Notes on a Scorecard - Feb. 19, 1991

Three-peat? The Lakers did that a long time ago in the Pacific Division. What they are trying to do this season is 10-peat. Not since Phoenix in 1980-81 has anyone except Los Angeles finished first in the Pacific. . . .

“I still think the Suns are going to make a run at both of us,” Portland Coach Rick Adelman said Sunday night after the Lakers beat the Trail Blazers at the Forum. “Three of the better teams in the league are in our division. It’s going to be a dogfight the rest of the way.” . . .

Perhaps Adelman wasn’t aware that Phoenix is still eight games behind Portland and 4 1/2 behind the Lakers. . . .

The Lakers have won 15 of the 20 Pacific Division races since the switch from Western and Eastern Divisions for the 1970-71 season. . . .

A trade is not imminent, but, only days before the trading deadline, out-of-town Laker scouts Gene Tormohlen and Ronnie Lester were seen at the Forum. . . .

What a good defensive team like the Lakers can do is shoot 34% in the first half against Portland and trail by only two points. The Blazers were a not-so-blazing 39% at intermission. . . .

In the last quarter of their defeat to Boston Friday and the first two quarters Sunday, the Lakers scored a grand total of 50 points. . . .

Sam Perkins must think he’s in Grand Central Station after home games. His Forum locker is between those of Magic Johnson and James Worthy. . . .

The Lakers are looking for a venue bigger than the hallway outside the locker room for Mike Dunleavy’s postgame media interview, but the Kings refuse to allow them to use their quarters. . . .

The four most recent expansion teams--Minnesota, Orlando, Miami and Charlotte--have combined for 16 road victories. The Boston Celtics have won 16 by themselves. . . .

Larry Smith’s rebounding and Otis Thorpe’s shooting and rebounding are making up for the loss of Akeem Olajuwon in Houston. . . .

The New York Knicks could become the first NBA team since the 1976-77 New Jersey Nets to have a better record on the road than at home. . . .

If you watched the Knicks beat Detroit Sunday, you realize what a mistake it would be for them to trade Patrick Ewing. . . .

Al McGuire says an NBA all-star team won’t win the 1992 Olympic Games for the United States. Sounds crazy, but McGuire did predict that the United States wouldn’t win the gold medal in Seoul. . . .

Worst name in the league for a shooter is Frank Brickowski. . . .

The Boston Celtics might get even better when former Clipper Derek Smith, who has recovered from a knee injury, rejoins them soon. . . .

Best college basketball game of the season so far was Ohio State’s double-overtime victory over Indiana. . . .

Randy Ayers of the Buckeyes is a cinch to be voted coach of the year. . . .

The more I see Arizona, the less I like its chances to reach the Final Four. . . .

Calgary, which is battling the Kings for the Smythe Division lead, has the schedule advantage. The Flames play 15 of their remaining 21 games at home. The Kings play half of their remaining 20 at home. . . .

You have to wonder why the Flames are graced with this kind of schedule. They don’t share the Saddledome with anyone, meaning the league can assign them home games without having to worry about conflicts. . . .

Eric Lindros should start taking French lessons. . . .

Ken Hodge Jr., whom Boston stole from Minnesota, is the third leading rookie scorer in the NHL. . . .

Michael Carbajal, the International Boxing Federation junior-flyweight champion who was a second-round knockout winner over challenger Macario Santos Sunday, continues to improve. He’s known as a right-hand puncher, but he has dispatched his last two opponents with devastating left hooks. . . .

Ray Handley, the New York Giants’ offensive backs coach who quit football to enter law school, was considered a leading candidate to succeed Bill Parcells eventually. . . .

Nobody will be taking the Chicago White Sox lightly this year with the additions of Tim Raines and Cory Snyder and the presence of Frank Thomas in the lineup the entire season. . . . How refreshing to hear Pete Sampras, after losing in five sets to Ivan Lendl in the U.S. Pro Indoor Championships, say: “I thought I played well, but he played better. I accept defeat.” . . .

At 7, Bayakoa has lost a step. . . .

Many more of those $26,000 overpayments in the Pick Six at Los Alamitos and attendance will skyrocket.