As Rivers Sees It, Problems in NBA Still Racially Based

Doc Rivers, the former Clipper guard now on the New York Knicks’ injured list, has some provocative remarks about racism in the NBA in his new book, “Those Who Love the Game.”

On the wording of scouting reports: “If he is black, he is going to be ‘athletically gifted . . . quick . . . with great instincts . . . great leaper.’ If he is white, it’s going to read ‘heady . . . determined . . . a take-charge guy . . . a floor general.’ It happens again and again.”

On prejudice: “I hate it, really hate it, when people make fun of what they see as ignorance. When they mock an athlete for what they define as being ‘dumb,’ it is mostly a racial thing, though part of it represents a general prejudice against athletes.”

On unorthodox personalities: “A white player is labeled a ‘free spirit’ or ‘fun loving.’ But a black player who does the same thing is an ‘attitude problem.’ ”

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Trivia time: Which NFL team has won the most postseason games?

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Coming soon: Take heart, baseball fans. Spring training starts seven weeks from today.

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Young L.T.: Linebacker Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants retired last Saturday after one of the most illustrious careers in pro football. Minnesota Viking offensive lineman Tim Irwin remembers standing in line behind Taylor at the NFL scouting combine in 1981. They were waiting to get tested on a machine that measures leg strength.

“He was so strong that he just broke the machine,” Irwin told Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I couldn’t believe it.”

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Bad timing: “Isn’t it a bit early for former champion Riddick Bowe to start complaining about not gaining the acclaim heaped upon the likes of Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, Willie Pep and Sugar Ray Leonard?” asks Phil Jackman of the Baltimore Sun.

Added Jackman: “Good time to complain, too, just after losing to ‘blown-up cruiserweight’ (Evander) Holyfield.”

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Full house: Bob Whitfield, former Stanford offensive tackle, now playing for the Atlanta Falcons, seemingly wasn’t disturbed by the firing of Coach Jerry Glanville.

“Some teams have a doghouse,” he said. “We had a kennel.”

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No takers: Manute Bol, the Miami Heat’s 7-foot-7 center, keeps asking the Heat to “play me or trade me.” To which Dan Dunkin of the Indianapolis Star has two responses: “Why?” and “How?”

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Trivia answer: The Dallas Cowboys, with 25.

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Snap judgment: When the New York Mets sent Vince Coleman to the Kansas City Royals for Kevin McReynolds, the back-page headline in the New York Daily News read: “Slop Swap.”

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Those big turnovers: The Green Bay Packers got no points and only 22 yards off three Dallas Cowboy turnovers last Sunday.

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Quotebook: Miami Heat Coach Kevin Loughery, on the Seattle SuperSonics: “The Sonics have the best nine players in the NBA. They have the best defense in the league and it all starts with (Gary) Payton.”