Two Game Fives in NBA playoffs
BOSTON, May 3 (UPI) -- Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle and San Antonio will all be playing to stay alive in the NBA playoffs Friday night when they square off in Game Fives in their respective series.
The defending Eastern Conference champion 76ers are hoping that Allen Iverson, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player and two-time defending scoring champion, has the same kind of performance he had at the end of Game Four, when he was brilliant, scoring the Sixers' final eight points in a 83-81 win.
Star forwards Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker will try to get the third-seeded Celtics into the second round for the first time since 1992.
The sixth-seeded 76ers made it to the NBA Finals last season before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers. They have won five straight first-round series, although they missed the playoffs from 1992-98.
These two old and bitter rivals are meeting in the playoffs for the first time since 1985, but they have made the wait worth the while by playing four tense and hotly-contested contests.
Tip off is slated for 7 p.m. Eastern time.
Meanwhile, possibly the most compelling story of the many superstars playing Friday night could be in San Antonio, where Tim Duncan is expected to return to the Spurs four days after his the death of his father.
Duncan, an MVP candidate and member of five consecutive All-NBA First Teams, missed Wednesday's 91-79 shellacking in Seattle that evened this Western Conference first-round series at two games apiece, but he should get tons of support from the fans at the Alamodome.
So should teammate David Robinson, star center who has been sidelined three games with a bad back but is expected to return in time for Game Five.
The Spurs have made it to two of the last three Western Conference final series, winning the NBA title in the lockout-abbreviated season of 1998-99 and losing to the Lakers in the conference finals in 2000-01.
By comparison, the SuperSonics are trying to win a series for the first time since 1998. If they are going to do it on the Spurs' home court, they'll need a huge effort from their
superstar, point guard Gary Payton, who guided the team to the NBA Finals in 1996.
The game is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Eastern time.
Carolina-Montreal series gets underway
RALEIGH, N.C., May 3 (UPI) -- The Montreal Canadiens, who are in sync, having added the triumphant return of their captain and the emotion of a crushing check on one of their best players, and the Carolina Hurricanes, who are somewhat new to the postseason, play in Game One of their NHL Eastern Conference semifinal series Friday night at the Raleigh Entertainment & Sports Arena.
The Canadiens still are riding the return of captain Saku Koivu, who fought abdominal cancer before providing the team with a spark during the final week of the regular season.
Koivu was more than just an emotional presence in the first round as eighth-seeded Montreal bounced the top-seeded Boston Bruins in six games.
The Canadiens got all the motivation they needed when Bruins defenseman Kyle McLaren nailed right wing Richard Zednik with a vicious forearm, resulting in facial injuries and a concussion.
Montreal is expected to be without Zednik for the series, but will have Jose Theodore, who has developed into one of the best goalies in the league and is a finalist for the Hart Trophy.
Theodore backstopped the Habs to just their second series win since 1993.
With the leadership of ageless captain Ron Francis and surprising goaltending by Kevin Weekes, the third-seeded Hurricanes eliminated the two-time defending Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Devils in six games.
Playoff hockey is relatively new to the Raleigh crowd, which is bred to watch college basketball but will witness the franchise's second-ever second-round series.
It will be the sixth series between the franchises. The Canadiens won each of the first five (1980, '86, '88, '89, '92), when the Hurricanes were located in Hartford.
Ducks elevate Murray to GM
ANAHEIM, Calif., May 3 (UPI) -- The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim have announced that that the club has elevated Bryan Murray to Senior Vice President and General Manager.
Murray, the head coach for the Ducks this season, will begin looking for a new head coach immediately.
"We are very fortunate to have someone such as Bryan, who has had great success and experience in the National Hockey League," said Paul Pressler, Chairman of Walt Disney's Parks and Resorts Division, which Anaheim Sports is a part. "We are extremely confident his leadership skills and winning background will help us achieve our ultimate goal of a Stanley Cup championship."
Murray was named the fifth head coach of the Mighty Ducks on May 25, 2001. He served as Vice President and General Manager of the Florida Panthers from 1994-2001, also assuming head coaching duties with Florida during the 1997-98 season. He joined the Panthers on Aug. 1, 1994, and assembled a team that went to the Stanley Cup Finals in just their third year of existence.
For his efforts, he was named the The Sporting News 1996 NHL Executive of the Year.
Prior to joining the Panthers, Murray was the general manager of the Detroit Red Wings from 1990-94, also taking on head coaching duties for the first three seasons (1990-93).
Inheriting a team that had a record of 28-34-14 the previous season (1989-90), Murray led the Red Wings to a record of 170-121-37 in his four seasons as general manager, qualifying for the playoffs each year. He drafted or coached such players as Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov, Nicklas Lidstrom, Chris Osgood and Darren McCarty.
Buddha out of Kentucky Derby
LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 3 (UPI) -- Buddha, the winner of the Wood Memorial and one of the favorites to claim the Kentucky Derby, will not run in the first jewel of the Triple Crown Saturday because of a foot injury.
Trainer H. James Bond announced Friday morning that the son of Unbridled's Song would not run at Churchill Downs. Buddha and Came Home were 5-1 co-second choices behind morning-line favorite Harlan's Holiday.
"The horse came out of his stall this morning right before 5 a.m. and he was off in his left front leg," said Bond, who has never had a horse in the Derby. "Our preliminary looks show more of a foot, possibly a bruised foot right now."
Owned by Gary and May West, Buddha is undefeated in three races this year and has won three of four lifetime starts with earnings of $489,600.
Jockey Pat Day, who was slated to ride Buddha, will be out of the Derby for the first time since 1983.
Dudley returning to Alabama
TUSCALOOSA, Al., May 3 (UPI) -- Erwin Dudley, the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year this past season, has decided to remain at the school for his senior campaign.
Dudley, the 6-8, 260 pound junior forward, announced his decision late Thursday.
"As I have stated previously, I will remain at the University of Alabama to play my senior season in 2002-03," said the Uniontown, Al., native, who has led the SEC in rebounding the past two seasons and was the Coaches SEC Player of the Year in 2002. "If everything continues to go well, it looks like I'll graduate in May 2003. That's something that's very important to me and to my family. This team and this basketball program are special. We reached our goal of winning the SEC Championship, and we also made it to the NCAA tournament this season. But we want to take it all a step further next season. I want to be a part of all that to help make it happen. Hopefully, I'll have one of those dream kind of senior seasons where you go out and do big things on the court and then a few months later come back to Coleman Coliseum one last time to walk across the stage to get my diploma."
His goals are good news to Alabama Coach Mark Gottfried, whose team won the 2002 SEC regular season championship, advanced to the league tournament championship game, went two rounds in the NCAA tournament, and won the second-most number of games in a single season in school history with its 27-8 record. That team will return four starters for next winter.
"Obviously, we are delighted," said Gottfried.
"It's a mature decision by a young man who wants to graduate and who should be considered a pre-season national Player of the Year candidate."
Dudley will go into his senior season ranking 17th all-time in scoring at Alabama with 1,346 career points. If he continues his current pace of at least 500 points a year, as he has done the last two seasons, he should finish among the top five all-time at Alabama, company that includes Reggie King (2,168), Eddie Phillips (1,937), Leon Douglas (1,909), Buck Johnson (1,869) and Jerry Harper (1,861).
Dudley already ranks ninth all-time at Alabama in rebounding with 908 in 100 career games (9.1 rpg). His pace should place him among that all-time top five as well.
Earlier this week, the Crimson Tide lost junior guard Rod Grizzard, who decided to forego his senior season to enter this year's draft.
