Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 24, 1995 TAG: 9505240082
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
SAN ANTONIO - David Robinson wasn't ready to celebrate Tuesday after winning the NBA's most valuable player award.
The San Antonio center said he was too busy focusing on the Spurs' playoff series against Houston and last year's MVP, Hakeem Olajuwon, in the Western Conference final.
``We're in the middle of this battle and it's going to be hard to celebrate anything right now,'' Robinson said. ``This is an incredible honor and I don't think it's going to sink into my head for some time.''
In a league where centers have re-emerged as the dominant players, 7-foot-1 Robinson was the most consistent. He led the Spurs to a league-best 62-20 record during the regular season, so his teammates felt the award was a foregone conclusion.
``If he wouldn't have won it, that would have been a big surprise,'' Sean Elliott said. ``The NBA would have had the legitimacy of Don King productions.''
Robinson, who averaged 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game, beat runner-up Shaquille O'Neal of Orlando by a wide margin. Robinson received 73 first-place votes and 901 points. O'Neal had 12 firsts and 605 points from a nationwide panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
Utah's Karl Malone was third, followed by New York's Patrick Ewing, Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon, Phoenix's Charles Barkley, Chicago's Scottie Pippen and Utah's John Stockton (Complete MVP voting in Scoreboard. B4)
Robinson said learning to deal with great expectations has helped him become a great player.
``Carrying the team is a whole lot different than coming out and just being good every night,'' Robinson said. ``Being able to withstand that kind of pressure night in and night out, and not only withstand it but excel under it, I think that's where I've been able to grow.''
Robinson ranked third in the NBA in scoring, fourth in blocks and seventh in rebounding. He also was 15th in steals (1.65 per game) and field-goal percentage (.530).
Robinson gained his nickname, ``The Admiral,'' from his days at the Naval Academy, but he said he didn't know how tough it would be to lead a team in the NBA when he joined the Spurs after his tour of duty with the Navy ended in 1989.
``When I first came into the league, I really didn't know how to play the way I play now,'' he said. ``Like I said, it's a big credit to the coaches who have taught me how to push myself harder and go out and do more things on the floor every night.''
Olajuwon congratulated Robinson and expressed no resentment at finishing fifth in the voting after a year that was, statistically at least, better than his MVP season.
``You see, I won all the awards last year, so I don't think it's the level of play,'' Olajuwon said. ``I think it's winning. They [the Spurs] had the best record in the league.''
Robinson said winning the MVP award was not one of his goals. At age 29, he thinks about the other MVPs who have led their teams to the NBA title.
``It's a pretty special list, just the guys I know,'' he said. ``I watched Moses Malone and Larry Bird and Magic [Johnson] and Michael [Jordan]. It's an unbelievable group of people.
``I'd like to really establish this San Antonio Spurs team as a championship team and really add my name to the list of players who have been able to take their teams to the top.''
by CNB