Wife Says Adubato Starts on Dream Team

Coach Richie Adubato of the Dallas Mavericks was recently married, and his bride said she had no complaints about her new mate--when he’s awake, that is.

“He dreams about sports every night, most of the time basketball and sometimes baseball,” Carol Adubato said.

“One night, I woke up and he was palming my head. I swear this is the truth. I woke him up and asked what he was dreaming about, and he said he was going in for a slam dunk. He was using my head for the basketball!

“He had to be dreaming, though, because he is too short to dunk.”

No fear: If the Houston Rockets make it to the playoffs, they probably would meet the Lakers in the first round. That doesn’t scare Sleepy Floyd.

“They play up-tempo, which we like,” he said. “But the big thing is L.A. doesn’t have a center who can match up with Akeem (Olajuwon).”

Note: In the past 10 years, the Lakers have failed to reach the NBA finals only twice. Both times they were knocked out by Houston.

Trivia time: What do Pro Football Hall of Fame members Y.A. Tittle, Ray Nitschke and Tom Fears have in common?

Would-you-believe-it dept.: Guess who has played the most minutes in the NBA this season.

Answer: Reggie Miller of Indiana is averaging a little more than 39 minutes a game.

Guess who has a chance to become the only player besides Rick Barry to shoot 90% or better from the free-throw line for three consecutive years.

Answer: Jack Sikma of Milwaukee. He is shooting .899.

Add Miller: From Jan Hubbard of Newsday: “After Miller scored 44 points against Michael Jordan in a Pacer victory over the Bulls earlier this season, he said the matchup of the ‘90s would be Air (Jordan) against Hollywood (Miller).

“Recently, the Bulls defeated the Pacers, and Jordan wore Miller out, outscoring him, 45-30. ‘Reggie’s from L.A., so he talks a lot,’ Jordan said. ‘I let my game do my talking. We decided to go at Reggie and make him play a little defense.’ ”

Party pooper: George Foreman on Buster Douglas: “The fella is a bore. He could be at a party and nobody would know he’s there. He’s a nice guy, but nice guys are only good at home. His poster would put people to sleep.”

Add Douglas: Trainer Angelo Dundee told Shirley Povich of the Washington Post: “I knew his father, Billy Douglas, and I worked his corner, and believe me he was a knocker-out. He never made it to the light-heavy title, but he was a killer.”

Looking back: First baseman Mike Marshall of the New York Mets, asked about his days as a Dodger, told Joe Gergen of Newsday: “I don’t complain, do things like that. But I don’t think I ever got my due. I protected Pedro Guerrero, then I batted behind Kirk Gibson, then Eddie Murray. And the only thing I got attention for was the games I missed with my back.”

Add Guerrero: A wire-service report said he would be late reporting to the St. Louis Cardinals. That hardly comes under the heading of news. Reporters at Dodgertown annually had a pool on how late he would report.

Trivia answer: They are all bald.

Quotebook: Herb Brooks, former Olympic and National Hockey League coach: “Coaching is like being a king--it prepares you for nothing.”