Divided Lakers simply get lost on way to three-peat

"I don't know where we lost it … that drive, that bond we had in the past, that cohesive drive in order to overcome adversity," said Lamar Odom.

They weren't just beaten, they were embarrassed by two punk moves that led to ejections, humiliated by a crowd that sang and jeered them off the court, and shamed into an uncertain future.

"It's going to be a l-o-o-o-ng summer," said Ron Artest.

It's been a long three years, with the two-time defending champions finally collapsing under the weight of issues both personal and professional, a lack of locker-room trust tearing apart their fabric on the court.

"This is the worst I've ever seen the Lakers play in a game that they need," said Magic Johnson, team vice president, during a televised halftime show.

They have no coach. They have no bench. They have little money to get better quick.

"The Lakers fans have had their hearts broke," said Artest. "And all those people who aren't Lakers fans are now laughing at the Lakers fans."

Swept away was Phil Jackson's 20-year coaching career, his 1,973rd and final game possibly his worst, his resume of 11 championships now containing the smudge of a man who finally lost control of his club.

In his trademark emotionless style afterward, a retiring Jackson admitted that the burden of attempting to win a third title was too much.

"A lot of strain on a basketball club from all angles — personalities, spiritually, emotionally," he said. "It was a challenge bigger than we could beat."

Perhaps more than anything, the notion that Pau Gasol can be this team's next great leader was swept away. His sudden and odd postseason disappearance was the most obvious reason for the Lakers' troubles, his fall completed Sunday when he scored 10 points while being pushed around by everyone but his coach, who thankfully refrained from hitting him for a second consecutive game.

"I have to learn from this," Gasol said. ''I have to learn that when something happens off the court, you have to keep it off the court."

He was referring to the report that he stopped talking to Bryant during the postseason because Bryant's wife, Vanessa, had contributed to the breakup of Gasol and his longtime girlfriend. Lakers fans will remember that Karl Malone once publicly accused Vanessa of interfering with his personal life in a similar fashion.

Whatever was happening, Bryant and Gasol haven't connected on the court in a month, and the Lakers have been lost without the strength of their fusion.