FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH:

Are the NBA Finals over?

Certainly appear to be.

And if this is a done deal, the Magic’s meltdown Thursday night, letting the Lakers take an open 3-pointer  in the dying seconds when Orlando had a three-point lead, will be the signature moment. Give the Magic a brain and they’d have one.

Truth is, though, they are very close to being up 3-1 instead of being down 3-1, losing the second game in overtime after Courtney Lee’s layup rolled off the rim at the end of regulation.

Truth also is that the Lakers are far from a great team, a team that now could be in a dogfight of a series. Instead, the championship trophy is so close they can almost reach out and touch it.

Memo to Tom Brady: stay on land, big guy.

The Yankees still don’t have enough pitching.

Spare me the Letterman/Sarah Palin dustup: Letterman is a comedian, comedians sometimes go over the line because it’s the nature of the beast, and if you don’t like him turn the channel.

George Steinbrenner in his prime would have been firing concession workers by now.

Quiz of the Week: The Red Sox had five No. 1 draft choices in 2005. Who were they? (answer near the bottom of the column.)

Line of the Week comes from Manny on his 50-game suspension, as reported by the Associated Press: “What happens, happens. I didn’t kill nobody. I didn’t rape nobody.’’

Ah, Manny, you wordsmith you.

Line of the Week II comes from Tony De Luca, my E-mail maven: “How did my Yankees go from the Bronx Bombers to the Back Bay Baby Seals?’’

Say a little prayer for Patrick Kennedy.

When did Phil Jackson turn into Frasier Crane?

It’s almost inconceivable that the Yankees could be 0-8 against the Red Sox, isn’t it?

And it’s also inconceivable that Dice-K could have such a fall from grace.

A Trace of Smoke is an atmospheric mystery set in Berlin in the 1930s as the Nazis are coming to power, expertly done by new writer Rebecca Cantrell.

The top three seeds in the 1600-meter event at the New England high school track championships Saturday were going to be Andrew Springer of Westerly, John Gregorek of Seekonk and Nick Ross of East Greenwich. That sounded like the Rhode Island-area Invitational to me until Springer opted for a bigger race in Illinois.

There’s no truth to the rumor that the new Yankee Stadium is going to host the world whiffle ball championships.

Or that A.J. Burnett is better throwing pies than he is throwing fastballs.

If Hangover isn’t funny, I’m boycotting movies for a while.

Congratulations to Jules Cohen, who last weekend was inducted into the New England Hall of Fame. Ed Shein, my tennis guru, says that in his lifetime Cohen was the best Rhode Island male tennis player, which is good enough for me.

Were there picket lines in the Renaissance?

Dennis Eckersley is a walking, talking reminder of the 1970s.

Which were a lot more interesting than this new millennium, in case you’re keeping score.

Dime, which calls itself the basketball lifestyle magazine, has only two seniors going in the top 15 of the NBA Draft.

When did sweatpants become a fashion statement?

If you are shocked that Alabama is on probation, Bunky, you probably still haven’t come to grips with the news that pro wrestling is fake.

A-Rod might be the worst great player I’ve ever seen, if that makes any sense.

Did you see where Mark Sanchez is the highest-paid Jet of all time, even though he’s never played a down? Say it ain’t so, Broadway Joe.

Remember when WPRO called itself “color radio?’’

And when the Celtics always played a handful of games in the old R.I. Auditorium and never sold out?

Kudos to four Rhode Island high school lacrosse players who have been named All-Americans: Conor O’Donnell of LaSalle, Ian Deveau of Moses Brown, Ted Pekalski of Hendricken and Ben Sternberg of North Kingstown.

Tim Floyd leaving USC is the college basketball version of beating the sheriff out of town.

Theo versus Brian Cashman is not a fair fight.

Eddie Murphy, who started off as such a great talent, now seems as if he just goes through the motions.

Quiz Answer: Clay Buchholz, Craig Hansen, Michael Bowden, Jed Lowrie and Jacoby Ellsbury.

You know Hollywood is tired when one of the big summer movies — The Taking of Pelham 123 — is a remake of one done in 1974.

If Phil Jackson were any more laid back, he’d be asleep.

The rumors keep flying around that the Celtics are going to do something significant, something that figures to include Ray Allen.

Has Big Papi found another life, or is this just a mirage?

Let’s see, we’ve got the Providence firefighters downtown picketing the national mayors’ convention, the city’s going broke, everyone expects a traffic mess when the new I-Way opens, the stimulus money hasn’t ended up in anyone’s pocket I know, Friday it was like the circus had come to town, and June seems like April. Can’t make you up, Rhode Island.