Lakers are champs

I’m not really a Los Angeles Lakers fan as I’m a true green-blooded La Sallite, therefore my colors are green and white, just like the uniform of the Boston Celtics, perhaps the greatest team in the NBA.  When I first came to Cebu, I rooted for the UV Lancers in the collegiate league, also sporting the same colors as La Salle and the Celtics.  But as a sports journalist, I also have a lot of analyzing and predicting results of games as well.  Even at the start of this NBA season, I already predicted a Los Angeles Lakers title with the addition of Anthony Davis.  I never expected Miami to enter the finals as I was looking at a Milwaukee-tussle for the championship.  So the Heat was the surprise opponent of the Lakers but they just don’t have the experience of the Tinseltown team. Nevertheless I stuck to my prediction that the Lakers will be this season’s NBA champions. And they just did, closing out the Heat in Monday's Game 6 to win a record-equalling 17th NBA title.

Did you know? Tyrone “mugsy” Bogues

The shortest player in the NBA at 5’3“, led the United States to the gold medal in the 1986 World Basketball Championships.  The pesky Bogues scored 12 points, dished out 4 assists and nabbed a game-high 5 steals to lead the US to a 96-80 victory over Brazil and its legendary shooter Oscar Schmidt.  In an earlier round, Bogues shut down Yugoslavian (and NBA star) Drazen Petrovic, not allowing him to score in the game’s first 10 minutes.  He led the 1986 World Championship in assists and steals. Bogues joined the Washington Bullets and teamed up with the NBA’s tallest player 7’7” Manute Bol.

Calvin Murphy

Another small guy Calvin Murphy at 5’9”owns a single-season free throw accuracy of .958 percent.  Murphy who became the Houston Rockets all- time assist leader by his retirement, got to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1992.  But did you know he’s the only NBA player to win a national championship in baton twirling which he did as a teenager in 1963. Murphy inherited both interests from his mother Ina, one-time majorette and semi-pro basketball guard.

Anthony “Spud” Webb

Still another tiny fellow “Spud” Webb was born with the first name of Anthony.  He got his nickname from his childhood when kids would tease him saying his head was as big as a Soviet satellite known as Sputnik.  That name soon was altered to Spud.  Webb was a good dunker who even won a slam dunk contest in the NBA, representing the Atlanta Hawks.  His famous teammate was one of the greatest dunking artists of all time, Dominique Wilkins.