By Brian Kayser
Jersey Shore

   16 points. 16 points! Is it even possible for a team to lose a 16 point lead in one quarter? The Blazers completely dominated the Los Angeles Lakers for three quarters, only to lose the lead in the fourth thanks to Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Brian Shaw. 
   Rasheed Wallace played great, scoring 30 points. As the Lakers looked like they were coming back, Steve Smith silenced them with a three-pointer. Even Arvydas Sabonis was able to connect on some shots. The fact that the Blazers beat the Lakers in three quarters only to lose in the fourth makes the game so much harder to stomach. 
Sabonis did a great job on Shaq, who only scored 18 points, but nine of them came in the infamous fourth quarter. 
   Scottie Pippen, who was supposed to take Portland to the Finals this year, was nearly invisible after going 3-10 from the floor. More than a knock on Scottie, it is a tribute to Michael Jordan, who really got the most out of his teammates. 
   Steve Smith was hot the whole game, except the last 12 minutes. He was 1-5 in the fourth quarter. How it could not be called a foul when he drives the lane and gets hammered by every Laker except Jerry West is beyond everyone (it happened late in the fourth quarter). The refs' job is to call the game the way they see it, not how they want to see it. With New York eliminated, the next best media-market is Los Angeles, so of course the league would rather see the Lakers in the Finals. 
   Practically everyone from Jack Nicholson to Penny Marshall was walking up the aisles in the third quarter. It was so silent in there, a pin drop could have been heard. Then Brian Shaw hits a three, and there is the possibility of a comeback, so everyone comes alive again. This has got to be the worst example of fairweather fans, with the exception of the new Cinncinati Reds and St. Louis Rams fans.

6/18/2000
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