You have to have good leadership and a good team concept, which the Lakers lacked in the end. A fortunate playoff lineup helped big time; had the faced the Spurs earlier, or the Hornets, they might have been sent off much earlier. I wonder if their reserves and role players will be nearly as good as they were again, but they are still talented. Still, the fact that Kobe fancies himself a leader, when he is not a leader, and Phil fancies himself a great motivator, when he is not a motivator, hurts them in the long run.