Lakers' Faithful Throw in the Towel After Game Four

After last night, we expected the Lakers' faithful to come out in full force with excuses of what happened last night. So I scoured every LA newspaper to find out who would stand firmly behind their "beloved" Los Angeles Lakers.

And low and behold, here's what I found.

From ATH and LA Times Columnist, Bill Plaschke:

“You know how Los Angeles fans are famously criticized for leaving games early. Add Kobe Bryant to their list. He walked off the court with three seconds remaining as the Lakers were bringing up the ball for a final shot. It was a most egregious act for a most valuable player.

When asked afterward how his team was going to recover from this loss, Bryant said, "Lot of wine, lot of beer, lot of shots, like 20 of them."

They didn't choke. By definition, when one chokes, there is noise, movement, desperation. The Lakers didn't choke. They blew the NBA Finals without making a sound. They botched their entire season while standing still.

They lost a 24-point lead—the biggest collapse in the NBA Finals in at least 37 years—by staring dreamily into the hardened eyes of a Boston Celtics team that angrily shoved them into next fall.

Choke? On Thursday night in front of a Staples Center crowd whose early cheers lapsed into a stunned and horrified silence, the Celtics' 97-91 victory was more like a smote.

From a Lakers fan who witnessed the downward spiral:

“I hope they lose Sunday. It's already over anyway. Let the Celtics win here in LA by themselves instead of our boys being humiliated in front of all those rabid Boston fans.  "

  -Andy B, on the Lakers' loss yesterday

From LA Daily Times columnist Steve Dilbeck:

“And make no mistake, it's over. These Finals are all over. Only the final date on the death certificate awaits. The Celtics ripped the Lakers' hearts out Thursday. Left them cursing into the night, staggering off the floor, wondering how it could have possibly all slipped away.

Boston leads the series 3-1 and is secure in knowing this: No team in NBA history has every blown a 3-1 Finals lead. Not in the previous 61 years. "It's not over," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "This series is not over."

Only numerically, Phil. Otherwise, the Celtics won their title Thursday with their Undertaker-like return from death with a truly gutsy performance that will enter the ranks of some of their historic greats.

Now here's my take on this year's Finals. It has been a pretty good series to say the least. It took the Celtics to down the juggernaut of offensive, known as the Lakers. Los Angeles didn't choke. They got a flat tire, and their jack wasn't in the trunk with the spare.

Kobe Bryant showed his true colors last night, though. So in defense of NY Rockwood, MJ would never have done what Kobe did last night. Even in defeat, Jordan would have kept playing...all the way to the final horn.

Kobe decided that with three seconds left, the game was already over. The only person that hasn't bought into the hype that it is over is Phil Jackson.

But it was Phil Jackson that said that the series will change in LA. He was right. Jackson blamed the altitude, the start time, and the officials for the first two games, and said that things will different in Los Angeles. He was right about that, too. But so far, he has been a pure bust. And deja vu is on the horizon.

No matter how many championships he won with the Bulls and Lakers, he still had something to prove. Unfortunately, Kevin Garnett had something more to prove. So did Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. So did Doc Rivers.

So did the entire Boston Celtics organization.

The Lakers had the "best player of this generation." Wrong. They had the best coach of this era. Wrong. This was the year that the Lakers would finally succeed in their quest to win the NBA Championship. Wrong. Wrong. Dead wrong.

This may be premature, but it's true. Boston is just a heartbeat away from officially raising the 17th NBA Championship banner. They are a heartbeat away from giving the Boston Three Party exactly what they have been wanting their entire careers: their first NBA Championship.

And for the first time in my sports writing career, I am cheering for Boston. I didn't cheer for the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI. I didn't cheer for the Red Sox in the 2004 World Series.

But I am cheering for these Celtics in these Finals. And who wouldn't. This has been the resurrection of "The Year of the Underdogs." The Giants. The Tigers. The Penguins. The Bulldogs. Could the Celtics be next to add their name to that list?

If you're asking a Magic 8-Ball, I bet that "All Signs Point to Yes." And if you are having doubts, just ask the Lakers faithful. Because it's clear that 90 percent of them are already thinking about football season and the Raiders.

Again, Game 5 is Sunday night in Los Angeles. If Boston wins, the celebration and the riot start at midnight.