NBA FINALS NOTEBOOK : NBC'S VECSEY WON'T TOY WITH HIS CRITICS.

Byline: Daily News Staff and Wire Services

Peter Vecsey was charged Friday with fourth-degree assault in an attack on a man who reportedly called the NBC basketball analyst ``an idiot'' at a suburban toy store.

The charge was filed in Lynnwood District Court a day after Vecsey and another man were sued by Derek and Tracey Nephew for unspecified damages in Snohomish County Superior Court.

The second man, identified only as ``John Doe 1'' in the suit, also may be charged with assault, said Mike Jacobs, Lynnwood city attorney. The man lives in the area and has no apparent connection with NBC, Jacobs added.

Fourth-degree assault is a gross misdemeanor punishable by a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $5,000 fine. For someone without prior convictions, an estimate of a penalty on conviction would be 2-7 days in jail and a fine of a few hundred dollars, Jacobs said.

Vecsey, in Seattle for the NBA Finals, has 20 days in which to respond to the suit after being served with a copy of the document.

``I'd love to say something but I can't,'' Vecsey told a reporter at Seattle's Key Arena before the start of Friday night's Chicago-Seattle game. Besides working for NBC, he writes an NBA column for the New York Post.

Both cases stem from an episode Tuesday at the Toys R Us store in Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood, a suburb between Seattle and Everett.

A police report and the lawsuit gave the following account:

Derek Nephew told police that his wife recognized Vecsey as the couple shopped Tuesday at Toys R Us. Nephew told his wife he didn't believe her and added, ``And besides, Peter Vecsey is an idiot.''

Vecsey, who was with two other men, heard the comment and the two got into an argument, a police report said. Nephew then said he thought some of Vecsey's comments on the air were ``kind of stupid.''

When Vecsey told him to leave the store, Nephew said he was shopping and wasn't going to leave. Vecsey then said, ``I'm not going to hit you, but my friends will,'' Nephew told police.

Nephew said he tried to walk away, but one of the men with Vecsey grabbed him and hit him, and Vecsey joined in.

Earth to Scottie: Where is Scottie Pippen?

Michael Jordan, as expected, excelled Friday night in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. But Pippen, his star sidekick who some feel is the league's second-best all-around player, remained a no-show for the Bulls.

``Scottie didn't find the rhythm with his shot again tonight,'' Bulls coach Phil Jackson said Friday night after Chicago lost 89-78 to the Sonics. ``We kept encouraging him to shoot. He has to shoot for us to play well.''

But Pippen is shooting poorly - 33 percent in the Finals - and the Bulls are playing poorly, too.

After victories in the first three games of the best-of-seven series, the Bulls now must win one of two games in Chicago to capture their fourth NBA title in six years.

Pippen scored only 14 points on 5-of-20 shooting from the floor Friday, and had his second consecutive 1-for-8 night from three-point range. The outing gives credence to those who feel Pippen is not a good pressure performer.

The tag, Jordan said, is an unfair one.

``I don't think you can single out Scottie,'' said Jordan, who had 28 points on 11-for-22 shooting while the rest of the team shot 33 percent. ``He hasn't really played well for us. But I wouldn't particularly point to Scottie. He's playing with a lot of injuries. Some of us are healthy and we're not taking up his slack. He's doing what he can.''

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: Seattle coach George Karl greets his father, JosephKarl, before Friday's game. It's the first time in years his ailing father has been to a Sonics game.

Associated Press