Kareem Court in Inglewood is about to...

Kareem Court in Inglewood is about to acquire some unwanted advertising--Detroit Piston advertising.

As part of a bet on the outcome of the NBA playoffs, Auburn Hills, Mich., Mayor Robert Grusnick won the right to put up a 3-by-5-foot Pistons sign for 30 days on the street that was renamed after Laker great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Grusnick promises that the message on the sign will “gloat” over the Pistons’ sweep of the defending champion Lakers.

In addition, Grusnick will personally visit here next month to present Inglewood Mayor Edward Vincent with a black “Bad Boys” T-shirt featuring likenesses of Piston rowdies Bill Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn.

Vincent will be obliged to wear it during an Inglewood City Council meeting, which may be adjourned earlier than usual.

Unimaginative Florida has already made copies of such Southern California cultural monuments as Disneyland, the Universal Studios Tour and the Brown Derby restaurant.

So, it should come as no surprise that the new Orlando, Fla., entry in the National Basketball Assn. has co-opted the most famous basketball nickname in Los Angeles for its team name.

Introducing the Orlando . . . Magic.

This week marks the 40th anniversary of the parking meter in Los Angeles. The first curbside confiscators, installed along Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood, charged 5 cents an hour.

Nowadays, on the Figueroa Street meters downtown, a nickel will buy you 1 1/2 minutes.

Flag Day, which was Wednesday--as you may or may not have noticed--doesn’t seem to attract much attention anymore. A few years ago, a publicist celebrated it by riding an elephant painted red, white and blue down Hollywood Boulevard. But he barely stood out in Hollywood.

This year, at least, Hollywood was able to hang its own flag, which depicts landmarks such as the Chinese Theater. It was designed by Jennifer Taylor, an Immaculate Heart High School student, whose entry was chosen over 39 others.

It isn’t widely known, but the city of Los Angeles also has a flag. The 52-year-old banner displays the city seal and is tricolored to recall the city’s rural past: red (for vineyards), green (for olive trees) and golden-yellow (for orange groves--not smog).

Use an Electric Shaver--Go to Jail:

The Monrovia City Council has given preliminary approval to an ordinance that would ban shaving in public restrooms, not to mention disrobing and bathing.

The ordinance, an outgrowth of complaints about the presence of homeless people in such facilities, would permit the washing of one’s face and hands as well as one’s arms--but only up to the elbows.