RON POWELL / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Wednesday, November 30, 2005 6:00 pm
A busy weekend for the Lincoln Thunder professional basketball team has been whittled to one game — tonight’s 7:05 p.m. contest against the Kansas City Knights at the Pershing Center. The Thunder’s road games at the Texas Tycoons on Friday and Saturday and at the Gallup, N.M., Talons on Sunday have been postponed. That occurred earlier this week after the owners of the six teams in the American Basketball Association’s George Gervin Division held a conference call Monday to discuss the tough travel arrangements the league set up in its schedule.
After tonight’s game, the Thunder was facing a 10-hour van trip Friday to Fort Worth, Texas, and even more than that to get to Gallup from the Metroplex on Sunday.
“We’re looking to reorganize things and make travel more realistic since none of us are flying to these games,” Thunder owner Michael Jefferson said. “We‘re only a few games into the season. We still have a chance to make this work.”
Another conference call is set for Monday, and Jefferson said he and the other owners will look at playing some closer opponents outside of the division and playing more doubleheaders on the longer road trips.
While some of the opponents might change, Jefferson said he expects the rest of Lincoln’s home games to be played on the dates they’re currently scheduled. The Thunder have a 36-game schedule with 18 home dates.
Lincoln’s first road game at the New Mexico Style Sunday was postponed because of last weekend’s winter storm. Jefferson said the team had reached eastern Colorado when the Style officials called and told them they would have trouble making it to Santa Fe, N.M.
Thunder coach Dan Archie thought that looming road trip might have been a factor in his team’s spotty performance in a 144-132 victory against Kansas City on Saturday night. Lincoln trailed 67-63 at halftime before taking control with a 55-31 third-quarter run. The Thunder, ranked sixth in this week’s ABA power rankings, was whistled for 33 fouls and committed 28 turnovers.
“I don’t know if they were dreading that long trip to New Mexico, but it just seemed like we weren’t in the game mentally,” said Archie, whose team left for Santa Fe shortly after Saturday night’s contest. “We didn’t play as well as we had the first two games. I think we’ll be a lot more focused and intense (tonight).”
Archie said former Creighton player David Finklea will make his first start of the season tonight. The 6-foot-5 forward had 27 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and four steals in Saturday’s win over the Knights.
“He’ll definitely make us quicker and more athletic,’’ Archie said.
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.