NBA Roundup : Don Nelson, Student of the Master, Exhorts Bucks to a 122-115 Victory

Don Nelson is an honor graduate of the Red Auerbach school of coaching. If he didn’t prove it before, he did Sunday at Milwaukee when the Bucks outlasted the stubborn Chicago Bulls, 122-115, to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.

Nelson was a player on some of the many Boston Celtic teams Auerbach directed to NBA championships. Obviously, he absorbed some of the master’s techniques.

Auerbach had an uncanny knack for coming up with some maneuver that would turn the momentum just when it seemed the opposition was about to assume command.

Midway through the third quarter Sunday the Bulls, playing aggressively, wiped out a six-point halftime deficit and forged in front. Here, Nelson put to use one of the lessons he learned. He threw a tantrum over a foul call against the Bucks, tearing off his jacket and storming up the sideline. Naturally, he was hit with a technical.

Maybe, it was just a coincidence, but the rest of the afternoon, every close call seemed to go in favor of the Bucks. With Terry Cummings scoring 16 of his 30 points and taking 6 of his 11 rebounds in the fourth quarter, the Bucks won going away.

In the first half the Bucks went to the free-throw line only eight times, while the Bulls shot 22 foul shots. In the second half the Bucks shot 36 free throws (making 31 of them), while Chicago shot 14. Most of the Bucks’ free throws came after Nelson’s demonstration.

The first half was a duel between Sidney Moncrief and Michael Jordan. Jordan won the battle, getting 21 points and 6 assists to 16 points and 4 assists for the Milwaukee veteran. But Jordan paid the price of the Bucks’ double-and-triple-teaming tactics and seemed to be worn out in the second half, scoring only nine points.

The Bucks led, 59-53, at intermission, largely because Paul Pressey, not noted for his scoring, made all six shots he took, two of them from outside.

Orlando Woolridge and David Greenwood led the Bulls’ surge that carried them in front, 70-68, in the third period and set up Nelson’s tantrum.

Going into the final period, though, Milwaukee’s lead was only 88-85. That’s when Cummings took charge.

The Bucks can wrap up the series Wednesday night at Chicago and Bull Coach Kevin Loughery didn’t seem optimistic about his chances. “We’re playing a fine team, a team that won 59 games and is well coached,” he said. “But, we’ve played two fine games and we’re down, 2-0. It’s demoralizing.”

Philadelphia 113, Washington 94--Andrew Toney is still limping a little on an ankle he sprained two weeks ago, but it didn’t affect him in this game at Philadelphia.

Toney, a disappointment most of the last two seasons, sank 13 out of 22 shots, mostly from long range, scored 31 points and made it easy for the 76ers to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

With Julius Erving and Bobby Jones also scoring, and Moses Malone and Charles Barkley taking charge under the basket, the Bullets didn’t really have much of a chance.

Washington only trailed by four at halftime, but the 76ers steadily pulled away for an easy victory.

Houston 122, Utah 96--After gaining an easy victory in the opener of their series with the Rockets, the Jazz were talking about a three-game sweep.

Instead, the Rockets, in the second game at Houston, shed their playoff jitters and overwhelmed the Jazz.

Ralph Sampson and Akeem Olajuwon dominated the boards and Lewis Lloyd triggered a devastating offense that built a 63-43 lead at halftime. Lloyd scored 16 of his 27 points in the first half.

In the opener Friday night, the Rockets made only 38% of their field goal attempts and Coach Bill Fitch blamed poor shooting by his guards.

But in evening the series at a game apiece, Lloyd hit 12 of 20 shots and Robert Reid came off the bench to make 6 of 9. The 47.6% shooting made it an easy victory.

“We’re not upset,” Jazz Coach Frank Layden said. “We came here expecting to lose two.”

Detroit 121, New Jersey 111--Just when it appeared the Nets would even the series at Detroit, Terry Tyler came off the bench to score 16 points in the fourth quarter and put the Nets on the brink of elimination.

Micheal Ray Richardson and Albert King led a third-quarter New Jersey surge that wiped out a five-point halftime deficit and sent the Nets ahead, 90-87.

Tyler, getting several easy baskets on fast break passes from Isiah Thomas, made a three-point play with 7:02 left to give the Pistons the lead for good, 95-94, then continued to make key points until the lead was built to 10.

Thomas scored 20 of his 29 in the first half, including a controversial half court three-pointer at the halftime buzzer that may have been launched after time ran out. He had 14 assists.