An uproar in house of mouse as Lakers hit Orlando

FROM ORLANDO, FLA. — Those mouse ears, that ogre, that donkey . . . there's something familiar about this place.

Of course!

It's Orlando, home of Disney World, Universal Studios Florida, innumerable other theme parks and the Magic, a thrill ride in its own right, if one in danger of being shut down for the season after the Lakers went up, 2-0, in the NBA Finals on Sunday.

That was pending further developments, of course.

If you missed it, and nobody here did, replays of Courtney Lee going up to miss that memorable layup at the end of regulation in Game 2 showed one other thing . . . Pau Gasol's fingers brushing the net and touching the rim.

Had it been called goaltending, Lee's shot would have counted, Orlando would have won, 90-88, and the series would be tied, 1-1.

In fact, NBA director of officials Bernie Fryer said the play was called correctly, since Gasol didn't alter the flight of the ball.

So, the Lakers lead, 2-0! Are they a team of destiny or what?

Not that they're expecting a warm welcome tonight for Game 3, under the circumstances.

It's not just the injustice perceived here; it's everything, including the traditional Phil Jackson Factor.

I know this is hard to believe, but Phil once sneered at this place, as recalled last week by the Orlando Sentinel's Mike Bianchi:

"Phil looked down his nose and said, 'If you want a plastic city like Orlando that has warm weather and golf courses, that's fine. But if you want a city that has meat and grist to it, and has a culture, Chicago has it.' "

Of course, that was when Jackson lived in Chicago.

Now, living in a city with warm weather and golf courses, Phil may be more favorably inclined toward Orlando, assuming he can handle 80% humidity.

Jackson made his remarks during the 1996 Eastern Conference finals as his Bulls swept the Magic, 4-0. That turned out to be Shaquille O'Neal's last appearance in a Magic uniform, before the Lakers stole him away that summer.

So, if hate were toxic, the Lakers would be dead one minute into warmups tonight.

Happily for them, as Kobe Bryant said of Jazz fans in the first round, "They're not going to come out on the court -- I don't think."

That was several turning points and wake-up calls back, but the Lakers, who moldered in that series, buckled against Houston and held on by their fingernails against Denver, have it back together, pretty much.