NBA Playoffs 2011: L.A. Lakers End Season with Classless and Shameful Quarter

The L.A. Lakers could've just played out the quarter. They could've just owned up to the fact that they got outplayed all series. They could've just said "wow, Jason Terry and Peja Stojakovic sure can jack up threes and drain them."

They could have been professionals.

But no. What we have called a mature and professional championship team lowered themselves to a bunch of preschoolers on Sunday afternoon.

Lamar Odom was ejected after he unnecessarily shoved Dirk Nowitzki. That's kind of understandable. Emotion got in the way. It was a disappointing end to a promising season. We'll give Lamar the mulligan. But a few minutes later Andrew Bynum elbowed J.J. Barea when he went up for a layup. As if that wasn't enough, Bynum took his shirt off as he walked off the court.

Was he trying to show that he was tough on the outside? Probably, but all it showed to the rest of the country is how brittle he was on the inside. It just summed up the Lakers' playoff season perfectly. They couldn't channel their emotions and when things went bad they almost seemingly always took a turn for the worse. Artest missed a layup and it turned into a quick 12-point switch. One wide open three from Terry turned into three more by Peja and Kidd. As "soft" as Pau Gasol was physically this series, the rest of the Lakers, Kobe and Fisher aside, were just as soft emotionally.

On this stage, that kind of play is totally uncalled for. Some say that he's supposed to do that and show physicality. But no, that's dirty basketball move. Don't even compare this to what Derek Fisher did to Luis Scola in the second round of the 2009 Playoffs vs Houston. These were two different scenarios. The Lakers needed a boost in that series early on and Fisher in front of the home crowd helped rile up the fans and this lead to a series win.

On the contrary, Bynum completely hammered Barea in a 30-point game. This exemplifies unprofessionalism. The series is over. He obviously wasn't trying to rile up his team. They weren't going to come back. Some can say that he's only 23 and we should give him a break. Emotions got to him. But Odom, a few minutes before, got ejected for that unnecessary shove. The ejection is there so referees tell players that they will not tolerate such behavior.

Bynum failed to receive the memo. Plus, Bynum is not just an ordinary 23-year-old college student. He's been groomed by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Phil Jackson. He plays on the Lakers and more is expected of him than a normal 23-year old.

As Hubie Brown noted in the telecast, he makes the Lakers organization look bad with that act. He gives Phil Jackson's last game a sour taste. As if his performance during the game wasn't bad enough, he has to top it off with a dirty elbow.

He also possibly hurts the Lakers in the long run. Assuming he remains a Laker next year, he will possibly get suspended for that act along with Lamar Odom. There is uncertainty whether both will wear the purple and gold next season, but if they do remain Lakers they put the team at a disadvantage in the first few games.

And if someone is still not convinced that what Odom and Bynum (and Artest in Game 2) did were foolish and unnecessary, just think about the players who were involved. Ron Artest, who has a history of dirty play despite cleaning up his act in the last few years. Lamar Odom, who might be more interested in his reality shows than his basketball career at this time. And Andrew Bynum, a 23-year-old who has been confronted by Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant on numerous occasions for being inconsistent and immature.

It's not Derek Fisher.

It's not Pau Gasol.

It's not Kobe.

It's the riff-raffs. Sure, it's cute when the Lakers are winning and we see Ron Artest storm into a press conference room shouting "I got Wheaties!!!". It's cute when we see Lamar and Khloe when the Lakers are winning. But these types of personalities lead to apathetic play in big games. Then to act like they aren't apathetic, they release their frustration in violent and unnecessary forms like they did today.

There is no question Artest, Odom, and Bynum should be thanked immensely for their contributions as Lakers. But do the Lakers really need them anymore? There's a guy in Orlando that wants to win who is a lot sturdier and rigid than Bynum. There's a guard in New Orleans who also wants to win and doesn't have any reality shows. These are the type of Lakers that Jerry Buss and the organization want representing their team.

These Odoms and Artests were short term fixes. They were good when Kobe and Phil had them on a leash. Then after they won it seems like they stopped listening.

A long offseason awaits the Lakers. There is no question the playoff performances of everybody but Kobe will be evaluated and changes will come.

There is also the question of Pau vs. Andrew and who the Lakers will keep if they want to get Howard. After looking at Bynum's injury history and what he did Sunday afternoon in the fourth quarter, it is apparent that decision for Mitch and Jerry is a lot easier.