As if the Lakers' season ending wasn't embarrassing enough, with a 36-point drubbing at the hands of the Mavericks in Game 4, completing a stunning sweep of the Western Conference semifinals, two flagrant fouls by Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum further tarnished Sunday. Both players were ejected with hard fouls in the fourth quarter, when the game and the Lakers' season was already over, albeit not yet officially. Odom and Bynum committed their fouls within a minute of one another.
↵Odom delivered a hard foul to Dirk Nowitzki on a screen with 9:06 remaining, shoving Nowitzki with his shoulder. Odom was given a flagrant two foul, but Bynum's play 45 seconds later was much dirtier. Bynum clotheslined Jose Barea with 8:21 left in the fourth quarter with the Mavs up 100-68.
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Bynum didn't even attempt to make a play on the ball, and is sure to receive some sort of suspension starting next season for his foul. It was the second actionable play this series on Barea. Ron Artest was suspended for Game 3 after striking Barea with his hands to the face in the closing minutes of Game 2. Bynum was less than apologetic after the game, stating "I think it was more we were getting embarrassed, they were breaking us down. So I just fouled somebody."
↵Odom, for his part, at least showed some contrition, saying, "I was a little embarrassed. I went to fill the rim out, they were already up 30, and I didn't mean anything by it." It was a sour way for the Lakers to go out, even more so than their season ending much sooner than they had planned.
↵For more news and information on the Lakers, be sure to read the SB Nation blog Silver Screen and Roll.