Laker fans feel Heat these days
The Los Angeles Lakers’ loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday had columnist Jeff Miller of the Orange County (Calif.) Register feeling nostalgic for the days when the Lakers were on top of the basketball world.
“Not sure what was the more symbolic moment Wednesday,” Miller wrote. “Dwyane Wade’s first-quarter no-look lob pass that LeBron James caught and, in the same motion, dunked. Or, less than a minute later, the Lakers’ subbing in of … Ryan Kelly?
“It’s not just that the NBA put on a Christmas Day display with what passes as the Lakers these days. No, the league also subjected Lakers fans to an in-person reminder of how things used to be around here.
“The two-time defending champion Miami Heat visited Staples Center, and the last time an NBA team made a run at threetitles in a row that team was the Lakers.
“And the last NBA team to actually win three straight championships? Why, that would be the Lakers, too.
“Today, however, it is the Heat that reigns while the Lakers toil, nursing an injured Kobe Bryant and an injured Steve Nash, playing mostly tough, sure, but doing so for a franchise that always has been more about the bottom line than the admirable effort it takes to get there.”
Charitable donation
Jon Kitna will earn $53,000 to serve as the Dallas Cowboys’ third string quarterback for one week, and he plans to donate that money to the Seattle-area high school where he is now a coach.
Kitna, 41, retired after the 2011 season, his 15th in the league, and was coaching football at Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Wash., this season when he heard about Tony Romo’s back injury. Kitna sent a text message Tuesday morning to Cowboys Coach Jason Garrett, and Kitna said the two talked by telephone for 30 minutes.
“I told Jason if he wants me or somebody to come in and call a play and be able to pull a play off if a bad situation happened, I would be willing to do that,” Kitna told The Dallas Morning News.
He’ll suit up Sunday as the backup to Kyle Orton if Romo can’t play against the Philadelphia Eagles in a game that will decide a playoff berth.
Kitna appeared in three games for the Cowboys in 2011 and has started 124 games overall for Seattle, Cincinnati, Detroit and Dallas.
Better late than never?
Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy was named the NFL’s offensive player of the week for Week 16 on Tuesday, but McCoy wondered why the award did not come earlier this month.
“They could have it back. I should have had it two weeks ago,” McCoy told The Philadelphia Inquirer in reference to his 217-yard performance against the Detroit Lions on Dec. 8.
Chicago Bears quarterback Josh McCown won that week, so McCoy’s 133-yard performance against the Bears on Sunday must suffice.
“It’s an honor, it’s something nice to have,” said McCoy, whose Eagles face the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday with the NFC East title on the line. “I appreciate any award I get, but at this point all I’m set on is this week. Everything rides on this game.”Quote of the day
“I think it’s going to be
hard to maintain that.” Arkansas Coach Tom Collen, on his women’s basketball team’s chances of continuing to lead the nation in scoring defense once SEC play begins
Sports, Pages 18 on 12/27/2013