As long as I can remember, I've liked the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team. Maybe it's because I went to college in southern California or maybe it's just because I like the purple and gold team colors.
In any case, I can remember the poetry in motion that was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar going up for his jump hook. Or the way Earvin "Magic" Johnson could fake out his defenders so badly he would be past them with a layup before they had the time to figure out which way he went. Or the way Jamaal "Silk" Wilkes would slice the defense up for breakfast, chew it up for lunch, and spit it out for dinner with his soft shooting touch.
So you better believe I was watching the Lakers play in the National Basketball Association championship series yesterday. After being stunned with a game one loss, the Lakers were expected to come back strong in game two. But the Detroit Pistons had other plans and almost handed my team their shorts on a stick. Win the Lakers did, but ugly was the game.
I don't like close games. I want the door closed, the lights out, the eggs cooling, the butter getting hard, and the jello jiggling (sorry, old Chick Hearn quote - ed.) by the end of the third quarter. But while I hope the Lakers will eventually win the series, the old saying about a good defense beats a good offense may again be proven true.
Aloha!
