Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 2, 1993 TAG: 9305020108
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: BOSTON LENGTH: Medium
Johnson connected from the top of the key on the first shot of the second overtime with 4:49 left, and Charlotte evened the series 1-1 against the Boston Celtics with a 99-98 victory Saturday.
"This game shows we have character and what it takes to win," Charlotte's Muggsy Bogues said. "Now we know we can beat Boston."
The victory in the first playoff series in Charlotte's five-year history overshadowed a big day for Boston's Big Two.
Kevin McHale, expected to retire after the playoffs at age 35, had 30 points, his high for the past two seasons, and 10 rebounds. Robert Parish, at 39 the league's oldest player, had 19 points and 16 rebounds.
The next two games of the best-of-five series will be Monday and Wednesday nights at Charlotte.
"We got tired," said Johnson, who led the Hornets with 23 points, the last two giving them a 99-97 lead. "But we were saying, `If we're tired, they are, too.' "
"You can't make excuses," said McHale, who finished four points short of his career high for 167 playoff games. "You've got to give them credit for stopping us when they needed to."
It was McHale, though, who stopped himself when he missed the first of two free throws with 1:38 to play. It was Boston's only miss in 17 attempts.
"It wasn't a good shot," he said. "I shot it too quick. I didn't settle down and shoot it."
He hit the second shot, but Boston still trailed 99-98. It was the Celtics' only point of the second overtime.
The Celtics, who missed all six of their shots in the second overtime, lost another chance to go ahead when Dee Brown missed a jumper with 54 seconds remaining.
But Charlotte, which missed all seven of its shots after Johnson scored, missed its last two shots, by Johnson and Kendall Gill, and Boston called timeout with two seconds left. Rick Fox inbounded the ball from midcourt to Brown, but his 3-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the front of the rim.
Brown started in place of Reggie Lewis, who collapsed on the court during Thursday night's 112-101 Boston win in the opener. Lewis was sidelined Saturday, although extensive medical tests were negative. No decision was announced about his availability Monday night.
"I didn't try to do too much," said Brown, who made 1 of 8 shots after hitting 4 of 7 in the first half. "I took the same shots I've been getting all year. I didn't knock the two big ones down."
Alonzo Mourning, who fouled out with 3:06 left, and Gill had 18 points each for Charlotte. The Celtics outrebounded the Hornets 55-40 but made only 39 percent of their shots.
"We can't underestimate the Celtics," Mourning said. "We have to treat each possession like it's our last . . . especially because the Celtics are so experienced."
The score was 91-91 after regulation before Johnson's baseline drive gave Charlotte a 97-95 lead with 1:06 left in the first overtime. Dell Curry then missed a foul-line jumper that would have put the Hornets up by four points with 29 seconds to go, and Boston's Sherman Douglas rebounded.
McHale tied the score with a 7-footer from the right baseline with six seconds to play. The game went into a second overtime when Johnson missed a 14-footer at the buzzer.
"The guys gave it everything they had," Boston coach Chris Ford said. "We had a lot of good opportunities to score and there were a lot of great defensive stops."
Trailing 69-65 after three quarters, Boston tied the score 91-91 at the end of regulation behind 13 points by McHale.
After Charlotte went ahead 78-74 with 8:06 left, McHale scored the next 11 points for Boston as the Celtics took an 85-82 lead with 4:52 to play.
A jumper by Gill and two free throws by Mourning with 41 seconds left in regulation gave Charlotte the lead 91-89.
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB