Prediction Will Floor Someone in the NBA

A former Laker beat writer, Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News had his own view of the battle between L.A. and Sacramento after Friday’s exhibition game skirmish.

“The NBA will experience a regime change in June because the Kings aren’t intimidated by the Lakers anymore,” Kawakami wrote.

“It’s about knowing you can get your shots when and where you want them, about figuring out how to keep [Shaquille] O’Neal from smashing rims and Kobe Bryant from slashing you to bits.

“But the physical stuff doesn’t hurt either. They always say: To take the title away from a champion, you have to put the champion on the floor.”

One question: Who is “they”?

Trivia time: Which are the four Pacific 10 schools with winning bowl records?

Juicy controversy: Scott Ostler in the San Francisco Chronicle:

“Major League Baseball officials provided proof that the balls are juiced by officially denying it. What are they going to say? ‘You caught us!’

“Of course they juiced the ball. The marquee guy is [Barry] Bonds, and MLB is fighting desperately for a TV audience, and it needs the big stuff.”

Light tap: San Diego Charger quarterback Drew Brees, after Raider fans pelted the Chargers with objects after a San Diego overtime win: “I got a water bottle on the top of my helmet -- it might have been the hardest hit I took all day.”

Cocky quarterback: Tony Siragusa, former Baltimore defensive tackle, on Brett Favre’s cool under fire:

“Let me tell you, when we played him last year, he killed us, the Ravens.

“He goes up to the line of scrimmage. Quarterbacks usually go and concentrate on the defensive line. This guy comes up and says. ‘Hey, Goose, it’s on two.’ ”

Nobody to somebody: Nick Canepa of the San Diego Union-Tribune on the Chargers’ fast start: “The Rams, Ravens and Patriots, the past three Super Bowl winners, were nobodies before they won.

“It’s the way of the NFL these days. The Chargers have been nobodies for six years, so they have impeccable credentials.”

Cinch courses: Dwight Perry in the Seattle Times:

“After Alex Rodriguez donated $3.9 million to the University of Miami and then announced he would start attending classes there, [do you] think there’s a professor there who’ll give him a B?”

Bud’s boo-boo: Bud Geracie of the San Jose Mercury News checked in with the bad prediction of the week: “[Saturday] at 9 a.m., it’s midnight for Cinderella Notre Dame.”

Looking back: On this day in 1922, USC lost to California, 12-0. It was the Trojans’ only loss of the season. They finished with a 10-1 record after defeating Penn State, 14-3, in the Rose Bowl game.

Trivia answer: Arizona State, USC, Washington and Washington State.

And finally: Jerry Greene in the Orlando Sentinel: “In those orange jerseys, the Cleveland Browns looked like they should be picking up trash on the side of the road.”