NBA Roundup : It’s the King of Old as Bullets Win

Before his knee was shattered late in the 1984-85 season, almost ending his career, Bernard King was just about the best shooter in the National Basketball Assn.

Following delicate surgery, the 6-foot 7-inch forward missed an entire season and played only in the last 6 games in 1986-87.

The New York Knicks figured he would never make it all the way back and gave up on him.

King ended up being signed by the Washington Bullets, who desperately needed scoring.

Instead of being a scoring champion, which he was the season he shattered his knee, King has been just another player.

There are only occasional flashes of brilliance by the 32-year-old former Tennessee star.

With the Bullets playing a rare game in Baltimore Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, King reached back to his glory days.

King scored 10 of his 38 points in overtime as the Bullets, winning for the fourth time in the last 5 games, outlasted the Cavaliers, 122-117.

The Cavaliers, who have the best record in the league (31-9), were without center Brad Daugherty, sitting out a 1-game suspension because of an altercation with Detroit’s Bill Laimbeer Saturday night.

But they still would have won if they had been able to handle King.

In his best performance since the injury, King scored 38 points, had 9 rebounds and 5 assists.

He brought the Bullets back from a 20-point deficit and had them in front by 3 before Mark Price sank a 3-point shot with 11 seconds left in regulation to send it into overtime.

In the 5-minute extra session, King started driving to the basket and 8 of his points came on free throws.

The Cavaliers didn’t really have a problem until forward Larry Nance sprained an ankle in the second period. He never returned, but it didn’t seem to matter because the Cavaliers were cruising, 56-36.

Then, King rallied his mates. He scored 7 points in a minute and by halftime the lead was only 6.

It became 14 again in the third quarter before Jeff Malone (22 points) and King started shooting the lights out.

“Jeff and I are supposed to provide scoring,” King said. “In the clutch I like to see the ball.”

The win over the high-flying Cavaliers didn’t fool Bullets Coach Wes Unseld, whose team is 15-24.

“You didn’t really see the best team in the league today,” he said.

But there’s no doubt the Bullets could go on a roll if King regained his old form.

He had already been with three other teams before he found a home with the Knicks in 1982.

In the 1984 playoffs, King, with a supporting cast that included Bill Cartwright and Truck Robinson, gave the Boston Celtics, who went on to win the championship, a scare. The Celtics couldn’t stop King, but they finally won in 7 tough games.

The next season, he was averaging 32.9 points, good enough to win the scoring title, before going down with the injury.

It seems the Bullets make a game of it when King scores at least 20. And when he reaches 30 they usually win.

Detroit 122, Sacramento 97--Playing the lowly Kings at home, the Pistons didn’t miss Bill Laimbeer, suspended for a game.

Dennis Rodman scored 24 points at Auburn Hills, Mich. to lead the Pistons to their romp over the Kings, who are 3-19 on the road. The Pistons, smarting from a 1-point loss to Cleveland Saturday night, went in front early and quickly built a comfortable lead.

Laimbeer, upset because his consecutive games streak ended at 685 games, blamed Rod Thorn, vice president in charge of operations for the NBA.

“We all know deep down that the first time I defended myself, Rod Thorn would make an example of me,” Laimbeer said.

Boston 121, Miami 103--Without their ailing star, Larry Bird, the Celtics struggle against most teams. But the expansion Heat is not one of them.

With six players in double figures, led by Kevin McHale with 21, the Celtics took the lead early at Boston and breezed. They reached the halfway point of the season 20-21.

With a healthy Bird, the Celtics were 30-11 at the midpoint a year ago.

Seattle 112, Milwaukee 106--Dale Ellis scored 22 points, including 2 baskets in the final 1:06, and the SuperSonics survived 4-for-13 free-throw shooting in the fourth quarter to beat the Bucks at Seattle.

It was the Sonics’ 17th consecutive win at home. The Sonics, 19-3 at home, are 26-13 overall.

Derrick McKey scored 14 of his 23 points in the third quarter as Seattle outscored the Bucks, 40-27, for an 88-75 lead at the end of the period.