Loss Left Lavin Neither Shaken Nor Stirred

The problem with playing such less-than-significant basketball schools as Northridge or USC, especially when you are a big-time basketball powerhouse like UCLA, is you might be caught looking ahead to another big-time basketball school--such as Kansas--and maybe lose to one of college basketball’s pipsqueaks.

That’s always upsetting, and for some people who don’t understand basketball as well as you and I do, they look on a fluky loss to one of these nowhere basketball schools such as Northridge or USC as the end of the world.

Some people consider this a coaching flaw when discussing UCLA’s Steve Lavin, I guess suggesting his team should win every game.

But I look at all of this as entertainment, like Goldfinger telling James Bond he’s a goner while a laser works its way up a table to split 007 in half, but everyone in the audience knowing Bond will escape and, ultimately, triumph. Obviously, I don’t see any comparisons between Bond and Bob Toledo.

Knowing Bond’s tastes, I wouldn’t think he’d give a second look to Cinderella, and here was UCLA in much the same situation Thursday-- playing an unranked team from a program that doesn’t attract many faithful basketball fans. How do you get excited playing Plain Jane when two days later you’re going to be playing against Kansas, the No. 1 team in the whole United States of America?

If you’re the Bruins, are you going to trot out your best stuff for Fox cable or for a Saturday national TV audience? The credit goes to Lavin for having all his players show up Thursday night, all of them obviously aware they were missing the climactic episode of “Survivor” to play a meaningless game.

The fact it was a Pacific 10 Conference game means nothing anymore because there is going to be a Pac-10 Conference tournament in Staples Center at season’s end when this whole thing will really be sorted out.

If Thursday’s game had really meant something, do you think Lavin would have kept Cedric Bozeman, Dijon Thompson and Andre Patterson--his collection of super freshmen-- on the bench for much of the game? He didn’t let any of them score a single point--because what’s the challenge or lesson learned in scoring against an unranked school known best for having a good football team years ago?

Saturday he played the kids a combined 50 minutes against Kansas, in a game that everyone across the country was watching, and UCLA won by 10.

For all I know, Lavin let his assistants do the coaching against USC, which allowed Henry Bibby to feel what it’s like to beat UCLA. Back to work Saturday. Of course, it really wasn’t much of a match--Lavin versus Roy Williams.

The game with Kansas was probably as good as college basketball can get, with the crowd getting a full dose of entertainment and the best of Matt Barnes and Dan Gadzuric. I saw UCLA Athletic Director Peter Dalis after the victory, and he was so excited I think he might have offered Lavin a lifetime contract had they not been walking to opposite ends of the court.

This is the third consecutive year Lavin’s team has knocked off the No. 1 team. That’s as much fun a team and its fans can have. You can’t knock off the No. 1 team in the nation and have all that fun if you win all your games and you’re ranked No. 1--and I think you can be pretty sure Lavin won’t let that happen.

Before Saturday’s game a group of more than 100 boosters gathered to listen to Lavin, many of them drinking sparkling white wine at 10a.m. because a season with Lavin will do that to you. Someone asked him if news reports after the USC game were true, which suggested the Trojans wanted to win more than the Bruins.

Lavin told the crowd the Trojans played every moment as if they were playing the national championship game. As you know, “Hoosiers”-like teams from Northridge and USC are going to do that when they get the chance to play a big-time school like UCLA, and the gutty little Trojans deserve credit.

As far as the Bruins go, they played just OK and lost Thursday, which meant Saturday was a trademark, bounce-back day for a Lavin team. Kansas never had a chance.

I know what you’re thinking, and I checked. The Bruins play the Trojans again on a forgettable Wednesday in February, as if they’re really going to care, knowing they will play at Villanova the following Saturday in a nationally televised game. I wouldn’t be surprised if they lose again to USC, knowing Villanova’s fine basketball reputation and how much the Bruins will be looking forward to playing that school.

THE BRUINS’ games are broadcast on KXTA (1150), and before the game with Kansas, Dave Smith blasted the local media for going easy on Shaq. When a caller told Smith that 1150 has been going easy on Lavin because it’s the Bruins’ station, Smith said, “We’re backed up against the hour,” and cut the caller off. Then he took another call.

WORD IS Steve Spurrier will become coach of the Washington Redskins on Monday, which will clear the way for Bobby Beathard to return to Washington as general manager. This probably rules out any trade between the Cowboys and Redskins involving Ryan Leaf.

THIS COMES from ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark: The Dodgers’ Marquis Grissom has made more outs in the last 10 years (4,441) than any other player. Eric Karros is fifth at 4,248--but climbing fast.

PETE MOYER, the guy who is trying to help refinance our home, told me Bob Dougherty, his father-in-law, is a swell guy and a diehard Raider fan. After I asked Moyer to leave our home he called back to say his father-in-law was now a Rams’ fan.

It’s still going to be tough, but I think we can do business.

TODAY’S LAST word comes in an e-mail from Lilboydboy:

“Even though you may get paid to write your stupid opinions--none of it is appreciated by us Angel Fans.”

And I’d work for nothing if I were just appreciated more.

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T.J. Simers can be reached at t.j.simers@latimes.com.