The Thunder's resounding victory illustrated in living color the true depths of the Lakers' dysfunction, and while most fans subconsciously knew various issues existed, they hid the truth behind a resurgent Kobe Bryant and the emergence of Andrew Bynum.
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook ripped away that facade and legions of purple and gold followers are left to sift through a mess that begins at the very top of the franchise and permeates down through the team's roster.
We all knew that team president Jim Buss had no clue about running the franchise he inherited from his father, but we reluctantly gave our approval as a vote of solidarity.
When Buss decided to hire Mike Brown over fan favorite Brian Shaw, we still embraced him, even though we were all witnesses to Brown's clueless tenure in Cleveland.
We can be forgiven for celebrating Bynum's return to health and the interior dominance that his potential has always suggested. But we should be punished for ignoring the effect Bynum's rise had on Pau Gasol's demise, not to mention Brown's inability to utilize him.
Even Bryant is not above reproach because he played exactly like we knew he would in Game 5 against the Thunder, but it was still to the detriment of his teammates.
Bryant scored 42 points and shot better than 50 percent in the Lakers' close-out game, but his zero assists total suggests it would be an understatement to say Bryant was in a less than giving mood.
Maybe Bryant had finally lost faith in Gasol or Bynum, or maybe it was just Bryant's competitive nature surfacing like a survival mechanism.
We may never know why Bryant reverted to his Wild West gunslinger days of old, but we...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
