4 Tuesday, April 26,1994 !*{*] i j mTTMi For Textbooks ®sheel\\ Comer of Malktte & Franklin • Next to Hardee’s 929-5228 B Parkins at the door! \ riendly Service ONo Lines , No Waiting 0 I Q Free Muncbies © Free blue books & answer sheets 0 I EXTENDED HOURS DURING FINAL EXAMS Monday-Friday 8-7 Saturday 9-5 Sunday 1-6 We Buy Back Books Year Round “Your Used Textbooks Headquarters. .. and more!” Summer’s Almost Here, So It’s Time for the NBA Playoffs BY ADAM DAVIS ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR It’s that time of year again: the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the flow ers are blooming. All that can only mean one thing—it’s time for the NBA playofis. Yes, though baseball players are affec tionately known as the “boys of summer,” the NBA season has become like those snakes people bum on the Fourth of July it just keeps getting longer. There are four new faces in this year’s postseason. Orlando, Miami, Golden State and Denver have replaced Charlotte, Bos ton, the L.A. Lakers and the L. A. Clippers. WESTERN CONFERENCE No. 1 Seattle (63-19) vs. No. 8 Denver (42-40): Beavis and Butt-Head’s definition of Seattle: It’s where everyone is cool. The NBA’s definition of Seattle: The team with the best record in the league (63- 19), which finished fifth in offense (105.9 points per game) and sixth in defense (96.9). I like the Nuggets, and I’ll be very happy if they win this series. I’ll also be very surprised. USA Today’s Danny Sheridan SPORTS favors the Supersonics to win the NBA title with 3-1 odds. Denver’s odds are 5,280-1, presumably a bad joke about the altitude of McNichols Arena. Seattle came up seven steals short of an NBA team record this season, which spells doom for the tumover-prone Nuggets. Denver is tough at home and may stretch the series, but it won’t win in Seattle, where the Sonics are 374. Seattle in 5. No. 2 Houston (58-24) vs. No. 7 Port land (47-35): Eleven years ago, Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexlerplayed together at Hous ton and reached the NCAA finals. Now, they face each other. Olajuwon is the man for the Rockets, averaging 27.3 points and 11.9 rebounds. The rest of his team exists mainly to pass him the ball, though forwards Robert Horry and Otis Thorpe have played well lately. Drexler is no longer Portland’s star center Cliffßobinson and point guard Rod Strickland have carried the team. But it’s Robinson's backup, Chris Dudley, who could be key in this series. Dudley couldn’t hit a lake from the dock. But he can play defense, and his uNjp Daily Star Bprf ability to slow down Olajuwon leads t 0... Portland in 4. No. 3 Phoenix (56-26) vs. No. 6 Golden State (50-32): This is the best matchup in the first round and maybe of the whole playofis. Both teams have won eight of their last 10 games,andPhoenixhaswon seven straight After learning last year that home-court advantage does not guarantee a title, the Suns put their regular season on auto-pilot until the last few weeks. Now, their key players are healthy, including Charles Barkley, who says this is his last season. While Phoenix was expected to con tend before the season, the Warriors looked more like hopefuls for General Hospital than for the postseason. But thanks to star rookie Chris Webber and all-star guard Latrell Sprewell, the Warriors overcame preseason injuries to Chris Mullin (healthy now) and Tim Hardaway and Sarunas Marciulionis (still hurt). Phoenix in 5. No. 4 San Antonio (55-27) vs. No. 5 Utah (53-29): These two teams are headed opposite ways. The Spurs have lost seven of then last lOwhile Utah won eight of its last 10. The Jazz are much improved since ac quiring Jeff Homacek from Philadelphia at mid-season, and they also won every matchup between these teams this season. Meanwhile, the Spurs have probable MVP and scoring champion David Robinson, rebounding champion and stu pidest hairdo champion Dennis Rodman —and not much else. Sunday versus the Clippers, Robinson poured in 71 points. Rodman was next with eight. Picking a winner in this series is like distinguishing between Jesse Helms and Lauch Faricloth, but I’ll take the team that doesn’t have Vinny Del Negro. Utah in 5. EASTERN CONFERENCE No. 1 Atlanta (57-25) vs. No. BMiami (42-20): The good news for Miami is that it beat Atlanta Thursday to clinch the final East ern Conference playoffbirth. The bad news is that game was in Miami, and Atlanta is nearly unbeatable at home. Despite one of the worst attendance records in the league, the Hawks went 36- sin The Omni it’s gotta be da building, Iguess. Plus, Atlanta center Kevin Willis is playing like he’s possessed right now. To make matters worse, the Heat has lost six of its last 10 games. The tempera ture is falling, falling... Atlanta in 3. No. 2New York(s7-25) vs. No. 7New Jersey (45-37): The Knicks tied for the best record in the East, but that wasn’t New Jersey’s fault. The Nets won four of the teams' five regu lar season meetings. Moreover, New York is without all-star shooting guard John Starks, who’s being replaced by Hubert Davis. And New York lost five of its last 10 while, across the Hudson, the Nets won seven of 10. Upset, right? Probably not. The Knicks have rediscovered their defense and outscored opponents by an average of 35 points in their last three games. And play off time is Pat Riley time. New York in 4. No. 3 Chicago (55-27) vs. No. 6Cleve land (47-35): Attention Cavalier fans. Yes, both of you: you’re team is in big trouble. It’s a familiar refrain on the shores of Lake Erie—have a good season, make the playoffs, play the Bulls and exit the play offs. This season should be no exception. Chicago is weakened by the absence of Michael Jordan (there’s news), but Cleve land is an absolute mess right now. Star center Brad Daugherty, reliable forward Larry Nance and sixth man John Battle are all injured. Chicago in 3. No. 4 Orlando (50-32) vs. No. 5 Indi ana (47-35): Last year, these teams tied for the last playoff spot, and Indiana won the battle but lost the war. The Pacers made the playoffs and were sent home by the Knicks. The Magic en tered the draft lottery and ended up with Rookie-of-the-Year candidate Anfemee Hardaway. Indiana drafted Scott Haskin. Orlando has center/actor/rapper Shaquille O'Neal, but Indiana is on fire. The Pacers have won eight in a row, and their 47 wins are a franchise record. If emerging star Rik Smits can contain Shaq, it’ll be... Indiana in 4. GENDERTACKS FROM PAGE 3 ton, D. C., said she joined the staffbecause she said it was something she had been looking for that the campus didn’t have. “One of the strongest things for me is the lack of recognition of the importance of gender in society as a whole," she said. “So many men and women are femi nists and don’t know it because there is such a stigma placed on what a feminist is.” The journal's intent is to attract writers not only of different viewpoints but also different races and backgrounds, said C. Scott Holmes, a contributor for the publi cation. “The paper as a whole looks at the label of feminism and different points ofview on who could be a feminist,” said Holmes, a senior from Oak Ridge, Tenn. Walsh said the editors were open to criticism and comments on the paper. “If people feel their viewpoints weren’t represented in our journal, then it’s up to them to come and write and make then views known,” she said. Gender Tacks was published this semes ter with the help of Student Congress funds but in the future will have to provide some of their own funding through advertising, Walsh said. Although the journal’s mailing address is at the Campus Y, the publication is not affiliated with any student group, but is a recognized organization. Copies are available in campus librar ies, the Campus Y and several stores on Franklin Street.

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