It was always going to end like this. Somehow, even in those first moments, before Dwight Howard and Steve Nash had played a single game in purple and gold, it was always going to end like this.

Sad Lakers
A clean easy sweep.

No Kobe, no Nash, no MWP, no Blake, no Jodie Meeks, and Dwight Howard gets ejected after two quarters. In their final two games, the Laker lost by a combined 52 points. Those still walking began to envy the injured, as the Spurs rained down shot after shot against the helpless Laker defense.

A clean easy sweep.

Somehow, when the expectation was a Finals matchup with the Heat, nobody mentioned Andrew Goudelock. That didn't stop him from leading the Lakers in minutes in Game 3 (also known as the game where no Laker had a positive +/-). Nobody was talking about Andrew Goudelock, because until the penultimate game of the regular season he played for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Goudelock didn't lead the Lakers in minutes for Game 4. That honor went to Chris Duhon. Back in the summertime, no NBA fans were having daydreams of Chris Duhon in the playoffs because he's Chris Duhon.

A clean easy sweep.


The Spurs execution made a mockery of the decrepit Laker defense. Players were falling over one another, running away from Tony Parker in confusion. Duncan was schooling Dwight at Staples Center, even smiling while he did it. The Spurs were the perfect team to break the Lakers. The same franchise that had broken the Shaq-Kobe stranglehold, once again dashing their dreams of empire. This time the dreams were just a mirage, a fever dream of Kobe and the league's apparent top center somehow turning back the clock. But you can't turn back the clock—that is, not unless you're the San Antonio Spurs.   

It was over before it even began. A clean easy sweep.

Welcome to the second round Tracy McGrady.
13 Comments:
Blogger Jason said...
That gif made my day. Priceless.

Did anyone else think Dwight got tossed on purpose yesterday? Looked that way to me.

Anonymous Mikel said...
"Welcome to the second round Tracy McGrady."

That was exactly my thought when they lost. T-Mac managed to get past the first round without even playing meaningful minutes.

Anonymous Raza said...
Another nice write up Glenn.

You think Howard goes to Houston or re-signs with LA?

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Thanks, Glenn!

Echoing Jason, the gif made my day. That and the TMac reference.

Blogger Wormboy said...
Dwight disgraced himself. You know it ain't good when Magic Johnson publicly chides you multiple times.

Watching the HOU-OKC game. Convinced that Derek Fisher deserves a lifetime achievement award for flopping: two in a row, utterly egregious. Are NBA refs really so bad? They haven't caught on in 17 years of watching this guy flop?

Anonymous kevin said...
I was thinking the same thing.

I love that pic. Can't stop chuckling.

Anonymous Anonymous said...
I love the look on Duncan's face in that clip. I agree that it looked like Dwight was trying to get tossed; given the state of the Lakers, I wouldn't blame him.

Blogger beep said...
well, you can hate Mike Brown all you want, but Lakers would have played D at the least, hadn't he been fired prematurely. Imho it's management failure.

And Mr Pringle should coach... I don't know, Bobcats?
Maybe

Blogger Glenn said...
Thanks, everyone. Sorry that I haven't been keeping up with Playoff action, but I felt the need to get a Jason Collins piece written, considering that readers of this site know his name better than any other group of sports fans.

As for Dwight...I can see him staying because he doesn't have the cojones to look THAT bad, but then again after last year he might be immune to that. I suppose in the end, the fact that he CAN walk will be enough incentive. Wouldn't you?

Shaq's gonna have a field day.

Blogger Barry said...
I can't see him walking away, I just can't. That kind of money, for 5 years? With a gimpy back that may or may not be fully healed?

If he's sick of the LA atmosphere then he can always throw one of his tantrums and get shipped out. It's amazing how such a likable guy can be such an asshole. When you think about, that has LA written all over it!

Blogger Unknown said...
Does anyone else believe that Nash only joined the Lakers in order to sabotage them? It's my belief that he wasn't really hurt throughout the season and that he was also causing chaos in the locker room:

Nash: "Hey, Gasol, Kobe told me that your hair is too curly. That's messed up, huh?"
Gasol: "Man, that's messed up. He told me he really liked it. That really hurts, man!"

Blogger Unknown said...
Does anyone else believe that Nash only joined the Lakers in order to sabotage them? It's my belief that he wasn't really hurt throughout the season and that he was also causing chaos in the locker room:

Nash: "Hey, Gasol, Kobe told me that your hair is too curly. That's messed up, huh?"
Gasol: "Man, that's messed up. He told me he really liked it. That really hurts, man!"

Blogger NBA cares..... said...
The only real player,Gasol. No agenda,pure player. And the one,on the block.Stupid.D 12,couldn'g teach kindergarden.(Yes,a Laker fan..Boo,Boo!)