Detroit

From the drained expression on Speedy Morris' face, it was hard to tell what disappointed him more. Yes, the coach was displeased that La Salle's gritty comeback from a 15- point second-half deficit went for naught, as Detroit escaped with a 75-73 upset of the Explorers last night in a Midwestern Collegiate Conference game at the Civic Center. But he had to be more discouraged by the fact that the Explorers (9-6 overall, 3-2 MCC) couldn't stop the Titans (4-10, 2-2) in the opening 10 minutes of the second half, when Detroit hit 11 of its first 14 shots from the field en route to a 55-40 advantage.

It's over. Hear that sigh from the Midwest? It's the city of Detroit, relieved its Red Wings didn't blow its three-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals. The Red Wings won, 2-1, in double-overtime last night, ending the Chicago Blackhawks' season. When Detroit's Vyacheslav Kozlov took teammate Sergei Fedorov's pass at the blue line, skated across the ice, pulled up short and fired through Chicago goaltender Ed Belfour's legs, it ended all speculation that the outclassed Blackhawks might come back and beat the Wings, hockey's best team in the 1995 regular season.

The Detroit Red Wings, who haven't won a Stanley Cup since the glory days of Gordie Howe, are on the verge of the finals, a mere 29 years after their last appearance. By winning a 4-3 double-overtime classic against the Chicago Blackhawks last night, the Red Wings took a three-games-to-zero lead in the NHL Western Conference finals. One more victory and the Red Wings will play in their first Cup final since 1966. The Red Wings haven't won the Cup since 1955. Since the Rangers won last season, Detroit is the new standard-bearer for futility.

First it was Dallas' Guy Carbonneau, beating Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood with a deflected shot from the right circle to send the game to overtime. Then 46 seconds into sudden death, Jamie Langenbrunner fired a hard dump-in from just across the center-ice line - about 85 feet. The puck nicked Osgood's stick and went into the net, giving the Stars a dramatic 3-2 victory that sent the NHL Western Conference finals back here for Game 6 tonight. Detroit leads the series, three games to two. Yesterday at Joe Louis Arena, Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman surveyed the shell-shocked faces in his dressing room and told his players a story from April 1968.

The Dennis Rodman era in Detroit came to an end last night, if the swirling rumors that surround the bionic rebounder are to be believed. Pistons officials confirmed that they are sorting through offers from a half-dozen NBA teams eager to acquire the league's rebounding leader. They expect to make a deal before tomorrow's trade deadline, and the Los Angeles Clippers currently hold the pole position. If last night was Rodman's farewell here, his performance, fittingly enough, was all that was memorable from a perfunctory 101-89 Detroit victory over the 76ers.

Scotty Bowman never liked Paul Coffey. In Pittsburgh, Bowman dismissed the three-time Norris Trophy winner as nothing more than a role player after Coffey won his fourth Stanley Cup in 1991. "Mario [Lemieux] won the Cup," Bowman said. When Coffey was traded to Detroit, Bowman, who had become coach there, ripped Coffey intermittently over three years, saying he couldn't play defense, was useless on the power play, and got rattled too easily under pressure. When the Wings lost the Stanley Cup in 1995 to New Jersey, Coffey and Dino Ciccarelli became Bowman's favorite targets.

What, Derrick Coleman wanted to know last night, was all the shouting about? Why, he asked, did people seem to think he was "missing in action?" Where, he said, did people think he was, other than attempting to return from his hometown of Detroit to his home in the Philadelphia area? Good questions. The 76ers forward, who has been on the injured list since cutting his left pinkie Jan. 8, rode the team charter from Philadelphia to Detroit late Friday night. He did not attend Saturday night's game against the Pistons in Auburn Hills, Mich.

In a town rich with candidates, Rep. Barbara-Rose Collins of Detroit is a serious contender for the title of worst member of Congress. Collins has been absent more often this year than all but two other House members. One of them had been on trial for statutory rape; the other had a liver transplant. Last month, Collins became the first member to be found guilty by a House panel of violating the rights of an employee. The liberal black Democrat had fired Bruce Taylor, her press secretary, because she thought he had AIDS.

Who: Flyers (37-21-10) at Red Wings (46-15-9) When: 7:30 tonight Where: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit TV: Versus Radio: WIP (610-AM)  

The Detroit Turbos defeated the Wings, 16-11, in a Major Indoor Lacrosse League game last night, before a crowd of 10,736 at Joe Louis Arena. Philadelphia (5-2) dropped to second place in the MILL, behind New York (5-1). Detroit (4-2) climbed to third place. The Turbos struck first, when Chris Rivait scored a goal at 1 minute, 49 seconds. Philadelphia then got a goal from Brad Kotz, who had seven for the game. Detroit came back with three goals within two minutes, and it held a 4-3 lead after the first quarter and a 7-4 lead at the half.