NBA

The Heat have now won 20 straight games. The record is 33. I remember watching the Lakers do that back in 1971-72. Wilt and Jerry West led the way that year.

Even more amazing? Back in 1972, I remember at halftime they always had one of the ABC announcers start a Sears lawnmower LIVE, to show that it always started on the first pull. It only failed ONCE the whole year and that was because the announcer did something wrong. Someone else pulled it the second time and it started right away. It was great advertising for Sears because with the Lakers on a streak, everybody was watching their games AND seeing how reliable Sears lawnmowers were at the same time. I THINK it was Sears lawnmowers. This was over 40 years ago so my memory might not remember this quite right.

In other CURRENT NBA news, Kobe Bryant has a severe ankle sprain and will miss some significant time. At 34-32, the Lakers are not a lock to make the playoffs as Kobe promised. It should be interesting to see the Lakers perform without him. They've been on a bit of a tear recently but this could seriously jeopardize their season. Of course, for all I know, Kobe's ankle isn't as bad as he says and he might be back in a game or two. NBA prima donnas have a way of making themselves look good when they come back "early" from injuries that weren't that bad in the first place.

As much as I sometimes criticize LeBron James, he is a solid player on both offense and defense and he almost ALWAYS leads the league in minutes played. He's proven tough his entire career. And it looks like they are getting ready for another championship run. I admire that. I really do.