Of all the moments which took place during the past 8 months, my favorite moment was watching JJ Barea drive to the basket from half court to have his collar bone meet the unforgiving elbow of Andrew Bynum. Barea’s shot would end up going in and Bynum was ejected from the game, ripping off his jersey in frustration as he walked into the tunnel. In a moment which sums up the severe frustration from the only Laker who played like a two time champion, the Lakers, their season, their coaches career, and their throne was swept away in a sea of white and blue coming from the crowd.

Quite the embarrassing way for 11 time NBA championship winning coach Phil Jackson to call it quits, swept in the second round. A 44 year veteran of the league, coach of the great Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant could very possibly be stepping down after this season. With him, the era of Lakers glory could very well be over.

Why do great dynasties fail? Why do they crumble and fall after years of revered greatness? Social crumbling, the loss of cohesion with leadership, military, and economic structure. They lose because other invading territories want what the dynasty has. They have power, resources, and control. They face decline from their super powers and henceforth, they become weak and vulnerable. The Roman Empire, the Han Dynasty of Eastern China, and most recently, the Los Angeles Lakers.

Changes in the front office represent the government going in another direction as uncertainty of the future clouded the practice atmosphere. It is a great distraction for a team. The fact that after Pau Gasol posted a mere 13 points per game and played tentatively the entire playoffs. Derek Fisher’s illustrious career has been reduced to experience thanks to the inevitable sting of time and may henceforth be replaced by a younger and faster point guard. Ron Artest‘s contract is also in jeopardy. Key components are at risk of being moved thanks to an in balance in salary and production. Changes from the front office can be felt. Other than that,  Kobe Bryant played with a lack of fire, evident from his inability to close games 1 and 3. As a whole, the collective effort aside from Bynum wasn’t there. The military is your defense and line of protection from the invading enemies who want your throne. The Lakers did very little to veer off the opposing teams attack. While they scored 101 points per game during the season, in the post season, that’s what they allowed. After a valiant effort from Chris Paul and the Hornets in the first round exposing the human side of the Lakers, and of their dominant post defense in 6 games, the Dallas Mavericks defeated them in a clean sweep.

With the Mavericks now the favorites to win the NBA Finals, they have gained all that the Lakers once had: a championship trophy, dominance known through