If a dynasty falls in the second round and the entire NBA is around to hear it, does it still make a sound?
It seems as if the final run of Phil Jackson’s Los Angeles Lakers should more appropriately have been titled the Last Limp or, the Last Stumble –- because after having their “three-peat” hopes swept aside by the Dallas Mavericks, no one in Lakerdom is left standing.
Given the fact that Andrew Bynum was finally healthy (or as healthy as Bynum can be), this was supposed to be the Lakers’ dream run to a third consecutive title. This was the year they finally entered the postseason at full strength, with a better backup point guard and a better bench all around.
Unfortunately, with every JJ Barea drive and every Jason Terry 3-pointer, their dream quickly turned into a nightmare.
Now, all of Lakerdom has been turned upside down and the only certainty heading into the off-season, is that change is a-coming.
Do they blow it up, or simply re-tool?
Do they make a trade, and if so, who stays and who goes?
Do they change styles in order to compete with a younger generation of faster, more athletic teams eager to close the door on the Kobe Bryant era? Or, do they stick with the triangle and it’s proven method of not only winning titles, but of controlling tempo; an offense for which this roster is perfectly suited?
…And what about the coach? Do the Lakers go in house as they always have, or do they roll the dice with someone new as they did bringing in Rudy T after the first Phil Jackson retirement? Do they go young, with Brian Shaw or, do they go with experience with Rick Adelman, Mike Dunleavy or possibly, Jerry Sloan waiting in the wings?
Make the right change and your back in the hunt.
Make the wrong change and you’re the Boston Celtics who mistakenly traded away their heart and soul, and wasted another year with an aging roster with nothing left to show for it.
Next: The Times They Are A-Changin’
In 2008…well, there’s no need to go there. We all remember 2008.
In 2009, they had the fortune of playing an Orlando Magic squad that really didn’t belong in the Finals in the first place.
In 2010, they barely got by and that was by the hairs on their chinny-chin-chin.
Take away Trevor Ariza’s steal verses Denver in the 2009 WCF, or Pau Gasol’s tip verses Oklahoma City in 2010 and this team might not have had a three-peat to lose.
It seems as if this team was teetering on the brink all along the way. And Laker fans are fooling themselves if they say they didn’t see this coming.
This group had all year to correct the behavior that all could see, but that they, themselves, would deny right up until the end. And as we all know, the first step towards recovery is admitting you have a problem.
It was a step the Lakers would never take.
Each time they needed to stand, they let the littlest Mav knock them down.
Each time they needed to reassert their strength inside, they reverted to gunning from the outside, shooting less than 30% from three-point range for the series.
And most importantly, each time they turned to each other for help all they found were excuses.
To put the blame on one particular Laker is a worthless effort. Collectively they all failed to defend what was rightly theirs.
Pau was MIA throughout the entire postseason.
Come to think of it, the entire bench was too!
Kobe Bryant failed to match Dirk Nowitzki in providing the timely scoring and closing ability needed to snatch victories from the jaws of defeat in Games 1 and 3.
Lamar Odom, Ron Artest and Andrew Bynum provided only brief sparks of energy, but as always, were much too inconsistent to sway the series towards LA, given the other shortcomings just mentioned.
As the saying goes, dynasties can turn on the bounce of the ball and in this, Phil Jackson’s Last Stand, the ball never quite bounced the Lakers way.
And just like that, for the first time since the end of the Michael Jordan era there is no Kobe, no Shaq, no Tim Duncan and most importantly, no Phil Jackson left in these NBA playoffs.
But don’t worry Lakers fans…now is not the time to panic. Or, is it?
Next: Be Here Now
Driving home from work provides just such moments. With my mind half focused on the road and half focused on the day behind me, I often let the music take me where it will. On the most recent occasion, it was Bob Marley’s ode to optimism, “Three Little Birds.”
As the music played, I found myself focusing in on the lyrics of the song.
With the weight of Bob’s words behind me, I began to think of what it would be like to be so optimistic. To have faith that no matter what happens, everything will turn out as it should. That, win or lose, for good or bad, the outcome of every situation always presents valuable lessons to learn.
Then I began to think of Phil Jackson.
I began to think of all the things that make Phil Jackson who he is. The Zen teachings, the use of meditation and visualization, the weird video clips used to spruce up game film, the tweaking of friend and foe alike through the media in order to implant a simple message.
And of course, I began to remember all that he has helped the Lakers accomplish, both in this lifetime and in the previous one; then known as the Shaq/Kobe era.
Eventually my thoughts began to drown out the music and I remembered that Jackson has said that this was his final season as head coach. I thought of the prospect of no longer having him on the bench and the optimism quickly turned to skepticism.
A thousand thoughts of doom and gloom, of the post-Magic and post-Shaq eras, began to take hold and with that, I broke the number one rule of Zen philosophy, always stay in the moment!
It’s a valuable lesson and one that is more important now than ever before.
As I struggled to re-gain my focus, the song continued and again I tried to let the song take hold…
Next: “Rise up this morning, smiled with the rising sun…”
We all knew it too.
And even if his opponents won’t ever admit it, deep down they knew it as well.
If the road to an NBA championship can be compared to one very long knife fight, than having Jackson on the bench was the equivalent of the Lakers showing up not with a knife, but with a gun.
That advantage is now gone but hopefully the lessons that Jackson taught are not.
The quiet confidence, the measured tones, the consistent and deliberate message of teamwork, effort, sacrifice and of remembering to stay in the moment are things that have come to define Jackson and the teams which he has coached.
Other coaches have taught the same, but where they failed Jackson succeeded.
His firm belief that, in the end, win or lose, good or bad, everything works out the way it is supposed to, is what separated him from other coaches.
There is always value in a loss.
There is always value in change and rebirth.
This Lakers team had run its course. They had gone as far as they were going to go and the weight of reaching their fourth Finals in four years had finally caused them to buckle.
As he walks away from Los Angeles, Phil Jackson has given us more than we ever could have asked. His five championships match Pat Riley and the Showtime era. He has poked and prodded Bryant to reach his potential and in so doing has left Bryant on the brink of matching Michael Jordan and six NBA titles. And finally, most importantly, he has given the Lakers a gift that will get them through the uncertain times which lie ahead.
Change is coming and there’s a chance that it may not work out as the Laker or their fans hope.
But if we stay in the moment, if we don’t allow our thoughts and fears to get the best of us, if we remain calm and smile in the face of adversity, “then every little thing is gonna be alright! Singing, don’t worry about a thing!”
I, for one, hope the Zen never ends.