3B
SPORTS/The Charlotte Post
Thursday, May 1, 1997
Hornets’ best season laid to waste by injuries and lapses
Continued from IB
Mason, who expects to have
surgery on a sore toe in the off
season. “They came out and
played, and that’s all you can
ask.”
Charlotte’s defense couldn’t
handle New York’s rejuvenated
shooting touch, which stayed hot
throughout the series. The
Knicks sizzled from the floor
Monday, hitting 37-of-66 shots
(56.1 percent) compared to the
Hornets’ 38-of-86 (44.2 percent).
Whether it was Johnson slash
ing or hitting from the perimeter
or Patrick Ewing dominating in
the lane, the Knicks wouldn’t
miss in the clutch.
“New York played extremely
well, they shot the ball extreme
ly well,” Bogues said. “It’s diffi
cult to beat a team that shoots
that well.”
Charlotte’s shortcomings were
exposed by the Knicks, especial
ly its defense against New York’s
perimeter shooters. Mason ques
tioned Charlotte’s penchant for
the perimeter in the fourth quar
ter when the Knicks made their
final push.
“If you put your best foot for
ward and you lose, I can accept
that. I don’t think we did,” he
said. “I don’t think we did what
we were doing in the regular
season. “We looked different in
the playoffs, that’s just my opin
ion.”
Bogues, who scored a career
playoff-best 19 points on a bad
leg, didn’t make excuses. He was
hurt, but felt a responsibility to
play.
*1 went out there and gave it
my all. That’s all I could do,”
Bogues said. *1 knew the team
needed my leadership, needed
my presence. I wasn’t able to
pull these guys through.”
Knicks newest acquisitions look like champions in first round victory
Continued from IB
it and let somebody else shoot it.
This time he was open, he took
the shots, so it was a great win
for us.”
The Knicks, who lost the regu
lar season series 3-1, turned the
tables by exposing the cracks in
Charlotte’s “Hardball” style.
Defensively, New York clamped
down on the Hornets’ best offen
sive weapons, Anthony Mason
and Glen Rice, while the Knicks
shot the lights out.
“We’re playing a lot better,”
center Patrick Ewing said.
“We’re focused, but we stiU have
a long way to go. This is only one
round. We stiU have two or three
more rounds to go, so we’re
focused and we’re going to get
the job done.”
Although New York was ahead
2-0 going into Monday’s game,
the Knicks knew Charlotte’s
injury-depleted troops and loud
home crowd wouldn’t go without
a fight. That - and a potential
date with the Miami Heat and
former coach Pat Rfley — was all
the incentive they needed to go
for the sweep.
“We didn’t want to come back,”
Childs said. “We wanted to get
back and rest and enjoy it for a
day and get back focused. We
knew a lot of people didn’t think
we could do it. We took that per
sonal. We wanted to come out
and prove not only to ourselves
but to everybody else that we’re
for real.”
Johnson, who refused to talk to
the media during the Charlotte
series, let his play do aU the talk
ing. His three-point basket with
44 seconds left in the game
clinched the sweep and almost
touched off a one-man celebra
tion. Childs cautioned him that
there’s a long way to go.
“I cut him off when he hit that
three,” Childs said. “He was get
ting ready to get into one of
those poses and I gave him one
of those (Dikembe) Mutombo
shakes” of the index finger.
“We’re not going to do that until
we win a championship.”
Carruth impressive in debut
Continued from 1B
After three days of practice,
Carruth said he isn’t intimidat
ed by the size and speed of pro
fessional football. Coming from a
successful program in one of the
most competitive college leagues
in America, he said, is good
preparation for the NFL.
Besides, everyone has to start off
as a rookie.
“The Big 12 is one of the best
football conferences in the
nation, so competition and size
isn’t ready a factor,” he said. “A.
lot of these guys were in college
themselves two or three years
ago themselves, so 1 don’t think
that’s really a challenge.”
Carruth’s goal headed into the
next minicamp in June is sim
ple: pick up the nuances of
Carolina’s offense and person
nel. After aU, this is his first fiiU-
time job, so there’s much to he
done.
‘1 guess I’m just supposed to
learn the offense, get settled in,
get more familiar with a lot of
the guys,” he said.
Barrow sees differences in camps
Continued from 1B
inside Knebackers to make big
plays, but Barrow’s excited
about working with linebackers
coach Kevin Steele, who is
putting more emphasis on how
to read offenses.
“The coaches are really coach
ing,,! bsyen’t had. a ?o,ach teach
me technique since 1 was in high.
school,” Barrow said. “On the
professional and even on the col- s
legiate level at Miami, it was
just ‘Get to the ball, I don’t care
how you get there, just get
there.’ Coach Steele, he’s really
installed the technique side of
me that I never had.”
'That emphasis on technique is
the most difficult transition from
Houston to Carolina, Barrow
said. The terminology is differ
ent, which requires some extra
studying, but the formations and
responsibilities are similar.
“The hardest part I’m having is
technique-wise,” he said. “As far
as learning the defense, all I
have to do is change the name of
what Houston calls a certain
packagb'tb what Carolina calls a
certain package. I’m able to
identify things that they’re doing
here that we did in Houston.”
Barrow, who represents
Carolina’s most prominent free
agent signing, said he looks for
ward to expanding his role as
part of one of the league’s top
defenses. Helping the Panthers
get to the Super Bowl and mov
ing into the upper echelon of
NFL linebackers are among his
goals. Everything is in place to
make both happen, and
Barrow’s excited about the possi
bilities.
‘1 feel like I’m going to be
pushed to (the best oD my ability
and even more, and they’re
going to get the most out of me,”
' he said. “I still have a lot of grow
ing to do, as a player and as a
person.
“Hopefully by the time the sea
son starts. I’ll be ready to go.
With practice and working with
the linebacker coach. I’ll be able
to work the kinks out, learn new
things that are going to help me
get to the ball, make plays and
get better.”
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