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A roundup of the week April 25-May 1
PRO BASKETBALL—Philadelphia swept its best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series with New York, while Milwaukee and San Antonio were poised to follow suit. The 76ers beat the Knicks in Game 4 at Madison Square Garden 105-102, and as was the case in the previous three games, Center Moses Malone, with 29 points (23 in the second half) and 15 rebounds, proved too much for the Knicks inside. Malone averaged 31.3 points and 15.8 rebounds for the series. After Milwaukee dispatched visiting Boston 107-99 in Game 3 of the other Eastern semifinal, the Celtics faced a straight-set elimination for the first time in 32 years. The Bucks, behind Sidney Moncrief's 22 points, gored the Celts 116-95 in the opener at Boston Garden and then in Game 2 overcame a 59-42 Celtic lead with 11:47 left in the third period to win 95-91. The Celtics played that game without Larry Bird, who was home with a high fever. While Bird was burning up, Denver was burning out in its Western Conference semi against San Antonio. In a 152-133 San Antonio victory at San Antonio in Game 1, the Spurs established a league playoff record for points in a half (82). The game also set playoff marks for most points by two teams in a half (150) and most points in a game (285). Guards Johnny Moore and George Gervin, who combined for 66 points in Game 1, had 56 more in a 126-109 second-game win. Moore, who as a rookie in 1979 was cut by then-Spurs Coach Doug Moe, now of Denver, got sweet revenge in Game 3. He scored 39 points, including a three-pointer with 12 seconds left in overtime, to lift the Spurs past Denver 127-126. In the three games, Moore averaged 29.7 points and 16.3 assists. Portland avoided a four-game sweep at the hands of the Lakers in the other Western semifinal series by beating Los Angeles 108-95 in Game 4 at Portland (page 26).
BOWLING—JOE BERARDI of Brooklyn defeated top-seeded Henry Gonzalez 186-179 to win the $200,000 Tournament of Champions in Akron.
BOXING—EDWIN ROSARIO won the WBC lightweight championship with a unanimous decision over Jose Luis Ramirez in San Juan (page 58).
DIVING—GREG LOUGANIS won the men's three-meter springboard and 10-meter championships at the III FINA World Cup Diving Championships in The Woodlands, Texas (page 60).
PRO FOOTBALL—USFL: Philadelphia stretched its Atlantic Division lead over Boston to three games with a 24-10 romp at Tampa Bay. Running Back Kelvin Bryant, the league's second-leading rusher, gained 106 yards on 22 carries to push his season's total to 929. The USFL's top runner, New Jersey's Herschel Walker, had a field day in the Generals' 34-29 victory at Denver. Walker rambled for 172 yards on 29 carries, including an 80-yard sprint for a touchdown that gave New Jersey a 34-22 lead with 6:41 to go. Walker now has 1,023 yards rushing at the season's halfway point, and is on a pace that would have him surpass O.J. Simpson's NFL record 2,003 yards on the ground by season's end. Chicago moved into a first-place tie with Tampa Bay in the Central Division. On Monday night the Blitz beat the Generals 17-14 in overtime and the following Sunday hammered Los Angeles 38-17 in George Allen's return to L.A. Michigan upset Boston 28-24, while Birmingham hammered hapless Washington 35-3.
GOLF—BEN CRENSHAW shot an 11-under-par 273 to win the $400,000 Byron Nelson Classic in Irving, Texas by a stroke over Brad Bryant and Hal Sutton.
By shooting a three-under-par 285, HOLLIS STACY won the $175,000 CPC International LPGA tournament at Hilton Head, S.C. She beat Beth Daniel by one stroke.
HOCKEY—With Mike Bossy scoring his 27th career playoff power-play goal—an NHL record—and adding three assists, the Islanders whipped Boston 7-3 to take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven Wales Conference final series. After New York had drawn first blood with a 5-2 victory in Game 1 at Boston Garden, the Bruins bounced back two nights later to win the second game 4-1. In that victory, Barry Pederson scored a pair of goals for Boston, linemate Rick Middleton had three assists and Goalie Pete Peeters had 33 saves, 15 in the first period. Edmonton led the Campbell Conference series (page 32).
