FRIG-O-RAMA ON FIGUEROA

Mayo/Fig. Tech probe deepens, like hole Lakers are in after blowing 24-point lead in Game 4 to go down to Celtics 1-3 in Finals (Virgin Territory for an eventual NBA Champ)

Figueroa Constrictor — And the noose tightens… 

Usc and the Lakers have both just screwed themselves, because of complacency.

Southern Cal is embroiled in a multi-agency investigation into the alleged wrongdoings of Rodney Guillory, and a “new” agency just jumped in:  The U.S. Attorney’s Office.  Apparently, the U.S. Attorney doesn’t get involved in piddly-crap, so this case is not just going to get swept under the Cardinal & Gold rug.

While the U.S. Attorney will be more focused on Guillory and the Agent-Player relationship, their investigation will pave the way for the NCAA and the Pac-10 to cull more and more information in their cases against usc. 

And it works both ways.  The NCAA and the Pac-10 had a 7-hour meeting with Mayo-accuser Louis Johnson yesterday, asking him questions and verifying the RECEIPTS that he brought with him.  Everything that he presented will also be available to the IRS and other agencies who are very interested in the TAX-FREE gifts going to O.J., bought with a Sickle Cell Anemia foundation Credit Card.

Legal analysts are predicting that sc will not be able to escape punishment this time like they usually do, because they knew full well that Guillory had already caused a previous trojan to get suspended, yet they still gave him the proverbial Key to the City.  There is simply no way that sc can claim that they shouldn’t have known that Guillory was sleaze.  It’s not like the previous crime happened to some East Coast school — It happened right there on Figueroa Blvd.

The question is whether or not Bushgate can catch up with Sicklegate, so that the two SCandals can be viewed together, in order to fully illustrate “lack of institutional control.”  The two biggest crimes in the whole Nation, with the two most heralded names, both at the same school, yet that school has yet to get ANY comeuppance.  And you wonder why they’re complacent?

Speaking of which, the Lakers might have let the entire Season slip away last night, when their 24-point, 2nd Quarter lead and 20-point, 3rd Quarter lead both disintegrated in a stunning — and stunningly painful — 97-91 Game 4 loss.

We don’t do game autopsies here, but we will say that Kobe struggled throughout the game, even when the Lakers were dominating the game.  He didn’t hit his first Field Goal until the 3rd Quarter.  But Lamar Odom picked up the slack in a huge way, completely controlling the game while the Lakers built a 21-point lead, the largest “end-of-One” lead in NBA Finals history.

Jordan Farmar’s shot was off, but Trevor Ariza picked up the Bruin slack in a pretty big way.  In 6 minutes, Ariza hit a Three, scored 6, grabbed 5 Rebounds, got a Steal, a Block, and a Deflection.  He was the most energetic guy on the floor, and really showed his nose for the ball.  Later in the game, Farmar became the most inspirational and energetic player, by hitting a miracle three at the Halftime Buzzer — after Phil Jackson put him in with 5 seconds left exactly for that purpose — and by pulling down three Rebounds in succession while the Celtics came charging back.

But in the final minutes, after the Celtics had taken a 3-point lead, Farmar missed a crucial, open Three, and Boston never looked back.  Perhaps Derek Fisher was injured or something, otherwise, why was Farmar even IN THE GAME with 3 minutes to go?  It’s not like he was having a great game up until that point.  Fisher finally came in with under 3 to play, and he also missed an open look that could have kept the Lakers alive.  Of course, it’s not easy to come in COLD to the last 2 minutes of a Finals game and sink your first shot without even getting back into the flow of the game.

The reason why the Lakers share a bleak outlook with sc is that NO ONE has ever come back from a 1-3 deficit in the NBA Finals.  That doesn’t mean that it CAN’T be done, but NO ONE now expects it to happen this year.  The Lakers have one more game in the “friendly confines” of the Staples Center, but if they win, they head to Boston for Game 6 and maybe 7, which makes Boston the “Big Brown” of the Finals… (if only).