To Live and Die in LA

I've been a Laker fan for over 30 years and they've brought me a lot of joy and some pain over the course of those 30 years. Who could forget 1985? Finally beating the Celtics in the Finals for the first time (and in Boston Garden to boot!). The back to back seasons of '87 & '88 (the greatest Laker teams ever in my opinion). The Shaq & Kobe three-peat.  I also remember the sting of being swept in the  '83 and '89 Finals as well as the sweeps in the late 90's by Utah and San Antonio and losing to Detroit again in 2004. Sunday's 122-86 blowout loss and series sweep by the Dallas Mavericks will certainly go into the pain column. The Laker players embarrassed themselves and the franchise with that "performance" and this series will no doubt be looked at as a dark period in Lakers history. The Lakers were completely outclassed and then Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum showed no class. Bynum is no stranger to cheap shots, just ask Michael Beasley. After 4 quarters of Mavs dominance the Lakers defeat was complete.  The career of Phil Jackson, the greatest coach in NBA history ends in the most embarrassing fashion that no Laker fan would've imagined 6 months ago. Phil will be ok. I don't think he'll lose much sleep over the way this season ended given how much success he has enjoyed as a coach. The players should've sent him out on a much higher note and they will each have to look in the mirror and ask themselves ‘did I do all I could to help this team win.' They will look back on this season and regret wasting it away over whatever trivial issues that may have engulfed the locker room over the last few weeks. The shame of this loss lies at their feet and they will have to come to grips with this over the next several weeks/months.

The Dallas Mavericks played an outstanding series and even showed the Lakers the ultimate respect by coming into game 4 and blowing them out. That sounds weird but it's true. How you show respect for an opponent is by bringing your best game and playing as hard as you possibly can. And in that regard the Lakers showed very little respect towards the Mavs.  Did the Lakers suddenly forget how to play championship basketball or were the seeds of this defeat planted months ago? We have all watched this rollercoaster season unfold right before our eyes with the hope that the Lakers would somehow figure it all out and at the right moment flip that proverbial switch. At least that's what we hoped. To send Phil Jackson out in style with his 12th ring was the plan. Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher would get their 6th rings. The Lakers would tie the hated Boston Celtics for the most championships in NBA history and perhaps Ron Artest could auction off another championship ring for a good cause.  It would've been a great story of ultimate triumph. Instead it became a story of humiliation, betrayal and shame as the Lakers were vanquished and left wondering what might have been.

Where do the Lakers go from here? That will be the question surrounding the team in the coming weeks/months. Do they blow up the team as Magic Johnson said? With the possibility of a lockout looming it makes this offseason even more tenuous. The Lakers are way over the cap with a staggering $92.9 million on the books for next season.  They have no first round picks in this year's draft which may not be a big deal considering it might be a weak one to begin with. All that's really left for the Lakers are trades and in order to get something they're going to have to give up something. They are going to have to be willing to part with either Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum or Lamar Odom to bring in an impact player (whoever that may be). The Lakers have too many players on the wrong side of 30 and are in desperate need of some young legs. Mitch Kupchak will have his work cut out for him. The obvious need is at the point. Unfortunately there aren't a bunch of really good point guards just lying around waiting to be picked up. Teams that have them aren't giving them up easily.  We've all heard the Dwight Howard rumors but Orlando is intent on keeping him and with the uncertainty of what the next collective bargaining agreement will look like it's anybody's guess if that type of mega deal will be possible.

Kobe Bryant put up solid numbers in this, his 15th season. 25ppg, 5.1 rpg and 4.7 assists per game. He shot 45% from the field which is right at his career average. I continue to enjoy watching him play and still marvel at the things he does on the court. Unfortunately though he'll be 33 years old at the start of next season (if there is one) and he's got a lot a mileage on those legs. I think it's debatable whether or not the Lakers at this point in time can win a title with Kobe as their single best player. He's still an impact player with several more years of good basketball left in him but the days of him carrying the team for an entire season or playoff series appears to be over. You saw an example of that in the Dallas series as Pau Gasol, who was supposed to be the Lakers second best player, went AWOL leaving Kobe holding the bag. If the reported rift between Gasol and Kobe is as bad as been rumored to be then their effectiveness as a duo going forward is in doubt.

Getting beat down by Mark Cuban's Mavs is definitely a painful feeling but this is nothing compared to what Laker fans in the 1960's had to go through, losing to Boston in the Finals year after year.  Lakers fans should keep their chins held high. There are those who are ready to say the Laker dynasty is over but they are sadly mistaken.  The Lakers dynasty is not something to be measured over the span of just a few years or over the career of one or more players. This dynasty began in 1948 and continues through to this day. It is ongoing.  The names and faces may change, there may be peaks and valleys but the dynasty endures.  The Lakers legacy will be passed on to future generations just as it was passed on to us. Long after all we're gone there will be people blogging (or whatever they'll be doing in the future) about the Lakers and reveling in their past, present and future greatness. This is not something that the Dallas Mavericks or any other team can put an end to no matter how hard they try.