Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 21, 1994 TAG: 9404210075
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
Curry's eight points in a decisive 9-0 run allowed the Hornets to pull to 1 1/2 games behind the Miami Heat for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot with a 117-111 victory over the Washington Bullets on Wednesday night.
"I'm sorry we made you nervous, but I'm glad we pulled it out," the former Virginia Tech star told a group of Hornets fans after the game.
With Charlotte trailing 109-101 with 4 minutes, 10 seconds to play, Muggsy Bogues helped the Hornets pick up their defensive intensity.
"We were unfocused until that point," Curry said. "We were trying get our focus back. You try to think, `Don't panic. Don't try to get it all back at once.' Four minutes is a long time to make up eight points. We wanted to play good defense and force tough shots so we could get out and run."
The Hornets were behind 109-101 before a free throw by Alonzo Mourning, who had 25 points and 12 rebounds, started the comeback. Curry's 3-pointer made it 109-105 with 3:17 left, and he pulled Charlotte to 109-108 with another 3-point shot.
"It was a heart-stopper, I'll tell you that," said Allan Bristow, the Hornets' coach. "I thought we were pressing a bit too much. We called a timeout to insert Dell. What a phenomenal turnaround."
Bogues, who had 14 assists, then stole the ball from Brent Price and passed to Curry for a dunk, giving the Hornets a 110-109 lead with 2:40 to go.
Calbert Cheaney responded with a long jumper for Washington, but Larry Johnson and Hersey Hawkins made consecutive baskets to give Charlotte a 114-111 lead. Bogues iced the victory by hitting two free throws with 15 seconds left.
The Bullets took their first lead at 87-85 with 46 seconds remaining in the third quarter on a 17-foot jumper by Don MacLean.
Hawkins and Curry had 19 points apiece for Charlotte.
Tom Gugliotta scored 27 points, Michael Adams 16 and Gheorghe Muresan 15 for the Bullets.
"I wasn't pleased with the mental errors that we made in the last three minutes," said Wes Unseld, Washington's coach. "We didn't use the clock wisely. We are a young team, but we shouldn't be making these mistakes this late in the season."
A Charlotte loss in its last three games or a victory by the Heat in its last two will give the spot to Miami.
Miami plays at home against the Atlanta Hawks tonight and against the Pacers at Indiana on Saturday. Charlotte plays at Boston tonight, followed by a home game against the Detroit Pistons on Saturday before ending the season at Washington on Sunday.
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB