The Lakers vs. Golden State

Comtinued from page 8 psychological effects; they defeat tough defensive efforts and close scoring gaps fast. Curry and Klay Thompson hit on 18 of 30 treys, raining dismay from above.

But Curry also ran the offense like an orchestra conductor with 12 assists and had enough zip to grab four rebounds.

On the other hand, the Lakers made a lot of their own problems. They shot only 59 percent from the free throw line and 29 percent from behind the arc, compared to Golden State’s 63 and 51 percent stats. Better shooting solves a lot of problems.

The game is set to tip off at 5:30 p.m. Pacific time.

Sports Retorts: What is a sport?

Continued from page 8 of socialization skills, addiction, distraction from studying, and more.

Now, some of these concerns are echoes of complaints made about television in the Fifties and Sixties that now appear to have been overblown. But back then the TV was typically limited to one set per home and kids could not monopolize the tube.

A typical middle class home today has at least one – probably more – desktop personal computer and numerous iPads, smartphones, etc.

It should be remembered that virtually all sports carry a downside. Contact sports lead to concussions and broken bones. Speed sports can mean pulled muscles and foot and leg injuries. Flag football won’t have tackling or blocking, but you can bet it will have its fair share of “incidental” collisions and hard landings.

Esports do not involve any of that, but neither does chess, considered the premium cerebral contest. I suppose if chess had as many fervent all-night players in teen years as “Call of Duty” or “Overwatch,” there might be similar concerns about that “sport.”

Probably the march of electronic team contests is inevitable and that high schools will bow to the inevitable. It’s sort of ironic that so much of the controversy swirls around making a high school student use his or her mind too much.

Jim Tortolano has been known to play “Civilization” until the wee hours, subsisting on a diet of Cheez-Its and Mountain Dew