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NBA Roundup: Vancouver's `new offense' is too much for Seattle to handle VANCOUVER, B.C. (AP) - Vancouver Grizzlies coach Sidney Lowe has a new offense that is supposed to allow any player to get shots if he's open. That's a far cry from the isolation plays for stars Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Michael Dickerson and Mike Bibby last season under Lionel Hollins. In Tuesday night's 94-88 season-opening victory over Seattle, Abdur-Rahim, Dickerson and Bibby took 59 of Vancouver's 90 shots. But the difference showed up in the win column. "It was great to watch," said forward Grant Long, who finished with five points and five rebounds in 16 minutes. "Guys shared the basketball. The team defense was great. We gang-rebounded like we needed to. It was just great to see, a joy to watch, if you like basketball. "We shared the basketball almost to a fault. We were so unselfish. It was great to see." Abdur-Rahim led the way for Vancouver with 27 points on 12-of-16 shooting. "It was definitely a collective effort," Abdur-Rahim said. "Everything we did was about us. We stand together. I don't think a team like Seattle's going to quit. They're going to make runs and they're going to make plays." Lowe, who last was a head coach in the NBA in 1993-94, won his 34th career game against 92 losses. He was most impressed with his team's defense, which held the Sonics to 38.1 percent shooting. "We did something that we've been talking about all year during training camp, and that's finishing the ball game. ... I think the most consistent thing was our defense. We played pretty good defense with good rotation, helping each other out." Seattle's Gary Payton had 25 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, but it was not enough. Magic 97, Wizards 86 Tracy McGrady had a career-high 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and Grant Hill had nine points, five rebounds and 10 assists in their debuts with Orlando. The Magic led 71-68 going into the fourth quarter and McGrady scored 11 of his team's first 19 points in the final period. Hornets 106, Hawks 82 Jamal Mashburn scored 23 points and Baron Davis added 20 for the visiting Hornets, who finished with a 44-29 advantage on the boards, led by P.J. Brown's 16. Cavaliers 86, Nets 82 Lamond Murray had 17 points, including a twisting shot in the lane with 38 seconds left that made it 84-80, as the Cavaliers opened the season with a road win. Pistons 104, Raptors 95 Jerry Stackhouse showed he can shoulder the scoring burden for Detroit with Grant Hill gone, scoring a career-high 44 points at Toronto. He had 19 points in the third quarter, when the Pistons opened a 19-point lead. 76ers 101, Knicks 72 Allen Iverson scored 25 points and Toni Kukoc added 23 on 10-for-12 shooting as the 76ers cruised. Mavericks 97, Bucks 93 Michael Finley scored 26 points and Steve Nash added 20 as Dallas snapped a seven-game losing streak to Milwaukee. Dirk Nowitzki, who finished with 16 points, hit two 3-pointers in Dallas' 10-2 run after the Bucks closed to 81-80 with 8:46 left. Timberwolves 106, Rockets 98 Kevin Garnett scored 28 points and Terrell Brandon 22 as the Timberwolves won at Houston without Joe Smith. Minnesota, which led by as many as 26 points, didn't appear to be distracted by the penalties imposed by the NBA for a secret pact between the team and Smith, whose contract was voided. Spurs 98, Pacers 85 David Robinson scored 22 points and Tim Duncan added 16 as San Antonio spoiled the NBA coaching debut of Isiah Thomas. Robinson was 12-for-12 from the free-throw line, while Duncan, who missed the playoffs last season with a knee injury, had 10 rebounds. Kings 100, Bulls 81 Predrag Stojakovic and Chris Webber each scored 23 points for the Kings, who were without points guard Jason Williams, suspended for the first five games of the season for failing to comply with his drug treatment plan. Jazz 107, Clippers 94 Karl Malone scored 34 points, Bryon Russell had 19 and John Starks added 18 for Utah, which 80-56 with 3:06 left in the third quarter. Warriors 96, Suns 94 Chris Mills hit a desperate 3-pointer with 4.7 seconds as Golden State won its home opener for the first time since 1995. Mills had 19 points as Dave Cowens won his first game as coach of the Warriors. Visit our back issue library Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Western Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Corvallis Gazette-Times | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | | Ashland Daily Tidings | Gresham Outlook | Springfield News | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2000 Lee Northwest Publishing