Westside Agony: Payback Time For the Lakers

2008. A year that will live in infamy for all Laker fans.

We ditched Smush Parker for Derek Fisher. We swapped Kwame Brown for Pau Gasol. Sasha Vujacic was shooting out of his mind. All was well in Hollywood.

We swept an overrated Nuggets team that avoided defense like Sarah Palin avoids a textbook.

We muscled through a Utah team that just could not get it done in LA.

We ran circles around the San Antonio Spurs, as the youthful Lakers were just too much for the aging Spurs.

We cruised through the playoffs, until we met Boston. Hardened, wizened, and determined, Boston's defense was unlike anything LA faced that year. Kendrick Perkins had his way with Gasol. Kobe was trying to play three-on-one. Sasha Vujacic was our only productive bench player.