ESPN NBA

The San Antonio Spurs defeated the three-time defending champs last night in a game that didn't involve a single controversial call as the Los Angeles Lakers' reign came to an end in an irrefutable 28-point loss.

"We are severely disappointed we couldn't make a run for the championship and get our opportunity to win a fourth," Laker coach Phil Jackson said in the Los Angeles Times. "It tells us something about how difficult it is and how much dedication and discipline you have to have to win four years in a row. We had a great run.

"We've gotten a little bit older, we suffered some injuries, we had a difficult year, as I told them in the locker room about 40 minutes ago. We talked sincerely about making correct steps from the beginning of the season to the end, which places us in a position to win. This year, we couldn't do that, we couldn't make the correct steps. We stumbled, we fell, we lacked some discipline as a basketball club, and we paid the price for it."

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