Even the Lakers Are Only as Good as Their Last Game

Talking about great Laker comebacks, Laker General Manager Jerry West mentioned a game at Philadelphia during the Lakers’ 33-game win streak in 1971-72 in which the Lakers, trailing by 17 in the third quarter, won by 15, 131-116.

It was win No. 16 of the streak, but The Times didn’t have a reporter in Philadelphia to cover that game, or the next three. Finally, beat writer Mal Florence was dispatched by then-sports editor Bill Shirley to cover the Lakers’ 20th consecutive victory, which equaled the National Basketball Assn. record, and stayed with them for the rest of the streak.

But after the Lakers finally lost in Milwaukee to end the streak, Shirley called Florence home even though there were two more games remaining on the trip. Bill Sharman, the Laker coach, saw Florence leaving the hotel with his bags packed.

“Where you going?” Sharman asked.

Replied Florence: “I’m going home. We don’t cover losers.”

Trivia time: During their 33-game winning streak, the Lakers played every team in the National Basketball Assn. at least once except one. Which team was that?

Probable record: Longtime pro basketball statistician Harvey Pollack of Philadelphia did a little research Monday, and he thinks that the Lakers’ comeback from a 29-point deficit Sunday is indeed a National Basketball Assn. playoff record.

Pollack said the biggest previous rally he could find came when the Baltimore Bullets trailed the Philadelphia Warriors by 25 points in the third quarter in Game 2 of the NBA championship series in 1948, and came back to win, 66-63. The Warriors scored only seven points in the third quarter.

More comebacks: In 1952, the Rams trailed the Packers, 28-6, with 12 minutes left in the game at Green Bay before Bob Waterfield led them to a 30-28 victory. The comeback started with Waterfield kicking a field goal.

Honest loser: From Bob Whitsitt, president of the Seattle SuperSonics: “I felt we could compete with the Lakers. Obviously, that wasn’t the case. They’re still a better team than we are. I’m not going to make any bones about that.”

Going the distance: Young Dick Tiger, the nephew of former middleweight and light heavyweight champion Dick Tiger, is scheduled to fight in London this weekend.

If jet lag takes anything out of a fighter, then Tiger may be in trouble when he takes on Glenwood (the Real Beast) Brown Sunday in a welterweight fight.

Tiger, his manager and his trainer arrived in London from Los Angeles Saturday only to be turned away by immigration officials.

It seems Tiger, a native of Nigeria, had only a passport and not a required visa. So he had to fly back to Los Angeles, get the visa, turn around and fly back to London. He arrived Monday more than a little weary.

Say what? New York Met broadcaster Ralph Kiner speaks a language of his own. Here are two Kiner-isms:

“(Kevin) McReynolds stops at third; he scores.”

And on injured Brave pitcher Bruce Sutter: “He’s going to be out of action the rest of his career.”

Nobody’s perfect: And here’s one from San Diego Padre broadcaster Jerry Coleman: “I’ve made a couple of mistakes I’d like to do over.”

Trivia answer: The Cincinnati Royals.

Quotebook: Channel 2 sportscaster Keith Olbermann, describing a stage of the Tour de Trump bicycle race: “It’s five laps around Donald Trump’s ego.”