Bynum, Odom Goats, Kobe Shows Class in Loss

In the NBA West semifinals, the Dallas Mavericks completed their surprising four-game sweep of the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers with a resounding 122-86 win. Laker star Kobe Bryant was magnanimous in defeat, congratulating the winners and giving them full credit for playing so well against his Lakers. It's too bad that he has some teammates who are clueless when it comes to displaying good sportsmanship.

In the fourth quarter, when the game's outcome was no longer in question, Lakers Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum each committed egregious flagrant fouls within the span of a minute, causing both to be ejected. Bynum's was by far the worse as he elbowed a Maverick player sharply in the ribs as he was in mid-air driving to the basket. To make matters even worse, after the referee signalled his ejection, Bynum then took off his shirt in front of the Dallas crowd as he walked off the court.

I saw both flagrant fouls and thought that Odom's was forgivable, but not Bynum's. Kobe Bryant was clearly saddened and ashamed of his teammates' violent and immature behavior. The man does have class, I must say. But still, I will never again root for any team of which Andrew Bynum is a member, even if it's with Kobe Bryant.