[SoCal Pubbie]

Now that France has been eliminated from the World Cup, I thought I'd post an article about the other team that America loves to hate, my own Los Angeles Lakers.

Although many pro sports fans around the country never get to taste so much as a single championship, I have the luxury to consider this NBA crown a rather bittersweet affair. Why, you ask? There has been no hated East Coast rival to defeat, no ghost of long ago seventh game loses to exorcise. Even my own prediction of a five games series will be shown tonight to be overly pessimistic, as the new Jersey Nets will undoubtedly succumb to the superior firepower of the boys in purple and gold.

On the other hand this will be the fourteenth championship for the Lakers, five in Minneapolis, and nine in Los Angeles. That puts the franchise only two behind the dreaded Celtics, and Phil Jackson at nine titles will tie with the old Boston coach who's fourth quarter victory cigars were a knife in the heart of old time Lakers fans. Can anyone doubt that before this run is through both the records of the Boston franchise and it's most famous coach Red Auerbach be bested by Phil and Company?

So have at it LA haters, but when all is said and done by 9:00 left coast time tonight the strains of We Are The Champions will fill the warm Southland air!

[diamond6]

I love that song, as well as "I Love L.A." by Randy Newman. Red is going to choke on his cigar after the Lakers win, when Phil ties his record. There is no coach who more epitomizes arrogance than the way Red lit up at the end of games, especially in the Finals, often against the Lakers. It is sweet justice that Phil's 9th title will be with the Lakers, and that he will soon surpass Red's record in the years to come.