"Excellence is not an act but a habit" - Aristotle; This is the entire Lakers' organization, from owner Jerry Buss all the way down to the janitors and concession workers at Staples Center.

"The things you do and the things you don't do, they all send a message" - a former boss of mine; Jameer Nelson, you should have never forced your coach's hand and returned to play in the Finals because you not only disrupted your team's chemistry but you also took Rafer Alston out of his comfort zone not to mention what you didn't do - failed to body up on D-Fish at the end of regulation and left D-Fish open to double-team Kobe with 30 seconds left in overtime - to keep #2 in purple-and-gold from sealing your team's fate in Game 4 with a pair of big-time 3-pointers.

"It's the journey, not the destination" - Harley Davidson; Los Angeles Lakers, 2005-2009.

"What I dream of is an art of balance" - Henry Matisse; Without Pau Gasol, the Lakers would be such a one-dimensional team.

"Men willingly believe what they wish" - Julius Caesar; This can be said of the resilient Orlando Magic fans, who hope their team can extend the series on Sunday.

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities" - Voltaire; Coach Stan Van Gundy, for some reason, believed that Nelson could play a key role in the series. And so he cut Alston's playing time in half and benched gritty veteran backup Anthony Johnson for the series. Lo and behold, it bit him in the you-know-what.

"Concentration comes out of a combination of confidence and hunger" - Arnold Palmer; I'm not saying that Dwight Howard lacks the will to win, but if he wants to make big plays down the stretch he needs to work on his game tenfold this summer. In my opinion, he's way too nice on the court.

"Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win" - Sun-tzu; This is the difference between the two teams' strategies.

"The wise man will love; all others will desire" - Afranius; KOBE plays for the love of the game, while LEBRON desires the limelight. Who's a better winner? There's no debate here.

"Energy is the essence of life... you decide how you're going to use it by knowing what you want and what it takes to reach that goal, and by maintaining focus" - Oprah Winfrey; The bundle of energy known as Derek Fisher, the most underrated Laker of all time, is just as responsible for the championships as Kobe and Shaq.

"A mind troubled by doubt cannot focus on the course to victory" - Arthur Golden; How is it that in the biggest game of the year, sharpshooter Rashard Lewis takes less shots the entire game than Derek Fisher, who is the Lakers' fourth scoring option?

"Nothing is stronger than habit" - Ovid; Note to Andrew Bynum: stop fouling, move your feet, and get in shape this summer.

"I can resist anything but temptation" - Oscar Wilde; I don't think Lamar Odom blows the ganja anymore, but when it comes to the candy it's a lose-lose situation.

"The first duty of a leader is to make himself be loved without courting love. To be loved without 'playing up' to anyone - even to himself" - Andre Malraux; The more we praise Lebron as "The King", the more he describes himself in the third person, the bigger his head gets, and the more he will fail to lead his team to the promised land.