Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 4, 1993 TAG: 9305040229
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ED HARDIN LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
After the first-ever home playoff game for the Hornets, there suddenly is a very real possibility that the series will not go back to Boston. Charlotte can win the best-of-five series with a victory Wednesday night.
"We got embarrassed tonight," Boston coach Chris Ford said.
Curry and Larry Johnson combined for 56 points in the din of Charlotte Coliseum, stunning the favored Celtics with an emotional attack that left Boston depleted.
The Celtics' emotions were almost spent anyway in reaction to the news of leading scorer Reggie Lewis' heart problems. Lewis, who collapsed in Game 1 of the series, found out over the weekend that he has a heart condition that will jeopardize the rest of his NBA career.
Boston needed Lewis on Monday.
They could have used Larry Bird, too. Charlotte erupted in the second quarter behind Curry and scorched the Celtics before 23,698 in the Coliseum.
Curry, the former Virginia Tech star, was off his game when the series opened in Boston. His highly publicized cold streak in Game 1 left him dazed, and it left the Hornets in a one-game hole.
The 6-5 shooting guard shot only six times in Game 2. On Monday, Curry hit 12 of 17 shots, three from beyond the perimeter, and carried the Hornets to a one-game advantage.
"I guess this was one of those nights," Curry said. "Our defense was the key. We were just tenacious. It seemed like we were running up the court a lot. I was wide open all the time. All I had to do was put it in the hole."
Curry's shooting enabled Charlotte to run, something Boston wouldn't let the Hornets do in the first two games.
"We felt like we had nothing to lose going out and playing full-throttle basketball," Hornets coach Allan Bristow said. "We'll continue to do that."
After a quick start, the Celtics slowly came apart in the face of Curry's outside shooting and Johnson's pounding inside.
Boston came out hot, jumping to an 11-4 lead and taking the crowd out of the game. It didn't last. Hornets center Alonzo Mourning scored the next six points and the heavens seemed to open.
"Our crowd was great," Bristow said. "I don't think we got caught up in it, but it was loud. We approached it like, `Hey, this is our home, and we know our crowd can be as loud as any crowd any where.' "
Said Curry, "We knew it would be loud. We expected it."
He could not have expected his own performance, one that left the Celtics screaming at each other and shaking their heads.
Curry scored 14 in the second period, breaking down every defense Ford could devise. Dee Brown, Sherman Douglas, Rick Fox and Xavier McDaniel tried to stop Curry in the second quarter. All failed.
by CNB