Notes on a Scorecard - Feb. 22, 1993

The NBA All-Star game was more fun when Magic Johnson was on the court instead of behind the microphone. . . .

Upset of the year: The three 24-second shot-clock violations during the first quarter Sunday. . . .

If Miami Heat Coach Kevin Loughery had been involved in the slam-dunk contest, Harold Miner would have gotten three opportunities instead of six. . . .

Hannah Storm of NBC should have conducted her interview with Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson from a step ladder. . . .

UCLA showed unusual patience and poise during its successful second-half comeback Saturday against an inspired team, California, in a hostile environment, the sold-out Oakland Coliseum Arena. . . .

It didn’t hurt, either, that center Richard Petruska was sinking jumpers as though he were a sharpshooting guard. . . .

As USC demonstrated against Stanford, the Trojans aren’t talented enough to win on the road when their minds aren’t on business. . . .

Arizona’s victory over Cincinnati at Phoenix gave the Pacific 10 Conference some hope of landing a team in the Final Four for what would be only the second time in 13 years. . . .

Strange Saturday stats: Only three Washington State players scored during a 62-60 loss to Oregon. Oregon State didn’t attempt a free throw during a 61-51 loss to Washington. . . .

Julio Cesar Chavez might be the best fighter pound-for-pound in the world. . . .

But I would pick Terry Norris to beat him because Norris has more pounds. . . .

The match would be fought at 147 pounds. For what amounted to tuneups Saturday night in Mexico City, 5-foot-10 Norris weighed 152 and 5-7 Chavez 139 3/4. . . .

The rule of thumb is that the fighter dropping weight has the advantage. Besides, weigh-in ceremonies are conducted the day before championship fights, meaning Norris can bulk up before he enters the ring. . . .

Both had easy times during the grand salami of boxing: Norris landing some devastating left hooks on Maurice Blocker before stopping him in the second round, and Chavez dealing out body punishment like no one else before stopping Greg Haugen in the fifth. . . .

My scorecard had Gabriel Ruelas of Sylmar even with World Boxing Council junior-lightweight champion Azumah Nelson after 12 rounds of the only competitive bout. Ruelas cried robbery and fled the ring quickly after Nelson was narrowly given the decision. . . .

However, this was a difficult one to score because nearly every round was close and neither fighter was ever in trouble. Ruelas probably cost himself the decision by not being more aggressive. . . .

Michael Nunn, who had the easiest time of all dispatching amateurish Dan Morgan in the first round, deserves a rematch with James Toney. Remember, Nunn was ahead on the scorecards when Toney knocked him out in what was then considered to be a major upset. . . .

The official attendance at Azteca Stadium was announced as 130,000. Sure. Not one person more or less--130,000 on the nose. That would be capacity, but the television cameras inadvertently showed a couple of sections that were empty. . . .

Ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. is sounding more and more like his late father did--and that is a compliment. . . .

Dr. Ferdie Pacheco and most other TV boxing analysts make the same mistake. They talk too much. . . .

John Madden and his son Mike are managing bantamweight Guillermo (Willie) Jorrin, who scored a first-round knockout in his professional debut in Sacramento recently after an outstanding amateur career. . . .

“Jorrin will be fighting for a world title within 18 months,” promoter Don Chargin predicted. . . .

Four UCLA athletes had perfect 4.0 grade-point averages during the fall quarter and 190 had 3.0 or better. . . .

USC is trying to schedule football games with such powers as Florida State, Alabama, Colorado, and Oklahoma. . . .

Please, no more puns about the Kings’ new Knickle defense. . . .

Look-alikes: ESPN SportsCenter late-night anchor Linda Cohn and Lily Tomlin. . . .

Juan Gonzalez Jr. might be the best local apprentice rider since Corey Nakatani. . . .

Asked what he is most apprehensive about, San Francisco Giant Manager Dusty Baker said, “How to deal with the umpires in a fair fashion. . . . How to get your point across without making things hard on yourself as a rookie manager.” . . .

I’m surprised the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins are still unbeaten.