Brown Gives 2-Cents Worth On 3s

As a basketball traditionalist, Hubie Brown finds the 3-point shot thoroughly offensive.

As he prepared for the NBA playoffs, which opened Thursday night, Brown said, “We all know that the 3-point shot is ruining basketball at the high school, college and pro level.”

Forging ahead in his precise Hubiespeak, Brown said, “You’re getting the quick shot, and with the quick shot you get long rebounds and there’s no transition defense. To get by the second round, you have to take care of your rebounding. You cannot shoot a low percentage. The majority of the teams that rely on 3-point shooting (at the three levels), it takes you so far. But then, all of a sudden, they all go home.”

Referring to last year’s NBA final, Brown added, “Houston and New York both shot a horrendous 3-point percentage and it makes for bad basketball. If you shoot high-percentage shots inside, coming off continuity and working mismatches, what you get are a lot of second-shot opportunities, which create fouls on the defense.”

Brown, a former New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks coach, strongly recommends that the 3-point distance be kept as it is for high schools (19 feet, 9 inches).

”(But) I’d like to see the college level go to the European distance (20-6) and make it a more difficult shot than a freebie, which it is (now),” he said.

Brown urges the NBA to revert to its previous 3-point range (23-9) instead of the current 22 feet.

Channel clicking

A USA Network viewer poll confirmed what many observers believe: that challenger Axel Schulz defeated champion George Foreman in their heavyweight championship bout last Saturday. More than 13,000 voted in the poll, with 85 percent favoring Schulz.

If you’re a fan of defending champion Houston, Utah, Indiana or Atlanta, you’d better hope you have cable for the NBA playoffs, since none of these teams are on NBC’s broadcast schedule this weekend, and wouldn’t appear on the network unless their series go to a fifth and deciding game.

And while you ponder how the defending champions’ first playoff series could not be on national TV, ask yourself why the league and the network are forcing Phoenix and Portland to play Game 2 of their first-round series at noon local time Sunday in the Pacific time zone, while Chicago and Charlotte are tipping off at 5:30 Eastern.

The answer is a simple one: All hands involved have decided inconveniencing Suns fans is eminently more preferable than risking the chance that anyone misses a chance to see Michael Jordan.

The plight of 23 touring Russian figure skaters, who were staying in the Oklahoma City YMCA, across the street from the federal building that was bombed last week, will be featured on “The CBS Sports Show” (1 p.m., Sunday on Spokane’s KREM, channel 2).

Dance fever

Rumors that ballroom dancing will be a demonstration at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics apparently are untrue, and it’s a good thing for the United States.

“Since Liza went out with a hip replacement, we’re down to Chita Rivera and a prayer,” Bob Costas said.