Jordan Under the Weather, and Stern Is Under the Gun

Michael Jordan missed the All-Star practice Saturday, suffering because of an upper respiratory illness and running a temperature of 101 degrees, the NBA announced. His availability for today’s game is unknown.

Jordan spent Friday golfing and gambling in Las Vegas, as usual, but missed the All-Star practice that he usually makes it back for. The game has been promoted chiefly around his appearance, which he has suggested may be his last.

“You know, he’s told us that he’s going to do everything possible to play tomorrow,” Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik said. “He’s been pretty good at living up to those commitments in the past.”

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In blunt language, Commissioner David Stern, who has taken over the role of final arbiter, suspending Latrell Sprewell and, for shorter periods, Allen Iverson and J.R. Rider, insisted he has the right and intends to keep doing it.

“I think the pressures to win are so intense,” said Stern at his annual All-Star press conference, “. . . think our teams have been less than stellar in doing things that would actually benefit the very players in question and their communitites. As a result, we have as a league, modestly--some would say maybe too gently--stepped in to assert the proposition that there has to be some accountability. It’s never well received, by the players, it’s often not well received by the team. I guess my power has, in fact, been challenged. . . .

“It’s something our teams and our players are on notice on--if they don’t do it, we’re going to do it. And if they don’t like it, they can change the [bargaining agreement], change the constitution or change the commissioner.”

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At a players’ union press conference, the group’s president, Patrick Ewing, suggested that in the event of a postseason lockout, players might retaliate by boycotting the world championships in August.

“Since he’s not a member of that team--I’m going to boycott it too and refuse to play,” Stern said.

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Keith Van Horn had 18 points and 10 rebounds and Zydrunas Ilgauskas got 18 points and seven rebounds en route to being named MVP as the East beat the West, 85-80, in the rookie all-star game played with two 15-minute halves.

Maurice Taylor of the Clippers started at power forward and finished with 12 points and six rebounds while playing 24 of the 30 minutes.

“We all had a lot of fun playing,” said Taylor, who followed Lorenzen Wright to become the second Clipper to play in the game in as many years. “It was just a great time. One of the best things I’ve ever experienced.”

At least he could say as much.

“It’s just the same old story,” said Danny Fortson of the 4-42 Denver Nuggets. “Coming off the bench and losing.”

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Kobe Bryant of the Lakers and Lisa Leslie of the Sparks finished last in the eight-team field in 2ball, a new competition that went over so well people may demand the return of the slam dunk contest, no matter how stale it had become.

The Houston entry of Clyde Drexler and former USC standout Cynthia Cooper won the inaugural event, designed largely to promote Women’s NBA, in which points were based on the distance and angle of shots. Drexler and Cooper announced that they were sharing the $25,000 prize with Cooper’s coach with the Comets, Van Chancellor, with each player getting $10,000.

Utah’s Tammi Reiss and Karl Malone finished second while employing a unique strategy. Malone stood out by the three-point line and fired away while Reiss chased the rebounds and took the closer shots.

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Jeff Hornacek of the Jazz beat Dallas’ Hubert Davis in the final round to win the three-point shootout and $20,000.