After one of the most memorable (or forgettable) collapses in recent sports history, the Los Angeles Lakers now stare at a nearly insurmountable 3-1 deficit against the far superior and eventual champion Boston Celtics.  In Thursday’s Game Four, the uninspired and now downtrodden Lakers led by as many as twenty points midway through the third quarter, yet they somehow managed to grab defeat from the jaws of victory.  To be sure, it was the largest comeback in Finals history in the shot clock era.  It was the 2007 Mets, 2004 Yankees and 1978 Red Sox all rolled into one.  And all Kobe Bryant had to say in his post-game press conference is how he wanted to go out and get drunk on… wine, beer and twenty shots, to be exact.  Is this a champion’s reaction?  Can we once and for all end the comparisons between Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan?  Michael never lost in the Finals.  Kobe’s about to lose his second.

Honestly, is there anybody inside or outside that locker room that thinks the Lakers still have a chance at a title?  How is this the same Lakers team that beat the defending champion San Antonio Spurs?  The team that suited up last night didn’t look like they could beat an NBDL team.  They scored 33 points in the second half.  That's two less than they scored in the first quarter.  So much for consistency.

What’s even more amazing is that the Lakers led the first quarter by the largest margin in Finals history, outscoring the Celtics 35-14.  Then they got lazy.  They abandoned the triangle and failed to keep their foot on the neck of their opponents by settling for jump shots.  How did the Zen Master let this happen?

I can’t lay all this on the Lakers.  The Celtics played a great game.  In fact, they probably should have won Game Three.  Technically this series should be over by now.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always been a proponent of more basketball, but not this brand.  I’m not even a Lakers fan and I feel deflated after watching that massacre.  I can only imagine what they’re going through.  It got so bad last night, Lakers fans were cheering on the Celtics.  Who does that??

At the beginning of this series, Kobe Bryant said his Finals experience has shown him that a team can want it as bad as anyone, but it all boils down to execution.  Well the Celtics are doing both… wanting and winning.

I give tremendous credit and praise to Doc Rivers and his coaching staff.  They were able to tap into and inspire a team of men in Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce that wanted to be remembered as champions.  If you’re an NBA fan, you have to be happy for these guys.

Meanwhile, somewhere, Kobe sits in a bar drowning his sorrows.  Hope he’s a good tipper.

This series should be over.

Credit the resolve of the Phoenix Suns, who miraculously escaped from L.A. via Tim Thomas' three-pointer that would have made even Snake Plitzkin proud.  Pundits can blame Kobe, they can blame Smush, they can even blame Kwame for his flying Walenda defense against Thomas on that final shot.  But one man lost Game Six for these Lakers... and his name is Phil Jackson.

Flashback to the third quarter, where the Lakers consistently failed to pass the ball into the post.  Certainly, the Zenmaster has realized that thoughout this series, he's had a tremendous advantage down low.  Lamar Odom has essentially neutralized Shawn Marion this entire series.  Yet, the Lakers never fed the ball inside that quarter, allowing Phoenix to keep the game close.  The Lakers also failed to put defensive pressure on Marion and Barbosa, who, at that point, were both in foul trouble.  Already undermanned with Raja Bell serving a one-game suspension for clotheslining Kobe Bryant, the Lakers could have forced D'Antoni to go deep into his bench.  Instead, the Lakers offense opted to run east-west and gather the bulk of their points from the perimeter.

In order to have ANY chance whatsoever in Game Seven, the Lakers cannot deviate from their gameplan.  They must exploit their size advantage and control the tempo the entire game.  Missed perimeter jumpers only fuel the Suns offense.  Anything less than steady, consistent high-percentage offense from the Lakers will leave only one L.A. team playing in the Staples Center next week.