With embarrassing sweep out of the playoffs by Dallas, they have seen the enemy, and it is them. And, going forward, they have no coach, no bench and little money to get better quick.
From Dallas
For six months, the Lakers' third time was a charm.
On Sunday, it resolutely and reprehensibly crumbled into a curse.
The expectations were too heavy. The distractions were too large. The bodies were too weary. The heart was too faint.
And, believe it or not, the Dallas Mavericks were too good, the NBA's softest playoff team pounding the Lakers into sweeping submission with a 122-86 victory to finish off a four-game sweep of the second-round playoff series.
"I don't know where we lost it … that drive, that bond we had in the past, that cohesive drive in order to overcome adversity," said Lamar Odom.
They weren't just beaten, they were embarrassed by two punk moves that led to ejections, humiliated by a crowd that sang and jeered them off the court, and shamed into an uncertain future.
"It's going to be a l-o-o-o-ng summer," said Ron Artest.
It's been a long three years, with the two-time defending champions finally collapsing under the weight of issues both personal and professional, a lack of locker-room trust tearing apart their fabric on the court.
"This is the worst I've ever seen the Lakers play in a game that they need," said Magic Johnson, team vice president, during a televised halftime show.
In the horrific final two hours Sunday, they didn't pass, they didn't shoot, and they didn't guard anybody, raising a white flag that allowed the Mavericks to tie an NBA playoff record with 20 mostly wide-open three pointers.
Read More
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke-lakers-20110509,0,2261550.column?track=rss
From Dallas
For six months, the Lakers' third time was a charm.
On Sunday, it resolutely and reprehensibly crumbled into a curse.
The expectations were too heavy. The distractions were too large. The bodies were too weary. The heart was too faint.
And, believe it or not, the Dallas Mavericks were too good, the NBA's softest playoff team pounding the Lakers into sweeping submission with a 122-86 victory to finish off a four-game sweep of the second-round playoff series.
"I don't know where we lost it … that drive, that bond we had in the past, that cohesive drive in order to overcome adversity," said Lamar Odom.
They weren't just beaten, they were embarrassed by two punk moves that led to ejections, humiliated by a crowd that sang and jeered them off the court, and shamed into an uncertain future.
"It's going to be a l-o-o-o-ng summer," said Ron Artest.
It's been a long three years, with the two-time defending champions finally collapsing under the weight of issues both personal and professional, a lack of locker-room trust tearing apart their fabric on the court.
"This is the worst I've ever seen the Lakers play in a game that they need," said Magic Johnson, team vice president, during a televised halftime show.
In the horrific final two hours Sunday, they didn't pass, they didn't shoot, and they didn't guard anybody, raising a white flag that allowed the Mavericks to tie an NBA playoff record with 20 mostly wide-open three pointers.
Read More
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke-lakers-20110509,0,2261550.column?track=rss
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