Cloudy future for Lakers after premature playoff exit
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The aging and erratic Los Angeles Lakers faced an uncertain future yesterday after the NBA champions were embarrassingly swept out of the second round of the playoffs by the Dallas Mavericks.
In pursuit of a third successful championship in coach Phil Jackson's final season, the Lakers were routed 122-86 in Sunday's Game Four in Dallas, an abrupt and humiliating end to their 2010-11 campaign.
"This is the worst I've ever seen the Lakers play in a game that they need," Lakers vice president and Hall of Famer Magic Johnson said after the champions had been swept aside 4-0.
Lakers forward Ron Artest summed up the feelings of his team's loyal but frustrated supporters.
"The Lakers fans have had their hearts broke," Artest told reporters. "And all those people who aren't Lakers fans are now laughing at the Lakers fans."
The headline for Monday's sports section of the Los Angeles Times read: "You Old Softies", while the front page of the LA Daily News was emblazoned with the word: "Destroyed".
Another Daily News headline blared: "Done, with a Big D".
For most of the season the Lakers thrilled and frustrated their fans in equal measure, losing games they should have won and winning a few just when it seemed they had no chance.
Many critics argued that the Lakers were increasingly vulnerable due to the team's collective age and that the players could no longer sustain the defensive effort required for all four quarters.
However, when their big frontcourt men imposed their size advantage the Lakers looked every inch champions-elect for yet another season.
"We have to do a lot of things right to be able to play defense the way we want to, and most of it is about controlling the tempo of the game," 11-times NBA champion coach Jackson said. "We're not the fastest team.
"I still think when they (the Lakers) are playing their best, they're the best team in the league."
Elusive target
That "best" proved to be an elusive target for the men in purple and gold. They surprisingly lost to the woeful Cleveland Cavaliers before the All-Star break and suffered a five-game losing streak the week before the playoffs.
"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," versatile Lakers forward Lamar Odom said.
Just over two years ago, Kobe Bryant described the Lakers' topsy-turvy form during the playoffs as "bipolar", a term that was even more accurate about their uneven play this season.
They initially struggled against smaller and under-manned New Orleans Hornets before winning the first-round series 4-2, and then failed to close out late leads twice against Dallas.
Jackson, the most successful coach in NBA history, had to be persuaded to return to the Lakers this season.
"I came back with some trepidation," he said. "Kobe's knee was an issue and obviously our team was older."
The Lakers have eight players aged above 30 under contract next season and their team has looked increasingly sluggish.
They already have the NBA's highest payroll of $91 million and they exceed the salary cap by too much to sign any top-flight free agents until 2014.
Spanish forward Pau Gasol, who failed to spark during the playoffs, has three more years and $57 million remaining on his deal while the underperforming Artest has three more years and $21.5 million left.
The only Lakers player under 30 with any trade value is the 23-year-old center Andrew Bynum and his career has already been frustratingly stop-start due to ongoing knee injuries.
While owner Jerry Buss has proved to be an astute team builder over the years, he faces an uphill task to resolve the plight of the current squad.
However, Jackson, who memorably described the Lakers as "Jekyll and Hyde" two years ago, sounded a note of confidence about the resiliency of the Lakers team he will be leaving.
"We all know they always come back and get themselves back in the race," he said. "The Lakers are going to survive."
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