Who Gave 7.5 Points?

Pity all of the gamblers that took the 7.5 points on their beloved Spurs on Thursday night. Sasha Vujacic should be considered a hero to many a sports gamblers for playing the game out until the very end. There will be those who think it was kind of bush league for Sasha to take that final shot. There will even be those who will suggest that he might have had money riding on the game. And you know what?

Hopefully he did.

More professional athletes should be forced to wager on themselves. PGA players have to do it each week. Well, almost. But their prize money is tied directly to how well they play. Imagine that the next time a golfer has to penalize himself -- he/she is taking money out of their own pocket. Think of how spirited the NBA finals would be if the players had a couple of million riding on the outcome. And hell, Sasha is a Euro where they have casinos inside of futbol stadiums, so this might very well be a custom to him.

A couple of closing notes on the Lakers/Spurs series. Having Jerry West represent was wonderful. Great to have him back in the fold. This is the way life should be.

Reader Matt P. pointed out that nobody on the Lakers team even touched the Western Conference trophy. We don't play for second place trophies in Los Angeles. Danica Garnett will probably kiss the thing when the Cellbitch closes out the Pistons on Friday night.