As a lifelong Laker fan I was embarrassed by the way they ended the 2010-2011 season in Dallas yesterday. As the defending champs were seeking their third title in a row the Dallas Mavericks put on a clinic of team basketball sending them home without a victory in the series. The Lakers are a proud franchise with 16 NBA Titles to their credit. However, during yesterdays blowout loss to Dallas you never would have known that this team had EVER been a champion. Champions should know how to win AND lose with class. The Lakers displayed zero class yesterday as the Mavericks were wiping the floor with them and sweeping them in the Western Conference semi-finals. The Lakers acted like a bunch of entitled athletes that expected the Mavericks to just roll over because they WERE the defending Champs. Kudos to Dallas for playing incredible team defense, executing the pick and roll to perfection and flat out dominating the Lakers to advance to the conference finals. True character of an athlete or anyone else for that matter, is revealed when the going gets tough. The Lakers, specifically Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum showed they are seriously lacking honor, respect, self worth and character in yesterdays defeat. I'm sure they'll come out and apologize for their actions, which they should, and the general public will forget about it in a few days, which they shouldn't, but that's the way entitled professional athletes work. The NBA should hand each of them a hefty fine and a suspension to start next season so it is brought back up when the 2011-2012 season begins in an effort to raise awareness that this type of behavior is not acceptable at any level. Why should we expect anything else? These guys don't ask to be role models, nor should they be. But they are promoted and placed on billboards for all of to see in order to sell tickets, advertising revenue and jerseys to feed the money machine known as the NBA. Respect for the game, their opponent and themselves was secondary to the Lakers yesterday when they felt the championship trophy being ripped from their hands by the Mavericks. They showed their true character yesterday. We all need to remember that adversity doesn't develop character at this level, it reveals it! I hope every parent, coach and adult involved in youth sports will grasp this opportunity as a teaching moment for HOW NOT TO ACT when you lose or are losing a big game! In youth sports adversity can develop character if handled properly. Sadly, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom were not taught this as children and their true character was revealed.