Off Bench, Tarpley Carries Weight : Mavericks’ Sixth Man Has 21 Points and 20 Rebounds

Swingman Roy Tarpley of the Dallas Mavericks almost became a Laker two years ago.

The Mavericks wanted to trade All-Star forward Mark Aguirre and Tarpley, the seventh player picked in the 1986 draft, to the Lakers for star forward James Worthy.

The deal, however, fell through and Tarpley has no regrets.

“I wonder why people keep asking me about that trade,” Tarpley said “I just want to be with the Mavericks. James Worthy is a great player, and I don’t think the Lakers regret not trading him.”

In the meantime, Tarpley has become a force for the Mavericks.

He made life miserable for the Lakers, exploding for 21 points and 20 rebounds in 41 minutes off the bench as the Mavericks beat the Lakers, 106-94, in Game 3 of the National Basketball Assn. Western Conference final series Friday night at Reunion Arena.

“I don’t have an answer for him,” Laker Coach Pat Riley said of Tarpley, the league’s best sixth man. “It was obvious that he was a one-man show. He was a big factor tonight.”

Tarpley, who tied a team playoff record by hauling down 20 rebounds in the series opener, became the first player in the Mavericks’ eight-year history to have 20 or more points and rebounds in a playoff game as Dallas beat the Lakers after losing the first two games by margins of 15 and 22 points at the Forum.

Tarpley, a 7-foot forward/center who became the first reserve in NBA history to finish among the league’s rebounding leaders, was relentless on the boards as the Mavericks outrebounded the Lakers for the third straight game, 52-33.

Tarpley grabbed a team-record 11 offensive rebounds, one more than the entire Laker team, as the Mavericks built a 25-10 edge on the offensive boards.

“I know I’m not going to get every rebound, but I believe that I can,” Tarpley said. “I think it frustrates the Lakers by us always going to the glass.

“The Lakers are a very physical team, but tonight we were the aggressors,” Tarpley continued. “We sent a message to the Lakers tonight, and we’ve got to continue to send them a message.”

Aguirre, who scored a team-high 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, said Tarpley was the key to the game.

“Roy is an incredible player for us,” Aguirre said. “The sky’s the limit for him.”

Dallas Coach John MacLeod said Tarpley set the tempo for the Mavericks on the boards. MacLeod inserted Tarpley into the game at center just 1:10 into the first period, benching James Donaldson. And Tarpley wound up playing 23 more minutes than Donaldson.

“We went with Roy early, and it was working so well that we stuck with it,” MacLeod said. “This is the first time in the eight games that we’ve played them that we’ve had such a big rebounding advantage.”

Donaldson, who had 10 points and 5 rebounds in 18 minutes, said he wasn’t angry because Tarpley played more than he did.

“Tarpley always plays great, and the trend is continuing. Rebounding is his role and he plays it to perfection,” Donaldson said. “We showed people what the real Mavericks are about.”

Tarpley and Donaldson did a marvelous job of shutting down Laker center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had broken out of a playoff slump by scoring 17 and 19 points against the Mavericks in the first two games of the series.

The 41-year-old center, who at times looked as if he were over the hill in the Lakers’ previous playoff series against the Utah Jazz, struggled against the Mavericks, scoring 10 points and grabbing only 4 rebounds in 31 foul-plagued minutes. Abdul-Jabbar made 4 of 12 shots from the floor.

“The first time I played Kareem I was definitely in awe of him,” Tarpley said. “I wanted to ask him for his autograph. But once I got on the court with him I wanted to show him that I was a player.”

Said Donaldson: “I didn’t play him (Abdul-Jabbar) any differently than I did in the first two games. But he shot a little poorer tonight.”

Clifford Ray, the former Golden State Warriors center who coaches the Mavericks’ big men, said: “I thought James set the tone and Roy carried it through. I felt this was probably my two big men’s biggest game. Roy has played consistently well for us.”

Tarpley may have had a great game on the boards, but his shot selection left something to be desired.

Tarpley, who attempted a career-high 24 shots from the field, made just seven of them. He was perfect at the free-throw line, however, making 7 of 7.

“Some of the shots I missed were unbelievable,” Tarpley said. “I got down on myself because I was missing the easy shot. I hit the hard one, but I missed the easy baskets. But I tried to make up for it on the boards.”