Riley in Foul Mood About Jordan Free Throws

Refusing to let the Miami Heat go quietly against the Chicago Bulls, Coach Pat Riley complained about the officiating.

“We have to beat not only a great Bulls team, but the injustice of what comes with playing championship teams,� Riley said Friday.

Chicago takes a 2-0 lead into Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals today at Miami Arena, and Riley blamed his team’s deficit on bad shooting and bad calls.

The Bulls tried only three more free throws than Miami in the first two games, but Riley complained about a discrepancy in the way fouls have been called, particularly when Michael Jordan has the ball.

Jordan made 15 of 16 free throws Thursday in Chicago’s 75-68 Game 2 victory.

“I don’t think Jordan deserved more than five free throws,� Riley said. “I thought one time he was going to go to the official and say, ‘Don’t make that call. It’s not the right call.’ It was embarrassing.�

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In the aftermath of Seattle’s disappointing playoff performance, the SuperSonics say they aren’t about to panic and unload unhappy forward Shawn Kemp.

“My instincts tell me that we’re still not that far away from competing for a championship,� General Manager Wally Walker said. “I’d be hard pressed to see--and I haven’t seen it yet--any major changes.�

And a trade of Kemp would be a major change.

“Shawn’s a great player and it’s hard to find great players,� Walker said. “I don’t know where you find a player like him to make your team better.�

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The Denver Nuggets have offered their coaching job to Atlanta Hawk assistant coach Bill Hanzlik.

“If we can get together on [the] contract, I see myself coming,� Hanzlik said.

Rumors have placed Hanzlik in Denver since the Nuggets hired Allan Bristow to run the team in February. Hanzlik played for Denver when Bristow was a Nugget assistant, and served as an assistant coach under Bristow for five years in Charlotte.

“Having Allan as a GM is a big-time plus for me,� Hanzlik said.