A roundup of the week March 3-9
PRO BASKETBALL—NBA: When Portland won its sixth straight, an 88-82 decision over Chicago, the Midwest leader, it was a case of the Trail Blazers playing the Bulls' game—defense. In one seven-game stretch Chicago limited the opposition to an average of 82 points, an accomplishment the Bulls' coach, Dick Motta, called equal to a 3:50 mile. The Central-leading Washington Bullets continued their heady pace with a 3-0 record in which Kevin Porter pulled the trigger for 21 and 22 assists against Los Angeles (0-4) and Atlanta (3-1). Houston (page 22) dealt Phoenix two losses and kept third-place Cleveland (0-2) to the rear with a 93-86 win. Seattle had a .500 week, but it was still sweet as Bill Russell's club beat Atlantic-leading Boston 104-97 and snapped Kansas City-Omaha's four-game win streak. Bill Bradley equaled his season's high with 32 points in a 118-100 win against Detroit to end New York's three-game losing streak. Bob McAdoo hit 33 points in Buffalo's 110-95 win over Milwaukee and continued to lead the league in scoring. Rick Barry was still chasing McAdoo for the point title as Golden State (1-3) maintained its six-game lead in the Pacific. New Orleans beat the Warriors and the Lakers.
ABA: Indiana, the only team to win three league titles in the eight-year history of the ABA, beat Utah for its 10th victory in the last 12 games. Third in the West, the Pacers had a 3-1 week, but division leader Denver notched five more wins for a 16-game lead over Indiana. The Nuggets kept San Antonio off their backs, too, beating the second-place Spurs 100-95 on Friday and 156-144 in overtime on Saturday. Defending champ New York held half a game lead over Kentucky in the East, but fell to the Colonels 96-80. The Nets continued their mastery of the Spirits, defeating St. Louis twice to make it 10 straight this season. Virginia (0-3) lifted St. Louis' spirits, losing 114-111. Memphis dropped all three of its games, while San Diego had a .500 week.
BOWLING—DICK RITGER of Hartford, Wis. defeated Earl Anthony 247-223 in the finals of Miami's Don Carter Classic to earn $7,500. It was Ritger's 17th career win, placing him third on the PBA's all-time champion list.
CURLING—The state of WASHINGTON team of Ed Risling, Dave Tellvik, Chuck Lundgren and Gary Schnee won the 19th annual U.S. men's championship by defeating New York 15-5, at Detroit.
FIGURE SKATING—Dutch Champion DIANNE de LEEUW, who has dual Dutch-American citizenship, captured the women's gold medal at the world championships at Colorado Springs, Colo. SERGEI VOLKOV of the U.S.S.R. won the men's individual title.
GOLF—LEE TREVINO took the top prize of $40,000 by winning the Citrus Open title by one stroke with a one-under-par 71 and a 276 total, at Orlando, Fla.
HOCKEY—NHL: Guy Lafleur returned to the Montreal lineup after missing 10 games with a broken finger and led the Norris leader to an 8-4 victory over Washington, which also lost to Vancouver and Boston. Buffalo held an 11-point lead over the Bruins with a victory over the New York Rangers and a tie with the St. Louis Blues. Patrick pacesetter Philadelphia bombed Minnesota 9-2 and tied the Blues. The New York Islanders had two ties and a win over the Canucks. Atlanta blanked Kansas City 4-0. The Scouts also fell to Los Angeles and Detroit and tied Pittsburgh Smythe leader Chicago (2-2) beat California before the Black Hawks lost a game to Vancouver (page 24), then defeated Los Angeles 6-1 the next night. Toronto beat Detroit twice and Minnesota once in a 3-0 week as the Maple Leafs remained undefeated in six games.
