Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 12, 1992 TAG: 9201120056
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: OAKLAND, CALIF. LENGTH: Medium
MARCIULIONIS A REAL WARRIOR OFF THE BENCH
Sarunas Marciulionis starts almost every game sitting down.From there, it's onward and upward for the Golden State Warriors' sixth man, whose 18-point average tops all NBA reserves.
"He's so explosive. He can come off the bench and get points quickly," said Warriors coach Don Nelson, himself a former sixth man for the Boston Celtics in the mid-1960s and '70s.
"Without any warm-up, he can step on the court and be dominant, just like that," Nelson said, snapping his fingers. "I think it helps him a little bit to watch the other players for a few minutes, and then he can go in and know where he can attack."
The 6-foot-5 Marciulionis, in his third season, is famous for his slashing inside drives.
If he's not going through traffic for a layup or pulling up for a short jumper, he's passing off to the open man.
"We have so many good outside shooters," Marciulionis said. "Part of my job is to drive and pass them the ball. I mean, Chris Mullin can go 10-for-10 from one spot, so why should he have to drive? I can do it and I like to do it. We're making each other better."
The emergence of Marciulionis as a playmaker and scorer was one reason the Warriors said they could trade Mitch Richmond to Sacramento on the first day of the season for the rights to rookie Billy Owens, now a starter.
As part of the Warriors' "Run TMC" last season, Richmond, Mullin and Tim Hardaway formed the highest scoring trio in the league with a combined average of 72.5 points per game.
This season, Mullin, Hardaway and Marciulionis lead the league with a combined average of 68.5 and the Warriors (21-8 through Thursday) are atop the Pacific Division.
"We understand each other on the floor," said Marciulionis, who plays about 30 minutes per game. "All the guys are positive."
Marciulionis, 27, a Lithuanian national who played on the Soviet Union's gold-medal team at Seoul in 1988, joined the Warriors in June 1989 after Soviet authorities gave him permission to sign with an NBA team.
He was received with fanfare as the first NBA player from the former Soviet Union, and his jersey and the game ball from his first regular-season game at Phoenix on Nov. 3, 1989, are on display at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
His first two seasons were not easy.
They coincided with Lithuania's fight, ultimately successful, to shake off Soviet rule, and Marciulionis' thoughts often would turn to friends and family in his homeland, where his parents remain.
He had to learn the English language and the American style of basketball, which was more physical and faster than the brand he encountered growing up in Europe.
"Beginnings are always hard," Marciulionis said.
Nelson harped on his mistakes mercilessly, and Marciulionis said he had to learn to deal with the coach's criticisms, which he credits with helping accelerate his development in the NBA.
Marciulionis hopes to put those lessons to work in the Olympic arena as well as in his native Lithuania.
He has become heavily involved in Lithuania's fledgling Olympic movement as a fund-raiser and Olympic hopeful. He and three other Lithuanians who starred on the Soviet Union's 1988 team are expected to form the nucleus of the Commonwealth of Independent States team's quest for a medal at the 1992 Summer Games.
Last summer, he made a trip to Lithuania and built a three-gymnasium basketball complex, a hotel and a sports bar to try to help the emerging free-market economy and provide youth with recreation.
"Basketball is my part, but it's more than sport. It's to keep the kids away from drugs, bad habits," Marciulionis said. "The parents, you know, they're having a hard time to educate them because they're having difficulty with everyday life, getting gas and food. Everything is tight because the economy is still tied to Russia.
"There are so many things that people need, and this winter is going to be real tough."