DETERMINED: Hobbled Bogues shows his mettle, can't save Hornets

Tuesday, April 29, 1997

By Joe Menzer

JOURNAL REPORTER

CHARLOTTE

Muggsy Bogues told his Charlotte Hornets teammates yesterday morning that he would be there for them when Game Three of their first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks started later in the day.

He was.

He just wasn't the same Muggsy Bogues that he was during the regular season -- or more precisely, he wasn't the same point guard he was in previous seasons.

Bogues was bothered badly by a strained right hamstring muscle that cut his night short during the first game of the series in New York. The injury forced him to be a spectator in street clothes for Game Two.

But he did play last night -- 38 minutes in all. It was a determined effort in a losing cause. Bogues scored a playoff career-high 19 points, hitting 3 of 4 from 3-point range, but the Hornets lost 104-95 as the Knicks completed a 3-0 sweep in front of 24,042 at the Charlotte Coliseum.

''Muggsy was courageous,'' Coach Dave Cowens of the Hornets said.

Dell Curry, Bogues' close friend, marveled at the number of minutes the 5-3 point guard was able to play.

''I was surprised he was able to go as long as he did,'' Curry said. ''It takes a big heart to go out and play as hard as he did as long as he did. That's Mugs. He gave it all he had; but our team effort just wasn't enough.''

Bogues said that Curry's assessment that he was ''nowhere near 100 percent'' was accurate.

''Even though the shot was going, I couldn't get the extension in the leg like I wanted to,'' Bogues said. ''I would try to finish a shot sometimes and just couldn't, but where it really showed was in how I wasn't able to penetrate into the cracks of their defense.

''I just didn't have that explosive first step when I needed it. I just didn't feel like my timing was right, like my passing was there. But I guess I felt like that most of the season.''

It showed in that Bogues was limited in his ability to create shots for others. He had only three assists -- compared with four turnovers -- against the Knicks last night. But by merely suiting up, he again silenced his detractors, which was nothing new.

Bogues played in only six games last season after undergoing surgery on his left knee in August 1995. He was 32, and many thought that his career might be over. Owner George Shinn asked him to consider retirement.

But Bogues overcame frequent soreness to the knee to appear in 65 games this regular season, averaging eight points and 7.2 assists but supplying the Hornets with much more in terms of the intangibles. He tried to do that again by playing when it appeared he wouldn't be able to last night.

''I thought they needed my leadership, needed my presence,'' said Bogues, who arrived at the arena 90 minutes earlier than usual to receive extended treatment on the hamstring. ''I wanted to pull these guys through.''

He wanted to pull them through at least until Thursday, when the fourth game of the series was scheduled. Instead, an otherwise and somewhat unexpected fine season for Bogues and the Hornets came to an abrupt end.

''This has been a special season for me,'' Bogues said. ''I'm going to take this whole season as a learning experience. The organization didn't think I was going to be able to play. A lot of people didn't. But I was able to overcome the knee injury, only to have this hamstring thing pop up at the last minute heading into the playoffs.

''I struggled all season to find my timing. Then when I thought I had finally found it, I got another injury. But I look forward to coming back next season and getting back to practicing more. I sat out so many practices this year that I think it affected my timing and my passing.''

Nonetheless, he proved critics wrong again by doing as well as he did. He has been doing it since arriving in the NBA out of Wake Forest in 1987.

''This was really the first year this group of guys played together,'' Bogues said. ''No one really gave us a chance at the beginning of the season, but we went on to win 54 games in the regular season. The playoffs didn't go the way we wanted. This leaves a bitter taste in our mouths; but overall, it was a good season for us.''

Tuesday, April 29, 1997