The Los Angeles Lakers were pounded once again by the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of their first round series, and the Spurs completed a sweep of what was supposed to be an NBA super team.
When the Lakers traded for Dwight Howard, adding him to a mix that already included Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Steve Nash, the Lakers became the favorite to challenge the Miami Heat for NBA supremacy. Injuries, ineffective coaching, chemistry problems and distractions did them in however, as they managed just 45 wins and an seventh seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
In the Game 4 thrashing Howard scored just seven points and grabbed eight rebounds in 22 minutes before drawing an ill-timed ejection early in the third quarter for arguing with officials. With Los Angeles' season over, Howard will become an unrestricted free agent.
Howard said the season was "like a nightmare. It's like a bad dream, and we just couldn't wake up from it. That's what it felt like." That is largely disconcerting news for the Lakers, who could lose the big man this offseason.
Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni, who has been criticized often this year for struggling to fit the pieces at his disposal into his famed offensive system said, "I'm proud of them, because they fought. It was kind of a year that was all upside-down, but I appreciate the effort to get us into the playoffs. We just didn't have it."
Tony Parker led the charge for the Spurs, leading all scorers with 23 points. San Antonio did not receive any transcendent performances from anyone, instead putting forth a team effort in which five players reached double figures in scoring.
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich expressed his pride in the team's ability to keep the pressure on the Lakers and finish the sweep, earning the veteran players on San Antonio's roster crucial rest. "What I was pleased about our team was that we kept our focus every night," Popovich said. "We played hard, followed the game plan and were very active and energetic every night, and sometimes that's hard to do when your opponent is wounded."
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