Gotta chime in on War's post:-)
A few disagreements:
1. No way in my view that LO foul on Dirk is an F2. He body-checked first, followed by an elbow push that didn't connect much. It didn't lead by an elbow by any stretch, and it was a normal BBall play when both of them tried to beat each other to the spot.
2. This year, through the few games I watched them play, I didn't have a clue of what this team is. That's a very iffy feeling there but the way they collapsed is still shocking. You can't pin it on one player but if you have to, it's gotta be Pau. He seemed totally lost on the court. He did a 180 from the "most skilled big man in the league" and lost his drive and confidence on the offensive end. He passed the ball out like a hot potato in many botched sequences. He was simply going through the motions on defense as well, on way too many half-assed shows and late rotations. The Lakers always had a bread-n-butter play at the crunch time that involves either a pick and slip or a hi-lo, but most of the time, Pau failed to slip and/or dive hard enough to finish the play. It's effort and focus, nothing more and nothing less. I've never seen a player of his caliber with this kind of total meltdown. And keep in mind, they were not playing the 08 Celtics.
3. Don't know if Kobe is too old but he is slow this season. The knee surgery followed by a few ankle injuries took him out of normal practices for too long. Let's see if he can fully heal through the summer. I think his days of playing both the playmaker and scorer are done and he needs a good partner who can make plays. During his next 3-ring run, MJ almost exclusively plays on the wing, and at the pinch post and plays very efficiently. I hope Kobe gets enough help so he can be more of a scorer in the same position. His mid-range jumper and post plays are more than good enough for him to continue being a number one guy for 2 more years.
4. I still think something behind the door is the biggest reason. Be it Pau, be it some player's wife as rumored, it totally ruined the chemistry. Other than the last game, the games were close and the Lakers were just a lucky bounce or a unlucky call away from getting a win. But they didn't play like a team with good executions down the wire, on both ends of the floor. Facing a red-hot jump-shooting team, they could no longer rely on sheer talent. If they did pull this out, they would just get embarrassed in the next round.
5. A little ranting here. Kobe doesn't need bail-out calls as CP3 and co do. But he can sure use some calls against a stiff arm-bar, a hand check, a wrap-around by both hands from behind, and a 38yr-old Kidd riding him all the way. His ability to finish at the rim is definitely on the decline. That turn-over in game 1 could've easily be a highlight dunk if it were the younger Kobe. But the missed lay-up in game 2 was such an obvious foul, in the air with an elbow/arm-bar in the back, other players get that kind of calls, Kobe doesn't.
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