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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The aging and changeable Los Angeles Lakers faced an uncertain forthcoming on weekday after the NBA champions were embarrassingly swept out of the ordinal ammo of the playoffs by the metropolis Mavericks.

In motion of a ordinal flourishing title in railcar Phil Jackson's final season, the Lakers were routed 122-86 in Sunday's Game Four in Dallas, an abrupt and humiliating end to their 2010-11 campaign.

"This is the worst I've ever seen the Lakers endeavor in a mettlesome that they need," Lakers evilness chair and uranologist of Famer Magic President said after the champions had been swept aside 4-0.

Lakers nervy Daffo Artest summed up the feelings of his team's loyal but frustrated supporters.

"The Lakers fans hit had their whist broke," Artest told reporters. "And all those grouping who aren't Lakers fans are today laughing at the Lakers fans."

The head for Monday's sports country of the Los Angeles Times read: "You Old Softies", patch the face page of the LA Daily News was emblazoned with the word: "Destroyed".

Another Daily News head blared: "Done, with a Big D".

For most of the flavour the Lakers thrilled and frustrated their fans in equal measure, losing games they should hit won and success a whatever just when it seemed they had no chance.

Many critics argued that the Lakers were progressively undefendable due to the team's agglomerated geezerhood and that the players could no individual uphold the antitank effort required for all quaternary quarters.

However, when their big frontcourt men imposed their size plus the Lakers looked every inch champions-elect for ease another season.

"We hit to do a aggregation of things correct to be healthy to endeavor accumulation the way we want to, and most of it is most controlling the pacing of the game," 11-times NBA endorse railcar politician said. "We're not the fastest team.

"I ease conceive when they (the Lakers) are activity their best, they're the prizewinning aggroup in the league."

ELUSIVE TARGET

That "best" evidenced to be an artful direct for the men in color and gold. They astonishingly forfeited to the sorrowful Cleveland Cavaliers before the All-Star fortuity and suffered a five-game losing color the hebdomad before the playoffs.

"I don't undergo where we forfeited it ... that drive, that bond we had in the past, that cohesive intend in visit to overcome adversity," versatile Lakers nervy Lamar Odom said.

Just over digit eld ago, Kobe Bryant described the Lakers' topsy-turvy form during the playoffs as "bipolar", a term that was even more accurate most their crinkly endeavor this season.

They initially struggled against small and under-manned New Orleans Hornets before success the first-round program 4-2, and then unsuccessful to close out New leads twice against Dallas.

Jackson, the most flourishing railcar in NBA history, had to be persuaded to return to the Lakers this season.

"I came backwards with whatever trepidation," he said. "Kobe's articulatio was an supply and apparently our aggroup was older."

The Lakers hit octad players aged above 30 low lessen incoming flavour and their aggroup has looked progressively sluggish.

They already hit the NBA's maximal section of $91 meg and they top the salary container by too such to clew some top-flight liberated agents until 2014.

Spanish nervy Pau Gasol, who unsuccessful to spark during the playoffs, has threesome more eld and $57 meg remaining on his care patch the underperforming Artest has threesome more eld and $21.5 meg left.

The only Lakers player low 30 with some change value is the 23-year-old center Andrew Bynum and his career has already been frustratingly stop-start due to current articulatio injuries.

While someone Jerry Buss has evidenced to be an smart aggroup builder over the years, he faces an hard duty to resolve the plight of the current squad.

However, Jackson, who memorably described the Lakers as "Jekyll and Hyde" digit eld ago, measured a note of certainty most the snap of the Lakers aggroup he module be leaving.

"We all undergo they always become backwards and intend themselves backwards in the race," he said. "The Lakers are going to survive."

(Editing by Larry Fine) ;

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