Lakers in Six

“There’s absolutely nothing like a championship run to bring this city together,” said Lewis MacAdams on NPR’s “Day to Day” radio show. (Listen to the story.) He described the Laker flags on junky pick-up trucks and nice Mercedes-Benzes, fist bumps between poets and store clerks, and the general elation of Lakers fans around the city. Well, he probably wrote the story before the first two games of the series – and before the fight at Staples Center at the Game 2 screening (see the LA Observed post) — but I loved it anyway. Frankly, it’s true. People are quite willing to offer perspectives on Paul Pierce’s amazing recovery/healing, discuss the free throw disparity, and even cut people deals. (Back in 2001, a printer gave me a huge discount on a project and even rushed the delivery because we talked about the Lakers before we started doing business!) When the Lakers are doing well, it's easier to break the ice and cut across ethnic, class, and age divisions. A couple days ago, John and Becky saw a guy in a Kobe MVP jersey and had an evangelistic conversation right in their front yard. The power of connecting through powerful common interests cannot be underestimated.