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The Lakers have made a subtle but unmistakable shift this season that will make them unable to bring another championship to the city this year. I'd bet on the Clippers sans Marcus Camby to win it all this year before I'd bet on team Kobe. What did they do to scuttle their chances so thoroughly? The Lakers are practically coasting through the end of the regular reason with the intent of turning it on during the playoffs. We've seen time and again that this doesn't work; our most recent lesson came at the expense of Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. In the years when Jim Sorgi and Curtis Painter have closed out the season for Indy, the Colts have been unable to go the distance. The one time that the Colts had to fight at the end of the season and failed to secure a first-round bye, they did in fact hoist the Lombardi trophy. The Lakers are doing the exact same thing this season, and so they will fail to repeat in the Finals this year. In fact, they shouldn't even make it to the Finals because the Nuggets are well-equipped to defeat them in the West.