HORSE RACING—In a pair of Kentucky Derby tuneups, PLAY FELLOW ($40.80), ridden by Jean Cruguet, won the $187,575 Blue Grass Stakes for 3-year-olds at Keeneland, covering the nine furlongs in 1:49[2/5]. Favored Marfa crossed the finish line second, but was disqualified for interference and placed fourth. Two days later CAVEAT, Laffit Pincay Jr. in the irons, won the $60,850 Derby Trial at Churchill Downs by a head over Total Departure (page 42).
MOTOR SPORTS—RICHARD PETTY, avoiding an 11-car crash at midrace that knocked nine drivers out of action, including pole-sitter Cale Yarborough, drove a Pontiac Grand Prix to victory in a 500-mile NASCAR event at Talladega, Ala. By averaging 153.936 miles per hour around the 2.66-mile Alabama International Motor Speedway oval, Petty beat second-place Benny Parsons, who drove a Buick Regal, by less than a car length.
Patrick Tambay, driving a turbocharged Ferrari, won the Grand Prix of San Marino in Imola, Italy by 48.78 seconds over Alain Prost, in a turbocharged Renault.
SOCCER—NASL: Seattle Goalkeeper Joe Corrigan got his second consecutive shutout as the Sounders beat winless Fort Lauderdale 2-0. In Tulsa, Laurie Abrahams' header at 73:08 gave the Roughnecks a 1-0 victory over Tampa Bay. The Cosmos defeated Montreal 6-0 before the 41,946 on hand in Giants Stadium for Franz Beckenbauer's return to the Cosmo lineup. In Vancouver, Alan Taylor scored the match-winning goal as the Whitecaps beat Toronto 2-1.
INDOOR SOCCER—MISL: San Diego took a 2-0 lead over Wichita in the best-of-five Western Division playoff final. The Sockers clipped the Wings 8-5 behind Kaz Deyna's four goals in Game 1 and then beat Wichita 5-2 in Game 2. In the Eastern Division finals, Petar Baralic scored three goals as Baltimore crushed Cleveland 10-5 to tie the series at one victory apiece. Craig Allen's goal with 19:60 left had given the Force a 7-6 victory over the Blast in Game 1.
TENNIS—JOHN McENROE defeated Ivan Lendl 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 to win the $300,000 WCT Finals in Dallas.
Yannick Noah of France defeated Henrik Sundstrom of Sweden 3-6, 6-0, 6-2, 6-4 to win a $265,000 Grand Prix tournament in Madrid.
MILEPOSTS—NAMED: As managing director of the Montreal Canadiens, SERGE SAVARD, 37, replacing Irving Grundman, who was fired April 13. In his 14 full seasons with Montreal as a defenseman (1967-81), Savard played on eight Stanley Cup champion teams. For the last two years he has been a starter with the Winnipeg Jets.
SOLD: By Los Angeles businessmen Sam Nassi and Frank Mariani, the INDIANA PACERS, to Indianapolis real estate developers Melvin and Herbert Simon. The Simons, who pledged to keep the Pacers, who had lost a reported $1.1 million this season, in Indianapolis, purchased the franchise for $7.5 million.
SUSPENDED: By NBA Commissioner Larry O'Brien, Atlanta Hawk Center WAYNE (Tree) ROLLINS, without pay for the first five games of the 1983-84 season, for biting Boston Celtic Guard Danny Ainge on the right hand during a fight in the third quarter of Game 3 of Boston's Eastern Conference quarterfinal victory over Atlanta on April 24. With the suspension and a fine of $5,000, Rollins stands to lose an estimated $30,000. Ainge, who received a tetanus shot and needed five stitches on his hand, was fined $1,000 in addition to the automatic $250 fine for being ejected from the game. Fourteen other members of the Hawks and Celtics were fined $150 each for leaving their benches when the fight erupted.
