When Phil Jackson agreed to stay on for one more season with the Lakers, few could have imagined a more imperfect ending to an impressive resume.
A 4-0 sweep at the hands of the Mavericks put Jackson’s Lakers out of contention for a third straight title.
To top it all off, Jackson was handed a parting gift from the NBA in the form of a $35,000 fine for criticizing the officials.
However, Jackson could have nothing to complain about on Sunday as the Lakers were humiliated by the Mavericks in Dallas 122-to-86.
Both Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom were ejected for flagrant fouls, showing just how far the Lakers have fallen from their previous regimes.
As a two time defending champion, the Lakers were far from their previous form, which has made them such a dominating force in the league and especially under Jackson’s guidance.
Yet it seems as if all the vanity that the Lakers have been projecting over the past few years is finally coming back to haunt them.
While Kobe is brilliant, his attitude and ego still need some major adjustments and Jackson in his tenure has done nothing to help his star mature.
In that respect it will be interesting how the Lakers’ main man will react when that person chosen to fill Jackson’s shoes puts some pressure on him to mature.
The results could either be more championship titles or more 4-0 sweeps at the hands of opponents that should never be getting those kinds of leads over a team ladden with so much talent at its disposal.
