Lakers Fall in Big Hole

The late, great wrestling commentator Gordon Solie referred to it as "intestinal fortitude."
The late, great John Wayne caled it "backbone."
My late, great granny Anderson called it "gumption."
However you identify it, the L.A. Lakers haven't got it, as proven by their horrible, humiliating 39-point loss to the Celtics on Tuesday night. Put simply, Kobe and Co. quit.
I saw this coming over the weekend when after their win in Game 5, the Lakers' Lamar Odom told an interviewer that the reason the team played so hard and won was so they could go out to dinner that night in LA and not get hooted at. I am paraphrasing -- a little -- but clearly Odom thought that by not losing at home the Lakers had pretty much done all that could be expected of them.
Win the series? Hah. I'm surprised Odom even showed up in Boston.
Then again, maybe he didn't.
I grew up a Laker fan and was captivated by their running feud with the Celtics in the 1970's and early 1980's. A late night Laker loss to Bird and Co. in the playoffs would ruin the next day for me. I hated the Celtics and that was OK, because the Lakers hated them too. For real.
Things have changed. Lamar Odom will probably be lying by the pool at Paul Pierce's house this weekend. Or maybe they can go out to dinner together?
What a miserable performance.
Laker greats like Worthy, Jabbar, Magic and Shaq have to be shaking their heads in embarrassment today.