Kinshasa

Well, that didn't exactly go like we hoped, now did it?

Holy cow the Magic looked bad last night - and was it me or did it seem like Rafer Alston missed 17 3-pointers in the third quarter?

Anyway, the only positive I took away from last night's bludgeoning was the chance to see DJ Mbenga come off the bench in the dying minutes of the game - his second appearance in an NBA Finals (the first coming in the Dallas/Miami series from a couple of years ago) ((Fun fact: DJ Mbenga's teams have appeared in three of the last four NBA Finals, and if the Lakers somehow lose to the Magic, his teams will be 0-for-3)).

As I was saying, coming on the heels of Dikembe Mutombo's injury-provoked retirement in the first round of the playoffs, it was great to see Mbenga get a chance to represent the Congo on such a big stage. And while it's not exactly a passing of the torch - Mbenga is a fringe player, while Mutombo was an all-star - the fact the two men are good friends (see Andrew Kamenetzky's great interview in the LA Times about this subject) counts for something.

Mbenga's amazing life story has been chronicled elsewhere, but it's worth reading if you haven't already. I won't go so far to say that I'm rooting for the Lakers, but I have to admit that a small part of me is glad to see Mbenga get a chance to be the first Congolese man to win an NBA championship.

Now, Rafer, about those 3's ...