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

DATE: THURSDAY, May 6, 1993                   TAG: 9305060221
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: ED HARDIN LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C.                                LENGTH: Medium

HORNETS' LAST SHOT A BIG ONE

Alonzo Mourning brought Charlotte back from dreamland and saved the Hornets from a nightmarish loss Wednesday night. His desperation jumper with less than a second to play gave Charlotte a 104-103 victory over the Boston Celtics in the fourth and deciding game of the Eastern Conference NBA playoff series.

Mourning took an inbounds pass from Dell Curry with three seconds to play, stutter-stepped, then sank the jump shot of his life - a 15-footer from left of the circle that hit the back of the rim and went in.

"Nothing but net," Mourning said.

Mourning, who scored 33 points, then collapsed at halfcourt as a wild celebration erupted on the floor. Meanwhile, officials added .4 seconds on the clock, shifting the crowd's - and the players' - wildly fluctuating emotions for one final, dramatic play.

The Celtics tried a play they used earlier in the playoffs, an alley-oop to Dee Brown. Brown took the midcourt pass from Kevin McHale above the rim along with Charlotte's Larry Johnson and Kendall Gill. The ball fell away - possibly, TV replays indicated, because of goaltending - and Charlotte had survived.

"It was definitely goaltending," Brown said.

Said Gill, "It was a great play by two great players."

Boston coach Chris Ford said: "It just didn't go. End of story."

The dramatic loss marked the end of Kevin McHale's 13-year career. One of three remaining players from the Celtics' championship teams of the 1980s, McHale was reduced to a reserve role in his 71 games this year. He finished with 19 points and six rebounds.

The Hornets wasted a 19-point lead with one of the worst fourth quarters of the year. Boston methodically wore down Charlotte and took the lead with 42 seconds to play.

"We never thought it was over," Charlotte coach Allan Bristow said.

Boston made a 26-9 run over the final eight minutes and led 103-102 on Sherman Douglas' shot.

Charlotte then called its last timeout to draw a play for Johnson, who would go one-on-one down the lane. He missed the shot, but the ball went out of bounds off a Celtic with 3.3 seconds left.

The Hornets called a play for Curry, but he was double-teamed. The ball went to Mourning, who hesitated before firing the winning shot.

Keywords:
BASKETBALL

by CNB