Yugoslavia Can’t Stop the Soviets’ Rally, 86-83

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands â€”  How does a Yugoslav spell choke?

In Serbo-Croatian, try progutati knedlu , which is what the Yugoslavs have been doing lately whenever they are about to put away the Soviet Union’s men’s basketball team.

In the semifinals of the 1986 World Cup at Madrid, the Yugoslavs blew a nine-point lead in the last 49 seconds against the Soviets and lost in overtime.

Once more about to wrest away the mantle of power on the Continent Wednesday night, the Yugoslavs blew a 15-point lead in the last 11:04 in the European Pre-Olympic tournament and fell again to the Soviets, 86-83.

A three-pointer by Soviet sharpshooter Valdemaras Khomichus broke an 83-83 tie with three seconds left. Four Yugoslavs then stood around and watched guard Zoran Cutura fail to inbound the ball within five seconds, eliminating a last shot at a tie.

The Soviet Union and Italy are 4-0 in the round-robin tournament, with three games left. Yugoslavia and Spain are 3-1. The top three teams will qualify for the Olympics.

The game proceeded along the curious lines of Euroball. No one struck a defensive stance that a U.S. coach would recognize. The substitution patterns were other-worldly. The starting lineup looked as if it had been drawn from a hat.

Yugoslav Coach Dusan Ivkovic didn’t start his best player, guard Drazen Petrovic, a pouty scoring machine who once turned down a Notre Dame scholarship. Ivkovic said he needed someone to guard the Soviet point guard, Tiip Sook, whom he considers their best player. Everyone else considers Sook a journeyman.

Petrovic entered the game with 7:26 gone and never left, scoring 27 points.

“Looks like the first one who has his (warmup) uniform off gets in,� said Bill Banks, Clippers assistant.

Ivkovic was roundly roasted later by the press and attending VIPs, but in truth, his team doesn’t seem to be any better--or worse--coached than the Soviets’. Both teams are young, both are talented, neither is what a U.S. coach with a working VCR would call well drilled. The Soviets--primarily guard Sharunas Marchulenis--worked hard and the Yugoslavs played lots of their patented, nonexistent defense.

The Yugoslavs led, 71-56, with 11:04 left but eased up. In one stretch, a young 6-foot 11-inch Soviet forward named Valery Goborov, pressed into action at center because Alexander Belostenny had been ejected for fighting, scored three straight baskets and blocked a jump shot by Petrovic as the Soviets closed to within 77-75. A moment later, forward Alexander Volkov, the Atlanta Hawks’ No. 2 pick, scored on a driving layup, tying it.

The fight was a disaster for the Yugoslavs. It cost them forward Zarko (Big Z) Paspalij, who was also ejected, leaving with 16 points in 22 minutes. It wasn’t any bargain for Paspalij, either. He got punched in the nose.

“We played without No. 8, (who) is a big scorer and big-hearted player,� Ivkovic said.

The teams battled into the closing seconds tied. With chances to put his team ahead, the 20-year-old Yugoslav prodigy, 6-11 Vlado Divac, missed a six-footer, then stumbled trying to make a move in the low post and was called for traveling.

(The other Yugoslav phenom, Stoyan Vrankovich, a 7-foot hopeful whom the Boston Celtics have signed, was no factor at this point of the game, nor has he been at any time in this tournament.)

Rinas Kurtinaitis put the Soviets ahead, 83-81, with an 18-footer at 1:11.

Divac rebounded a miss and scored at :39. He was fouled, but missed the free throw and the chance to put his team ahead.

At the other end, the ball was kicked to Khomichus in the corner as the 30-second clock ran down. His three-pointer went down and so did the Yugoslavs.

So those who had not learned the lessons of history got another lesson.

“This is not first time that we lose an important game like this with Rah-ssia,� Ivkovic said.

Had his players lost their poise?

“They lose,� agreed Ivkovic. “It’s true.�

Someone asked Bill Banks if he could ever see the Yugoslavs beating an American team.

“If they get a coach and get away from Yugo-ball,� he said.