Don’t Get Them Wrong, They Still Don’t Love L.A.

Steve Hummer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writing on Buffalo’s misery as a sports city:

“By all rights, Buffalo’s bleeding should have been finished five years ago, at the Georgia Dome, when the blighted Bills lost their fourth Super Bowl in a row.

“You wouldn’t wish so much sports suffering even on Los Angeles. New York City, maybe.

“But just as Buffalo was beginning to dig out from its runner-up reputation, here came the Stanley Cup finals . . . this time in a way so spiked with controversy and contention that it had to hurt a little more. All the old scabs were new again.”

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Trivia time: Who holds the NBA finals record for turnovers in a game?

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Discrimination: Ron Rapoport in the Chicago Sun-Times: “[Charlotte] Hornet guard Eddie Jones is suing his agent, and court documents have revealed some delicious details.

“Sports Business Journal reports that when Jones was traded from the Lakers to the Hornets, his annual base pay from Nike dropped from $950,000 to $650,000 and his guaranteed royalty from $250,000 to $150,000.

“It seems Nike classifies teams by national impact. The Lakers are in ‘Group A,’ while the Hornets are ‘Group C.’ ”

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There’s a limit: Bernie Lincicome in the Chicago Tribune: “Did Latrell Sprewell deserve another chance? Sure, but it doesn’t mean I have to root for him any more than I have to root for Tonya Harding, Mike Tyson or the Oakland Raiders.”

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Noise reprieve: New York Met pitcher Masato Yoshii on working a game during Manager Bobby Valentine’s two-game suspension:

“The only thing I noticed was that it was real quiet in the dugout. That’s when I noticed Bobby wasn’t there.”

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Come fly with me: Duke’s Elton Brand, who stands 6 feet 8 inches, was measured at the recent NBA predraft combine in Chicago. He has a wingspan of 7 feet 5.

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Lovable guy: Albert Belle, never breaking stride as he walked off the field in response to a youngster who asked for the Baltimore Oriole slugger’s autograph by saying it would make his day:

“You know what, kid? I’m sure it would.”

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Bzzzzz: Rick Telander of the Chicago Sun-Times describing the Knicks after their victory in Game 3 of the NBA finals: “These [Knicks] are the peskiest, most-never-say-die creatures since that colony of fruit flies took over your apple basket.”

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Trivia answer: Magic Johnson of the Lakers, with 10, against Philadelphia on May 14, 1980.

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And finally: George “Iceman” Gervin, a former star for the San Antonio Spurs, commenting to Shaun Powell of Newsday on the lack of scoring in the NBA finals:

“I could play in any era, especially this one. The players today can’t put the ball in the basket. There are too many guys who run up and down the floor faster than ever, and they can jump real high, but they can’t shoot a lick.

“Most of them are athletes, that’s all.”