Pistons guard Joe Dumars spent the Eastern Conference finals trying to shadow Michael Jordan. Now in the championship series, he`s attempting to do the same to the Lakers` Magic Johnson. How does he compare them?
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”They`re two totally different players,” said Dumars, a member of the NBA all-defensive team. ”Magic is more ball control. Michael is more explosive. Magic is a point guard, but a lot of times he`s in the blocks down low. Michael is a point guard who plays like a (shooting) guard. I got worn out chasing Michael around. Magic is bigger and wears you down physically. So their games are different. But the results are the same.”
– This year`s final series will be carried in the Soviet Union, delayed on tape, and that was not lost on Pistons coach and omnipresent pitchman Chuck Daly. ”Only two teams left playing,” he said, ”and did you know there`ll be 50 million Russians watching us? Fifty million. Do you think they buy from Ford?” The Soviet Union, by the way, is but one of 70 countries carrying the finals. Italy, Spain and Brazil even have their own announcers attending the games.
– Speaking of Daly, Pistons players unfailingly credit him for their success, but that does not mean he escapes the needles they apply as relentlessly as their pressing defense. ”We call him Daddy Rich,” center John Salley noted. ”Before games, he`ll come up and say: `See this suit? I was going to get the tie that went with it, but I didn`t think the TV cameras would pick it up.` ”
– More slices from Salley, widely recognized as the Arsenio Hall of the NBA:
Of teammate Mark Aguirre, he says: ”We call Mark a lot of things
`cause his head`s so big. Man, it`s so big he has to go through a car wash to get it clean.”
Of teammate Bill Laimbeer, he says: ”We just call him Lamb. But he`s sensitive. Can`t talk about him.”
And of the pregame kissing ritual of Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson, he says: ”It`s nice for Isiah and Magic, but personally? The NBA starts kissing, Sal-Sal (his nickname) finds another job. I see Pearl Washington, I want to grab his fist and say, `Yo, blood, you been lifting weights?` Not, `Hey, Pearl, where`d you get that lip gloss.?` ”
– Insomnia struck Tuesday night after the Pistons` win in Game 1. Rick Mahorn, one of the Detroit trio that shackled James Worthy, stayed up until 3:30 Wednesday morning watching tapes of Worthy. After Mahorn finally fell asleep, his dreams were filled with an announcer yelling ”Wo-o-o-rthy.”
Tony Campbell, the Laker guard, beat him by an hour. Campbell, thrust into the spotlight by Byron Scott`s injury, was up until 4:30 a.m. studying the moves of Pistons guards Thomas and Vinnie Johnson.
– If history is any kind of guide, the Pistons are now a good bet to cop the NBA championship. Statistics show that the winner of the title series opener at home has gone on to win the series 24 of 31 times.
– To watch an NBA championship game in person, be prepared to pay. And pay and pay and pay.
Tickets on the average are being scalped for $200 to $300 each for the Detroit-Los Angeles games at the Palace. Those prices are expected to soar if the series returns to Detroit for games 6 and 7.
”The VIP seats there are going for $3,000 each,” said John Ciszewski, chief of ticket sales for the Palace.
One Auburn Hills suiteholder had offered to rent it for $8,000 for one night, Ciszewski said.
”We`ve had several inquiries from people who want to rent the suites, but we tell them they all are leased already,” he said. ”We just don`t want them scalping tickets on the property.”