of Detroit. Midwest leader Milwaukee rebounded from its losses by taking four straight, including a 141-107 pasting of Atlanta on Oscar Robertson's 33rd birthday.
ABA: Utah, the West leader, won four straight to extend its winning streak to six. The well-balanced Stars, defending league champions, had four different heroes, beating Pittsburgh 114-112 on Jimmy Jones' 10-footer with five seconds left; Virginia 120-113 when Ron Boone led a late rally: Carolina 124-115 behind Zelmo Beaty's 35 points; and Kentucky 111-106 as Willie Wise tallied 38. Indiana won three to remain three games back of the Stars. The Last's pacesetter, Kentucky, and second-place Virginia, each split its week's games to maintain a two-game margin between them. The only Last team with a positive record for the week was the Floridians, who won three of four as their 6'2" Forward Warren Jabali, formerly Warren Armstrong, totaled 72 points.
BOWLING—DON JOHNSON, of Akron, beat Larry Laub 39-38 in a two-frame roll-off for first place in the $85,000 PBA Brunswick World Open in Glendale Heights, Ill.
CROSS-COUNTRY—FRANK SHORTER won his second straight National AAU title, and his Florida Track Club easily won the team championship, in La Jolla, Calif. (page 94).
Steve Prefontaine of Oregon won the NCAA championship in Knoxville, Tenn. by 40 yards over Garry Bjorklund of Minnesota. Oregon took the team title 83-122 over Washington State.
FOOTBALL—NFC: With three weeks left in the season, DALLAS, the East leader, knocked Los Angeles out of first place in the West with a 28-21 win (pane 30). WASHINGTON held second in the East, half a game behind the Cowboys, by defeating Philadelphia 20-13 as Curt Knight kicked two field goals and Bill Kilmer threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Roy Jefferson. MINNESOTA remained 1½ games ahead of DETROIT in the Central Division when the Vikings whacked Atlanta 24-7 on the running of Clint Jones (155 yards gained, including a 73-yard touchdown) and Bill Brown (85 yards and two TDs), and the Lions beat Kansas City on Greg Landry's two touchdown passes and Errol Mann's three field goals. The Falcons had won the Monday night TV game, defeating Green Bay 28-21. Ken Willard gained 129 yards rushing, and Vic Washington amassed 125 and two touchdowns as SAN FRANCISCO edged the New York Jets 24-21 and gained a half-game lead in the West. Joe Namath, playing a regular-season game for the first time since the fifth game of 1970, completed 11 of 27 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns after relieving Bob Davis in the second quarter. ST. LOUIS scored two touchdowns and kicked a field goal within seven minutes of the first period following two pass interceptions and a recovered fumble to wallop the New York Giants 24-7, while NEW ORLEANS handed Green Bay its second loss of the week, 29-21, as Charlie Durkee, a Packer reject, booted five field goals. Bart Starr played his first game of the season, completing eight of 17 passes for 116 yards, but the Packers were done in by four fumbles and two interceptions.
AFC: BALTIMORE intercepted six Oakland passes, and Johnny Unitas, playing most of the way, led the Colts to three touchdowns in a surprisingly easy 37-14 win over the Raiders. In the mediocre, but tight, Central Division, CLEVELAND moved a game ahead of Pittsburgh when the Browns came from behind in the second half to defeat Houston 37-24 and the Steelers lost to DENVER 22-10 on Floyd Little's pair of touchdown runs. CINCINNATI won its third in a row, 31-0 over San Diego, as Virgil Carter completed 19 of 24 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown and rookie Fred Willis plunged for two TDs, to climb within a game of Pittsburgh. The Bengal defense picked off six Charger passes. Dennis Shaw threw two touchdown passes to rookie J. D. Hill to lead BUFFALO to a 27-20 win over New England, the first Bills victory of the season after 10 losses.
The CALGARY Stampeders won their first Grey Cup since 1948, beating the Toronto Argonauts 14-11 for the Canadian Football League championship in Vancouver.
HARNESS RACING—HERVE FILION of Quebec set a world record for victories in one year when he won his 487th race driving Kathy's Lassie at New York's Yonkers Raceway.
HOCKEY—Montreal, Boston and New York, the preseason favorites for the first three places in the East Division, were momentarily in a three-way tic for first place. Montreal tied Chicago 3-3 and beat Pittsburgh 3-1 as Marc Tardif had one assist and his 15th goal. Boston defeated St. Louis 6-2 and Philadelphia 2-1 and 4-2 to run its winning streak to seven before St. Louis tied the Bruins 6-6. New York was more explosive against the West Division teams. The Rangers sent California Goalie Gilles Meloche to the bench in tears amid a record-equaling eight-goal third period as they won 12-1. Jean Ratelle had four goals in the game. In their next outing, four Rangers scored six goals in the third period to crush St. Louis 8-3. Then New York met its first non-expansion opponent in 10 games and fell to Detroit 3-1 and out of sole possession of first place. Minnesota, unbeaten in its last seven games, tripped Vancouver 2-1 and Los Angeles 3-1 to take a three-point lead in the West Division over Chicago, which won one and tied two. Goalie Cesare Maniago made 36 saves against the Canucks, and his alternate, Gump Worsley, had 34 against the Kings.
TENNIS—KEN ROSEWALL beat Rod Laver 6-4, 1-6, 7-6, 7-6 to win the $50,000 World Championship of Tennis title in Dallas (page 28).
MILEPOSTS—ANNOUNCED: The new name of the old Washington Senators, who recently moved to Dallas-Fort Worth, will be the TEXAS RANGERS.
NAMED: Auburn Quarterback PAT SULLIVAN, 21, as winner of the 1971 Heisman Trophy for the nation's outstanding college football player.
NAMED: As Rookies of the Year in the American and National leagues, CHRIS CHAMBLISS, U. of the Cleveland Indians and EARL WILLIAMS, 23, of the Atlanta Braves. Chambliss became Cleveland's fulltime first baseman when Ken Harrelson left baseball to play pro golf in June, and baited .275, with nine home runs and 48 RBIs. Williams, a catcher, batted .260, with 33 homers and 87 RBIs.
NAMED: PENN STATE, as winner of the Lambert Trophy for the East's outstanding college football team.
RESIGNED: SID GILLMAN, 60, as coach of the San Diego Chargers. General Manager Harland Svare, 41, was named to replace him for the rest of the season. Gillman has coached the team since 1960, with the exception of the last five games of the 1969 season and the entire 1970 season when he was sidelined with ulcers, and compiled an 88-53-6 record, with five AFL divisional titles and one league championship.
RESIGNED: DANNY MURTAUGH, 54, as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Batting Coach Bill Virdon, 40, was named to succeed him. Murtaugh, who had a history of heart trouble, managed the Pirates from 1957 to 1964, and in 1967, 1970 and 1971, winning the World Series in 1960 and 1971.
RESIGNED: LOU HOLTZ, 34, as football coach at William & Mary to become coach at North Carolina State. Holtz was 13-20 in three years at William & Mary.
DIED: NED DAY, 60, whose American Bowling Congress tournament average of 200 for 28 years was second highest for men bowling in 20 or more tournaments: of an apparent stroke in Milwaukee.