WHA: San Diego, no threat for a division title, scored the week's most spectacular wins by knocking off Canadian leader Quebec (8-2) and West honcho Houston (7-4). The Mariners also beat and tied the Winnipeg Jets. Minnesota continued its home mastery over East leader New England, handing the Whalers a ninth straight loss (5-3) over a three-year span. The Fighting Saints got past Toronto, too, while Phoenix blanked Chicago 5-0 for one of its three victories. Vancouver had a 6-0 shutout against Edmonton, only to have the Oilers return the favor with a 4-0 zipping of the Blazers. Baltimore (1-3) was the week's big loser as usual, falling to Indianapolis, among others. The Racers lost to Cleveland 6-5, among others.
MOTOR SPORTS—A. J. FOYT earned $90,112 for winning the California 500, averaging 154.344 mph in his Gilmore-Coyote, at Ontario, Calif. (page 62).
TENNIS—MARTINA NAVRATILOVA won $15,000 by defeating Evonne Goolagong 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in the $75,000 Virginia Slims of Boston tournament.
Rod Laver defeated Arthur Ashe 6-2, 7-6 to give AUSTRALIA its fourth straight World Cup victory over the U.S., in Hartford, Conn. (page 20).
TRACK & FIELD—In the fourth U.S.A.-U.S.S.R. meet in Richmond, Va., FRANCIE LARRIEU set a women's world record for the 1,500 meters (4:09.8) en route to a world mark in the mile (4:28.5); JONI HUNTLEY bettered her own American indoor high-jump record with a leap of 6'2½". GLENN HEROLD set a meet record in the men's three-mile (13:11). Other meet records were equaled in the men's and women's 60-yard dashes by high-schoolers HOUSTON McTEAR (6.0) and ANGEL DOYLE (6.6). RICH WOHLHUTER won the 880 (1:49.4) and DWIGHT STONES took the high jump (7'3"). Russians VLADIMIR GOLUBNICHI set a world record in the three-mile walk (19:46.2), and IRINA BONDARCHUK ran a meet-record 10:02.6 in the women's two-mile. The U.S. men outscored the Russian men 98-62, while the U.S. women outpointed the Russian women 73-44.
At the European indoor championships in Katowice, Poland, Annelie Ehrhardt of East Germany lost her first race in four years, finishing second to GRAZYNA RABSZTYN of Poland in the 60-meter hurdles. Rabsztyn's time was 8.04.
MILEPOSTS—FORMED: A Presidential Commission on Olympic Sports to examine amateur athletics in the U.S. Two senators, two congressmen (one of whom is former Buffalo Bill Quarterback Jack Kemp), along with ex-Olympians Rafer Johnson, Bill Toomey, Willye White, Micki King and retired Oklahoma football Coach Bud Wilkinson have been named to the 18-member panel.
NAMED: To the World Golf Hall of Fame, Americans WILLIE ANDERSON, winner of the U.S. Open in 1901, 1903-05; CHICK EVANS, winner of the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur in 1916 and 1920; GLENNA COLLETT VARE, winner of an un-equaled six women's titles in 1922, 1925, 1928-30, 1935; Britons TOM MORRIS JR., winner of the British Open in 1868-70, 1872; J.H. TAYLOR, one of the founders of the British PGA and winner of the British Open in 1893-94, 1900, 1909, 1913; JOYCE WETHERED, winner of nine of the 11 championship tournaments she entered, including the British Ladies Open in 1922, 1924-25, 1929, and the British Ladies Amateur in 1920-24.
RESIGNED: HOWIE DALLMAR, as head basketball coach at Stanford, after 21 years. The Cardinals ended the season at 12-14, to bring Dallmar's career record to an even 264-264.
SWITCHED: GERRY DESJARDINS, from the WHA's Baltimore Blades to the NHL's Buffalo Sabres. Before this season the 30-year-old goaltender had jumped from the NHL's New York Islanders to the then Michigan Stags of the WHA.
DIED: JACQUE MacKINNON, 36, a tight end for 11 seasons in the NFL and WFL, from injuries suffered when he fell off a wall after reportedly leaving the scene of a minor traffic accident; in San Diego.
DIED: GLENN HARDIN, 64, winner of a gold medal in the 400 meter hurdles at the 1936 Olympics and a silver medal in the same event in 1932; of a heart attack; in Baton Rouge, La.
