WILKENS LOW KEY OVER MILESTONE

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, April 17, 1993                   TAG: 9304170182
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHFIELD, OHIO                                LENGTH: Short
WILKENS LOW KEY OVER MILESTONE
Ask Lenny Wilkens about his latest coaching milestone, and you're likely to get a graceful, low-key response that reveals much about the second-winningest coach in NBA history.
"I'm pleased," Wilkens will say. "It's an achievement."
Don't expect much more than that - not while Wilkens and the Cleveland Cavaliers believe they can make a run at a championship.
When the Cavaliers won 108-93 Thursday night in Milwaukee, it was Wilkens' 864th victory in 20 seasons of NBA coaching, tying him with Jack Ramsay for second place on the all-time list.
Next up: Red Auerbach, who went 938-479 in 20 years with the Boston Celtics. Assuming the Cavaliers remain healthy, the 55-year-old Wilkens (864-748 going into Friday night's game against Orlando) should surpass Auerbach's victory total two seasons from now.
Wilkens, a nine-time All-Star as a player, got an early start on his coaching career when Seattle made him a player-coach in 1969. He won his only NBA title as Seattle's coach in 1979, but his two best regular seasons have come in Cleveland, where his teams won 57 games in 1988-89 and again last season. His Cavaliers this year will win at least 50 games for the third time in the past five seasons.
Keywords:
BASKETBALL

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB