Guarding

Did Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the accused gunman in Thursday's rampage at Ft. Hood, Texas, commit mass murder because of a mental breakdown or because of hatred for his own country fueled by Islamic radicalism -- or some combination of the two? We don't know yet, but whatever the explanation turns out to be, we do know this: The carnage is not a reflection on all the other Muslims serving in the U.S. military. President Obama made that point on Saturday, albeit obliquely, when he noted that those who have fought for this country include "Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and nonbelievers."

LeBron James of the Miami Heat was the leading vote-getter for the All-NBA team, and the Lakers' Kobe Bryant earned his 10th first-team selection, tied for second on the all-time list. Bryant, a first-team pick for the seventh straight season, joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , Elgin Baylor , Bob Cousy , Michael Jordan , Bob Pettit and Jerry West with 10 selections to the first team. Karl Malone is the leader with 11. James, who won his third most-valuable-player award, received 118 of a possible 120 first-team votes Thursday from a panel of writers and broadcasters.

I read with great interest (Oct. 7) an article in the View section about Alexander Haagen. One thing caught me eye, however, that caused me to choke on my bacon and eggs. Mr. Haagen said that he was an All-City running guard at Los Angeles High School. Since he graduated in the Winter, 1938, class, that would have meant that as a senior he played on the 1937 team. I was a starting end on that team and I can state unequivocally that there was no one on that team by that name--or any other L.A. High football team.

AT MINNESOTA When: 5 PDT. Where: Target Center, Minneapolis. On the air: WNBA.com. Records: Sparks 2-0, Lynx 2-0. Record vs. Lynx (2011): 1-4. Update: Sparks guard Sharnee Zoll sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee during Monday's practice and is expected to miss the remainder of the season. Zoll, who played in Europe the last four seasons before the Sparks signed her in February, averaged seven assists in the team's two exhibition games but did not play in the team's season opener Friday.

Sheriff's deputies chasing a group of gang members shot and killed a pit bull guarding a stash of rock cocaine and weapons in a doghouse, officials said Tuesday. The incident began shortly after 10 p.m. Monday when a man flagged down a sheriff's patrol car and said he had been robbed of $20, Deputy Roger Hom said. The victim said the muggers had fled to a house at in the 11100 block of New Hampshire Avenue in Los Angeles, where deputies entered the rear yard and encountered a man and four teen-agers.

The advertising campaign you will never see: Grampa Shaq is sitting with two grandchildren on his lap, one playing with his gray beard. "Grampa, how did you get so old?" one will ask. "Guarding Hakeem, my child, guarding Hakeem." MO SCHWARTZ Los Angeles

Gunmen killed an anti-terrorism policeman guarding a witness in central Athens in a brazen escalation of domestic militant attacks prompted by massive riots in December. The death of 41-year-old Nektarios Savvas was the first killing attributed to terrorism in Greece in several years. The officer had been guarding the home of a key witness in the trial of the now-defunct far-left Greek terrorist group Revolutionary People's Struggle, known by its Greek acronym ELA.

'I couldn't believe he wasn't first team. Ben Wallace was the defensive player of the year? No offense, but who is he guarding in the Eastern Conference? Bruce checked everyone with game.' -- Nick Van Exel, Dallas Maverick guard, on San Antonio Spur forward Bruce Bowen's making the NBA's all-defensive second team

I would like to commend Dan Medina of Channel 9 news on his investigative reports. I particularly enjoyed his reports on gangs, traffic violator schools and machine guarding. His reports have been extremely professional, thorough and informative. Douglas H. Hinesley, Westminster

Re: "Medical bills tied to more bankruptcies," June 4: A spokesman for private insurers said that "private insurers were in a better position to rein in spiraling medical costs and that the industry had a plan for protecting people from being forced into bankruptcy." Our present healthcare economy makes that hard to believe. His statement is a vivid example of the wolf guarding the henhouse. Wayne Muramatsu Cerritos

OKLAHOMA CITY - The Lakers can only hope that their point guard of the future is better than the one of their recent past. Even if the player who fits both descriptions is Ramon Sessions. After providing a considerable boost upon his acquisition in March, Sessions was a disappointment for most of the Western Conference semifinals. His performance in the Lakers' season-ending 106-90 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 on Monday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena may have been a new low. Two of Sessions' playoff-worst six turnovers triggered big runs by the Thunder.

