Thursday, May 28, 2009

The morning's musings
       With Kobe Bryant playing more like Magic Johnson in Wednesday's Game 5 win against the Denver Nuggets, suddenly the Lakers don't look so vulnerable. Bryant concentrated more on passing and setting up his teammates with good shots than scoring himself. It is the way he should play, the way Coach Phil Jackson has encouraged him to be more "Magical" than selfish.
       Johnson would do whatever it took to win. If the Lakers needed him to score, he'd have 40 by the fourth quarter. If they needed assists and court leadership, he'd dish out 20 and break down the other team's defense. Johnson was the best player of his era.
       Now, with a 3-2 lead in the series, the Lakers are in good position to advance to the NBA Finals.

*****

        Maybe the reason Manchester United played so listlessly yesterday in its showdown with FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League final, the Super Bowl of international soccer, was because the renowned club got an advance look at the Wall Street Journal's story today on the financial crisis that has engulfed England's Premier League, of which Manchester is a stalwart member.


*****

         After sweeping the Rockies in Denver, the Dodgers continue their trip with a four-game set in Chicago against the Cubs. When the Dodgers played in Brooklyn, they and the Cubs were bitter rivals, with fights breaking out nearly every time the two teams met. Although there are a lot of transplanted Cubs fans living in Los Angeles, the rivalry has dissipated into a polite confrontation, especially with Joe Torre and Lou Piniella managing the clubs.
          
         
        

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