DREW LIGHTS FIRE UNDER LAKERS : LAKERS 87, DALLAS 80.Byline: Gary Washburn Daily News Staff Writer Lakers assistant coach Larry Drew Larry Donnell Drew (born April 2 1958 in Kansas City, Missouri) is a retired American professional basketball player who was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the 1st round (17th overall) of the 1980 NBA Draft. hasn't played in the NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= in six years. However, his biggest assist might have been Sunday night Sunday Night, later named Michelob Presents Night Music, was an NBC late-night television show which aired for two seasons between 1988 and 1990 as a showcase for jazz and eclectic musical artists. . Trailing Dallas 14 points at the half, the Lakers were in the process of getting whipped by a conference also-ran for the second consecutive game. And Drew, who usually does his best work as an extra body during practice, tore into the team during a halftime speech. The Lakers, shocked by his remarks, responded to Drew's challenge with a dominating second half. And the Dallas Mavericks  The introduction of this article is too short.To comply with Wikipedia's lead section guidelines, it should be expanded. turned into the Washington Generals. The Mavericks gift-wrapped this one, scoring an NBA record-low two points in the third quarter as the Lakers gladly cruised to an 87-80 win in front of 17,364 at the Forum. The Lakers (51-24) drew to within a half game of Seattle atop the Pacific Division. The Mavericks were ahead 51-37 at halftime, shooting 48 percent and were dominating the short-handed Lakers, without Nick Van Exel Nickey (Nick) Maxwell Van Exel (born November 27 1971 in Kenosha, Wisconsin) is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA. Van Exel, a 6'1" left-handed point guard, was most well known for his flashy style of play and his ability to hit critical shots during who sat out with a sore knee. An innocent Lakers run turned into an avalanche of bad luck and terrible shooting by the Mavs, who missed all 15 shots in the quarter. Derek Harper's free throws with 1:51 left in the quarter was Dallas' offensive output in the first 12 minutes of the second half. ``I've never seen an exhibition of basketball like that in all my years in this league,'' first-year Mavericks coach Jim Cleamons James Mitchell (Jim) Cleamons (born September 13 1949 in Lincolnton, North Carolina) is a retired American professional basketball player and current assistant coach. He has been an assistant under head coach Phil Jackson with both the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers. said. Derek Fisher Derek Lamar Fisher (born August 9 1974 in Little Rock, Arkansas) is an American professional basketball player with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was with the Utah Jazz but asked to be released from his contract to care for his 10-month-old daughter, who has cancer. , starting in place of Van Exel, responded with a game-high 21 points, including seven in the Lakers' 27-2 third quarter run. After getting schooled by Harper in the first half, Fisher became the floor leader in the second half. In his own quiet demeanor, Fisher's leadership spurred the team. A dunk on 7-foot-6 Shawn Bradley Shawn Paul Bradley (born March 22 1972) is a retired American 7 ft. 6 in. (2.29 m) basketball player who played center for the Dallas Mavericks (NBA). Born in Landstuhl, West Germany, Bradley grew up in Castle Dale, Utah, in the United States and has dual citizenship. during the run, spurred the crowd. ``I just had to get out there and be more aggressive,'' Fisher said. ``We were down and coach Drew told us to play Laker basketball. The fans pay good money to see us play and a lack of effort is unacceptable.'' Aside from the injuries, there's reason for concern. The Lakers were pushed around for the second consecutive time by a team having no business even staying close. The Mavericks were blown out Saturday in Seattle yet set the tempo immediately, jumping out to a 22-11 lead. Harper, who admitted after the trading deadline that he'd rather be playing for a contender, burned Fisher for 14 points in an awful first half for the Lakers. However, the Mavericks topped the Lakers' futility with the worse quarter in league history. Dallas made 12 of its 32 shots in the second half and finished with 25 turnovers, 16 in the final two quarters. In the loss to the Spurs, the Lakers waited passively for San Antonio San Antonio (săn ăntō`nēō, əntōn`), city (1990 pop. 935,933), seat of Bexar co., S central Tex., at the source of the San Antonio River; inc. 1837. to buckle, which never happened. On Sunday, after Drew accused them of playing with no desire, they took the game to the overwhelmed Mavericks. ``I simply told it like it was,'' said Drew who denied he was a member of the 1987 Sacramento Kings team that trailed L.A. 40-4 in the second quarter. ``I watched how things were going and we weren't playing well at all. We were down big and everybody was asking what happened. I told them.'' Fisher and Sean Rooks Sean Lester Rooks (born September 9 1969 in New York City) is a retired American basketball player at the center position in the National Basketball Association. He attended the University of Arizona and was drafted in the second round of the 1992 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. (15 points, 11 rebounds) came through once again as the Lakers relied on a reserve to come though with quality minutes. ``Derek has played well enough to play more minutes than he has,'' Lakers coach Del Harris said. ``It's just that Nick has played so well. I think Derek will respond well to this assignment. He could start more games, but Nick has played a lot of minutes.'' Van Exel joined Travis Knight (sprained knee) and Elden Campbell (bruised right buttock but·tock n. 1. Either of the two rounded prominences on the human torso that are posterior to the hips and formed by the gluteal muscles and underlying structures. 2. buttocks The rear pelvic area of the human body. ) on the sideline in what is becoming a dilemma for Harris in trying to prepare for the playoffs. He'll have Shaquille O'Neal for maybe four games before the postseason, giving little time to mesh. ``If you remember, we didn't have much time to get things together two years ago and we did OK,'' Harris said. ``We're going to have to do that same thing this time. Right now, we're just trying to get through the regular season without any more injuries.'' Layups: Van Exel, will have his sore knee examined today to determine his status for Tuesday's game with Golden State. . . . Jerry West held a short press conference before the game to talk about the death of former Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke Jack Kent Cooke (25 October, 1912 – 6 April, 1997) was a Canadian-American entrepreneur who became one of the most widely-known executives in North American professional sports. . CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Dallas' Stevin Smith, left, gets tangled up with the Lakers' Derek Fisher as he goes up for a shot. A jump ball was called. Evan Yee / Daily News |
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