Notes on a Scorecard - May 31, 1995

Despite the elimination of Michael Jordan and Jake O’Donnell, the NBA playoffs are moving along quite nicely. . . .

The three-point shot is responsible for a large number of the exciting finishes. . . .

It amazes me that so many attempts by sharpshooters from beyond the line are uncontested. . . .

However, it was an old-fashioned two-point shot by Rik Smits that gave Indiana its victory over Orlando on Memorial Day after three-point shots by the Magic’s Brian Shaw, the Pacers’ Reggie Miller and the Magic’s Anfernee Hardaway in the final, wild and crazy 13 seconds. . . .

Some critics believe the NBA overreacted when it failed to give veteran referee O’Donnell any more playoff assignments after his unwarranted ejection of Clyde Drexler early in the second quarter of Game 1 of the Houston-Phoenix series. But it was about time that a sports league disciplined an official for poor performance. . . .

People pay big money and turn on their TV sets to see stars such as Drexler, not officials such as O’Donnell. . . .

The importance of the regular season to the Houston Rockets was that they got the road-court advantage in the playoffs. . . .

Oddity: Indiana and Orlando each was eight for 21 on three-point shots Monday. . . .

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If Mike Tyson can regain his No. 1 heavyweight ranking by the World Boxing Council after three years in prison, the Women’s Tennis Assn. should be able to figure out a way to give Monica Seles a high ranking if and when she returns to the tour after her absence caused by the physical and mental effects of a stab wound. . . .

Ham Johnson, father and manager of outstanding flyweight Mark Johnson, has joined George Foreman in supporting the use of headgear in professional fights. . . .

HBO’s exceptional Sonny Liston profile deserves the encore showings it’s getting. . . .

From one angle, Muhammad Ali’s punch that knocked out Liston in the first round of their rematch in 1965 looks more potent than I remembered it. However, Ali was no one-punch knockout artist, and Liston should have been able to survive that right hand. . . .

Liston was known as the Bear, but, at 6 feet 1 and about 215 pounds, would not have been large for a heavyweight today. . . .

There will be about $1 million in the winners’ pot of the Pick Six pool at Hollywood Park today after two carryovers totaling $441,646. . . .

The track’s record payoff for a single winning ticket since the introduction of the wager in 1980 is $761,627. . . .

What hours the horseplayers must have put in studying on their off-day Tuesday. . . .

You would think that the NHL would be able to move up the start of its conference championship series instead of leaving the spotlight wide open to the NBA most of this week. . . .

Philadelphia is favored over New Jersey for the Eastern Conference title and Detroit over Chicago for the Western, but the underdogs must be given decent chances because of the goaltending of the Devils’ Martin Brodeur and the Blackhawks’ Ed Belfour. . . .

The Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated in the conference semifinals despite having three of the top four scorers in the playoffs--Ron Francis, Jaromir Jagr and Larry Murphy. . . .

UCLA’s softball title was the 72nd NCAA championship for the Bruins, moving them within one of all-time leader USC. . . .

The Bruins are expected to contend for titles in men’s and women’s track and field this week at Knoxville, Tenn., and USC will begin its quest for the College World Series championship at Omaha. . . .

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Fans and players would be much better off if early-round matches in the men’s division of the French Open were best-of-three sets instead of best-of-five. It’s exhausting just watching those long rallies on the clay at Roland Garros. . . .

New York sources say the Yankees indeed are serious about signing Darryl Strawberry and Doc Gooden. After all, George Steinbrenner isn’t getting the attention he thought he would this season. . . .

Syracuse’s victory over Maryland for the NCAA lacrosse championship, watched by 26,229 at College Park, Md., on Memorial Day, outdrew seven of 13 major league baseball games. . . .

It took the Florida Marlins and Houston Astros 3 hours 55 minutes to play 8 1/2 innings Monday. . . .

What were the chances that the Angels would become the first American League team to reach 20 victories? . . .

The Dodgers have had nearly as many lineup changes this year as the O.J. Simpson trial jury.