Kevin Durant might be listed at 6-feet-9, but an Oklahoma City teammate called the star forward 6-10. And Lakers Coach Mike Brown went so far as to call Durant a 7-footer. No matter, Durant's contribution Saturday was immeasurable in the pivotal Game 4 of the Western Conference best-of-seven semifinal series. Not only did he drain the go-ahead three-pointer with 13.7 seconds left in a 103-100 victory over the Lakers, but he applied stifling defense to Kobe Bryant down the stretch, using his long arms to alter every shot.

Guard Derek Fisher, grand old man of the Oklahoma City Thunder, is the emotional rock of an otherwise young team. "He's the best I've played with or seen in terms of being able to address a team, talk to a team, communicate with guys in a way that's really effective," forward Nick Collison said of Fisher, 37. "It's like having another coach, but he still has the respect of the players. It doesn't feel like he's preaching at you, he just makes a lot of sense. " In that way, the Lakers can only hope that passing the rock doesn't come back to haunt them.

Like many of his teammates, Clippers guard Nick Young has been coping with an injury throughout his team's playoff series with the San Antonio Spurs. His malady hasn't gotten nearly as much attention as Chris Paul's strained right hip flexor or Blake Griffin's sprained left knee, but regardless, Young's tooth really hurts. The Reseda Cleveland High School and USC alum has been putting off dental surgery to extract a wisdom tooth so he could keep playing in the playoffs. After joining the Clippers in March, Young's scoring spark off the bench has quickly become indispensable.

When Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher were teammates, Bryant used to joke about the lopsided results of their one-on-one games at the Lakers practice facility. On Friday evening, he proved that he wasn't just bragging. Fisher guarded Bryant on two possessions in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the Lakers Western Conference Semifinal series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The mismatch resulted in consecutive baskets for Bryant. In the first sequence, Bryant shot a 14-foot turnaround fade away jumper over Fisher to tie the game at 76-76 with 8:17 remaining.

Throughout the playoff series, Spurs point guard Tony Parker has downplayed his matchup with Clippers point guard Chris Paul. Things were no different Saturday after the Spurs' 96-86 comeback victory, as Parker reiterated that he was not focusing solely on shutting down the Clippers star. But Parker's teammate Tim Duncan did say that the tough defensive assignment makes Parker "even better. " "He couldn't find a rhythm on the offensive end, but he was playing defense really hard," Duncan said.

It has come to my attention that Judge Kathleen O'Leary just received a promotion to Superior Court. However, judging from her recent unjust jail sentence of Edward Allan to jail, I fail to see why she did not receive a demotion. This former chief of police spent his whole life guarding our rights and now in his senior years, this is his reward. Does Judge O'Leary really think he is a threat to society? DOROTHY M. ALLEN Placentia

OKLAHOMA CITY — Point broken. The Lakers continued to suffer in point-guard production against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Ramon Sessions had two points and no assists in 24 minutes of the Lakers' 77-75 loss in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals. Steve Blake had five points on one-for-five shooting in almost 27 minutes Wednesday. Blake missed the possible go-ahead shot with 3.9 seconds to play, his three-point attempt from the corner a little long and a tad to the right.

SAN ANTONIO — With Chris Paul clearly slowed by injury, another little point guard stepped in Tuesday to lead the way. With next to no playoff experience, Eric Bledsoe was thrust into the limelight in Game 1 against the San Antonio Spurs and responded with a 23-point performance that matched his career high. Bledsoe, though, was about the only bright spot for the Clippers, who were blown away in the second half and fell to the Spurs, 108-92, to open the Western Conference semifinals.