THE FRONT ROW with Mark Nelke June 6, 2013
Coeur d’Alene High lost one of its “pioneer” coaches last week.
Sandy Kravik, the Vikings’ first girls basketball coach in the 1970s, died last Friday following a long battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 65.
Kravik, who like Ruth Palm was one of the first coaches in girls sports during the early days of Title IX, also coached volleyball and tennis at Coeur d’Alene.
She was married for 43 years to Jim Kravik, former Coeur d’Alene High basketball coach and longtime football official.
A memorial service for Sandy is scheduled for Friday at The Coeur d’Alene Resort, with a reception at 4:30 p.m. and a formal program at 5:15.
• With the NBA finals starting tonight, a list of the top five moments in NBA finals history — at least, in the opinion of Michael Gitter, founder of the website doyouremember.com — was in my email box recently.
Lists like those are usually useful if each one elicits a response of “Oh yeah, I remember that.”
Then I looked at No. 5 on his list — “Paul Pierce and the Celtics shock Kobe and the Lakers in Game 4 of the 2008 Finals with a 6-point come-from-behind win (Lakers vs. Celtics – 2008)”
He lost me there. I barely remember that game, much less the series which, according to Wikipedia, the Celtics won 4-2. I remember the Lakers rolling over in Game 6 and losing by 39.
I THOUGHT of three moments right off the bat that he didn’t have on his list:
3. With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sidelined by an ankle injury, Magic Johnson moves from point guard to center and totals 42 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists as the Lakers close out the 76ers 123-107 in Game 6 in Philadelphia.
2. Playing on a bad ankle, Isiah Thomas scores 25 of his 43 points in the third quarter of Game 6, an incredible one-man performance whether you liked the “Bad Boys” or not.
But his visiting Detroit Pistons lose 103-102 to the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Lakers win the deciding game 108-105 two nights later on their home court.
1. Who knew that, 36 years later, this would remain the franchise’s lone shining moment — fueled by a fever called “Blazermania” (of course, having a healthy Bill Walton didn’t hurt either), the Portland Trail Blazers held off the Philadelphia 76ers 109-107 in Game 6 to win the 1977 NBA finals 4-2. In Oregon, that moment was referred to as V-J (Victory over Julius) day.
(OK, that last one is probably on no one else’s list of top finals moments, but who cares.)
FYI, HERE are Gitter’s four other top moments:
4. Bob Pettit sets NBA record with 50 points and brings home title for St. Louis Hawks (Hawks vs. Celtics – 1958)
I was a year away from being born then. I’ll take his word.
3. Bill Russell’s Celtics stomps on Jack Kent Cooke premature championship celebration to close final title (Lakers vs. Celtics – 1969)
I remember being disappointed by this one — as disappointed as you can be at age 10. But it seemed like all the Celtics were pushing 40 by then, and perhaps the Lakers could finally break through. But no.
2. Willis Reed’s comeback pushes New York to first team title (Lakers vs. Knicks – 1970).
Who knew someone making just two baskets and playing only four minutes total could be so inspirational. But since then, anytime someone attempts to come back early from an injury to provide emotional support, they are known as pulling a “Willis Reed.”
1. Air Jordan’s last shot with Phil Jackson and the Chicago Bulls (Jazz vs. the Bulls – 1998).
Stockton-to-Malone fans will remember 1997 and ’98 as the Jazz’s best two chances to win an NBA title — but it just wasn’t going to happen against a team with MJ on it.
Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at CdAPressSports.