Sir Isaac Newton’s theory dictates that what goes up, what must come down; with the Mavericks sweep of the Lakers, it all came crashing down.
When Phil Jackson took over as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1999, the internet was dial-up, cell phones were the size of bricks and Derrick Rose, the reigning MVP, was still in elementary school.
A decade of dominance later, the Lakers crashing out of the playoffs wasn’t a fairy tale ending to Coach Jackson’s storied career but as cliché as it sounds, all good things must come to an end. The unfortunate result against the Mavericks shouldn’t diminish what the tandem of Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher have accomplished as a trio. The triumvirate have led the Lakers to five championships and seven finals appearances.
Not even the biggest Laker hater in the world would’ve predicted the Lakers’ quest to three-peat would end at the hands of the Mavericks in four straight games.
I wrote earlier in April that facing the Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs is a great consolation prize to finishing in second place in the West. I believed the Lakers would match up better against this veteran Dallas team than the younger and more explosive Oklahoma City Thunder.
Boy was I wrong. I was dead wrong. Things against the Mavericks turned ugly faster than the cars Vin Diesel and Paul Walker drive.
After blowing a 16 point lead in game one, gifting home court advantage to the Mavericks. A text message from my friend arrived, it read “the dynasty is over. That team is going to be brutal when Kobe starts being an {expletive} again. Artest and Barnes are going to back to being idiots. Bynum will think he’s too good for the team and Gasol is still softer than tissue paper.”
I didn’t believe any of the libel he was throwing at me. It was just game one right? Seeing as how the Lakers lost Game 1 of the last series against New Orleans and came back with a vengeance, this just another roadblock on the way to another three-peat.
Then game two rolled around, and the Mavericks outplayed the Lakers in every single category. To make things worse in the fourth quarter, the Laker faithful began peppering the team with boos. It was disgraceful to watch, had the fans forgotten what the Lakers have given us over the past three seasons? It was a disgraceful showing in hindsight, knowing that was Coach Jackson’s last ever home ever. Laker fans are eternally spoiled, success has always been a staple of the franchise and as a result they attract many fair weather fans that turn on the team as soon as things turn grim.
Some members of Lakers Nation are akin to the rich kid in school who comes back from summer vacation telling his less fortunate friends all about his trip. The kid visited a bunch of European tourist destinations but he didn’t get around to seeing the Eiffel Tower, and he complains about it.
Next: The End of an Era
[phpbay]Los Angeles Lakers, 3, “”, “”[/phpbay]
Similarly, after making the finals for the past three seasons, Laker fans began looking for new challenges for the team to overcome; we perceived Dallas as a great new adventure because Kobe and Dirk have never met in the playoffs. The Spurs we’ve beaten more times than anyone can count, the Celtics we’ve now vanquished, but the Mavericks are uncharted territory waiting to be taken over.
Coming into the series I fully expected the Lakers to cruise. I was so confident that even when the Lakers were down two in game one, I expected to see Kobe sink a game winner. Even Kobe believed the three ball over Kidd was good on release as he started to pump his fist; but now Kobe jumping up and down in frustration will be an image that lingers in the mind of all Laker fans over the summer as a microcosm of what could’ve been.
In game three, the Mavericks took the Lakers best punches and got back up. They dominated the inside, led by Kobe and Bynum the team looked to be in control of the game that really should’ve won. Down the stretch, the Lakers looked slow, lethargic and ultimately not as hungry as the Mavericks. And what easily could be a 2-1 series advantage was now an insurmountable 3-0 hole.
By now we’re all familiar with the story of game four. The Black Mamba came out firing on all cylinders in the first quarter with 15 points, before the Mavericks busted the game wide open in the second quarter. The Lakers lied flat on their back again in an elimination game, similar to game five of the 2004 finals when the Pistons steamrolled them by 13 and game six of the 2008 finals when the Celtics were popping champagne by half time. No one showed up to game four besides Kobe, Fisher, Coach Jackson and Artest whenever he felt like it. In the fourth quarter thanks to Bynum and Odom, the game began to resemble a 12 round boxing match more than a basketball game.
“This is the worst the Lakers have played in a game they needed,” said a visibly emotional Magic during the half time show.
Michael Wilbon added: “this is sort of sad to watch even if you have no investment in the Lakers.”
Watching the second half of game four was like watching the funeral to the era of Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher.
For the first time since they came together in 1999, they were outmatched.
Jackson was being out-coached by Rick Carlisle, and he looked helpless as the Mavs unleashed three after three after three.
D-Fish was unable to find the fountain of youth as he usually does around this time of year, whether it was Barea or Kidd, try as he could but Fish couldn’t keep up.
Even Bryant was outmatched. He no longer had the ability to take over the game offensively whenever he wanted. He was unable to get into the paint for easy buckets and became a one dimensional jump shooter. You can credit Kidd for playing him unbelievably well, but like Fisher it appeared father time had finally caught up with the Black Mamba.
By failing to win a championship this year it, was the first time Jackson failed to complete a three-peat, and Kobe will remain one title short of Michael Jordan’s six.
It was strange to watch Phil Jackson look surprisingly upbeat in the post-game press conference talking about how much he’d enjoy being back in Montana. What struck me was how Coach Jackson was referring to the Lakers as “the Lakers”, like he was a neutral party, instead of “we” like he usually does.
Kobe’s retort to a reporter asking him how he would’ve responded if someone told him the Lakers would be swept before this series was even more telling.
“What do you think?” Bryant said, replying a question with a question.
I’ll tell you what I think Kobe.
I think that the loss to the Mavericks should be an occasion of celebration instead of mourning.
Next: Celebrating A Legendary Team
[phpbay]Los Angeles Lakers, 3, “”, “”[/phpbay]
Let’s celebrate how two kids from Lower Merion High and Little Rock Arkansas ran the league under the guidance of a Coach who inspired his players through Zen and handing out book. And just like Jackson, we saw Kobe and Fish mature and develop as players right before our very eyes.
Together they prematurely ended the era of the big man (Duncan, KG, Rasheed Wallace in his prime), while fending off a league revolutionized by guards (Wade, Rose, Paul, Westbrook).
Fittingly the Lakers hired Jackson to teach Fish and Kobe how to win after being swept by the Spurs in 1999. Now with nothing left to prove, the three exit with another sweep at the hands of a different opponent.
What goes up must come down, right Mr. Newton?
After the Shaq-Kobe era imploded in 2003 (failing to four-peat) following an ugly loss to the Spurs, Fisher recalls the Laker management added nine new players the following year.
Fisher expects more changes to be made now that the Lakers have failed to three-peat. Rumors are swirling that Dwight Howard might come to STAPLES Center to help Kobe get his sixth ring.
“Mitch Kupchak needs to get on the phone with Otis Smith and tell him that anyone on the roster besides Bryant you can have,” Jon Barry quipped.
But perhaps that’s not the proper resolution. As I stated earlier the league is now being dictated by fast, athletic, point guards and it may be time for the Lakers to find one of their own.
With Coach Jackson gone, may it be time to find a replacement for Fisher?
In 2004, the Lakers re-tooled by adding future Hall of Famers Karl Malone and Gary Payton. You can bet that the Lakers will make a splash again this off-season.
Next year, I expect the Lakers to be in contention for the Larry O’Brien trophy yet again, this time without the coach that is accountable for 11 of the last 20 NBA championships.
In a fitting end to a legendary career, the so-called Zen Master reflects that “all my hopes and aspirations are that this is the final game that I’ll coach. This has been a wonderful run.”
[phpbay]Los Angeles Lakers, 3, “”, “”[/phpbay]