Tuesday, April 23, 2002
Stars are ailing for Magic-Hornets
The Associated Press
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jamal Mashburn and Tracy McGrady both felt good enough to stretch and shoot on Monday but Charlotte's leading scorer and Orlando's star player remain questionable for Game 2 of their Eastern Conference playoff series tonight.
“I'm still going to play, no way I don't, and I'm sure Mash is going to play,” McGrady said. “If you put on a uniform and step onto the court, it doesn't matter if you are 100 percent. How you feel doesn't make a difference. You have a job to do and you go out and do it.”
Mashburn left Game 1 on Saturday night after becoming ill during a first-quarter timeout. He was taken to a hospital and held overnight for treatment of a virus, then checked himself out late Sunday night.
The Hornets feel confident without Mashburn. After all, they won 80-79 in Game 1 even though their leading scorer at 21.5 points a game, didn't have a single point in the 10 minutes he played.
JAZZ-KINGS: Mike Bibby now has one game of playoff experience — or 173 fewer than John Stockton, his 40-year-old counterpart on the Utah Jazz.
Bibby thought that disparity was obvious from the opening moments of the Sacramento Kings' series-opening victory over the Jazz on Saturday, but he hopes he's learning quickly.
“I was nervous,” Bibby said. “When I came down and picked up my dribble one time and (Stockton) was on me, I knew I was going to throw it away, and I did.”
Bibby is at the end of his fourth NBA season, but he's truly learning the pro game for the first time as Sacramento prepares for Game 2 tonight.
Bibby knew the postseason was a different game, but he got his first taste of it against Stockton, who tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA record this season by making the playoffs for the 18th time.
Bibby had 20 points and six assists in the Kings' 89-86 victory, and also had a lively battle with Stockton, who had 10 points and 12 assists.
“He played a good game,” Stockton said. “He's a good point guard, a good all-around player. He fits well on that team and gives them a chance to play their game.”
PISTONS: Forward Jerome Williams was just one of the Toronto Raptors to express his disappointment in Detroit fans' booing of the Canadian national anthem.
Before Sunday's Game 1 of the first-round playoff series, the capacity crowd at the Palace of Auburn Hills booed “O Canada” from beginning to end.
“That was pretty sad. That was something I wouldn't have expected from a city like Detroit. It was disheartening,” Williams, a former Piston, said after Monday's practice. “It was a total lack of respect, and I was just disappointed we didn't get a win after.”
Added Raptors forward Keon Clark: “I'm American, but I think that was kind of childish. You should never disrespect anybody's national song. But that's people for you, that's the kind of world we live in nowadays.”
The Pistons beat the Raptors, a team comprised solely of Americans, 85-63. Game 2 is Wednesday at Auburn Hills.
ALBERT OUT: Marv Albert's recovery from injuries in a car accident is forcing him to miss two playoff games he was supposed to call for Turner Sports. Albert will skip tonight's Jazz-Kings game on TBS and Thursday's Trail Blazers-Lakers game on TNT. He'll be replaced by Mike Breen.
LAKERS: It's time for the Portland Trail Blazers to throw a counter-punch at the Los Angeles Lakers.
What remains to be seen is what they've got in reserve.
And whether whatever that might be will be enough to give them a chance against the two-time defending NBA champions, who took a 1-0 lead in the first-round series Sunday with a 95-87 victory.
“That was their best shot,” Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal said after practice Monday. “We played good enough to win, but we're not pleased at all with the way we played. We can play a whole lot better. We've just got to keep matching their intensity.”
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Stars are ailing for Magic-Hornets
