Pride of Lithuania will have a reunion

Arvydas Sabonis and Sarunas Marciulionis, boyhood rivals and Olympic
teammates, will meet for the first time in an NBA game

They first played against each other at age 12 or 13 -- about the 
time, circa 1976-77, the Trail Blazers were winning their only NBA 
championship in 1977.

At the Lithuanian basketball schools they attended, no one knew of 
Bill Walton or Jack Ramsay or Dr. J. The NBA was so foreign, it 
seemed almost make-believe.

"That was the dark side of the moon," said Sarunas Marciulionis, now 
31.

"We had heard two names -- Chamberlain and Russell -- and that's all."

Already being programmed into the Soviet sports machine, young 
Marciulionis and Arvydas Sabonis would have been crazy to believe 
that one day they would play pro basketball in capitalistic America.

"Never did we even think it," Marciulionis said. "Information was not 
available. "My dad always used to tell me, `Stop dribbling the ball. 
Study. Get a job. Basketball will never feed you.' "

Today, Marciulionis likes to kiddingly remind his father of those 
words.

Today, Lithuania is an independent country, and its two heroes, 
Marciulionis and Sabonis, run separate basketball schools in their 
homeland. And on Thursday night, if Sabonis' tender right ankle is up 
to the task, the two boyhood rivals and Olympic teammates will meet 
again.

The 6-foot-5 Marciulionis, now in his seventh NBA season, is backing 
up All-Star Mitch Richmond at shooting guard for the Sacramento Kings. 
Sabonis, 7-3, is an NBA rookie with Portland.

The Kings (5-2) and Blazers (3-4) will play an already important 
Western Conference game at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Rose Garden.

Sabonis hasn't played in almost a week, but he went through most of 
Wednesday's practice, which, as always, was closed to the media. 
Coach P.J. Carlesimo wouldn't talk about how Sabonis did in practice 
and seemed irritated by the question. Blazers spokesman John 
Christensen laughed when other players were asked for information on 
how Sabonis looked.

"I keep telling you, he's day-to-day," Christensen said. "Who knows? 
He might get hit by a Mack truck."

Marciulionis has kept tabs on Sabonis since Portland signed him 
shortly before training camp. The two talk regularly on the phone, 
and Marciulionis has been able to see seen some Blazers games on tape 
or television.

Marciulionis said he was not surprised that Sabonis has averaged one 
point every two minutes and one rebound every four minutes, and has 
shot 59 percent from the field and 60 percent from the three-point 
line.

In time, Sabonis could be even more productive, Marciulionis said.

"He doesn't have the confidence yet," he said, "and the team doesn't 
seem to pass the ball to him that much."

In time, maybe the Blazers will learn to take better advantage of 
Sabonis' skills.

"If you pass it to Arvydas," Marciulionis said, "he will pass it back 
to you."

Marciulionis and Sabonis played on the Soviet Union's 1988 Olympic 
team that won the gold medal. In 1992, they were the one-two punch 
that lifted Lithuania over the Unified Team in an incredibly 
emotional battle for the bronze.

A few months ago, they guided Lithuania to the final of the European 
Championships. Next summer, they will be together at Atlanta, trying 
to win another Olympic medal.

"Arvydas is our Shaq, our Hakeem. Sarunas is our Jordan," said Donn 
Nelson, the Phoenix Suns assistant coach who has helped coach the 
Lithuanian national team for years.

"Arvydas is a really, really special player, in so many ways," Nelson 
said.

"Every Lithuanian practice I was at, he'd make a play that would make 
you stop and say, `How'd he do that?' Kind of like Bird or Magic."

Nelson said that if Sabonis is healthy for Portland's game at Phoenix 
on Saturday night, the Suns had better be ready for his shooting, 
rebounding and outlet passing.

"He can hit a guy at 50 paces," Nelson said. "He's like Joe Montana."

Fans in the United States don't understand how important Marciulionis 
and Sabonis have been to Lithuania, which has a population of only 4 
million. "It's a small, dirt-poor country trying to make it on its 
own," Nelson said. "Basketball is the national sport, and without 
Arvydas and Sarunas, that program would have died."

NOTES: Harvey Grant might not play Thursday. He did not practice 
Wednesday because of a sore left ankle, which he hurt late Tuesday 
against New York. . . . The Kings have lost 23 in a row at Portland. 
Their last win here was in 1986. . . . Sacramento started this season 
5-0 but got into a costly, bench-clearing brawl in Game 5 against 
Indiana. Eight Kings were suspended, leaving only the NBA minimum of 
eight to suit up for Sacramento's last two games. The result: losses 
to New Jersey and the Los Angeles Lakers. Small forward Walt Williams, 
the club's second-leading scorer (17.1 points per game) must sit out 
the Portland game. . . . Coach Garry St. Jean and Richmond, who scored 
28 points and is averaging a team-high 21.3, were ejected in Tuesday's 
106-100 loss to the Lakers.