West leaders deserve respect

Last summer, the Portland Trailblazers acquired musclemen Dale Davis and Shawn Kemp with one thing in mind -- a postseason matchup with Shaquille O'Neal and the Lakers.\nNow, these teams seem destined to meet. But nobody would have guessed it would be in the first round.\nThe way things stand, the Lakers are the fourth seed out West, and the Trailblazers are struggling for the fifth spot. The teams were supposed to march to the NBA Western Conference Finals. It was supposed to be easy. But no one told the rest of the conference.\nWhile everyone was trying to decide which of last year's West finalists had the edge, the other teams were improving. San Antonio and Utah have mastered their games. They have shown they are not frightened by the Lakers' and Blazers' size and strength and are not going to concede anything. \nSacramento sits atop the Pacific Division. The team has earned the position with hard work and hustle. While Chris Webber and Vlade Divac might lack the ferociousness their opponents boast, they have gotten solid play from point guard Jason Williams and a career season from small forward Predrag Stojakovic.\nThese teams, along with Dallas, which has stayed afloat with the rest of the conference, have performed wonderfully much to everyone's surprise.\nAfter last year's NBA Finals, the sports world was ready for its newest dynasty. The Lakers were supposed to dominate the decade. Kobe Bryant and Shaq had finally "matured," and no team could stop them.\nFunny how things pan out.\nThe team that was supposed to show the world how easy winning a title can be has instead shown the world that defending a crown is harder than earning the first one. Somewhere along the line, with all that has occurred between O'Neal and Bryant, the team reverted to childish whining.\nThe whining and lack of chemistry have caused bad losses as blame gets thrown around the locker room. The Lakers only need to look at the teams ahead of them for advice. The Spurs, Kings and Jazz do not have childish ball-hog disputes or disrespectful players. They have a team goal and will win by any means, even if it hurts individual statistics.\nThey could have conceded the season. Players could have complained their ways into bigger markets so they could at least showcase skills. But instead they came together to show the world that if the Lakers want to repeat their championship, they will have to work hard.\nThe "surprise" teams have proven they can overcome tough odds during a long season, but teams tend to put on a different show once the playoff curtain rises. The Lakers and Blazers still have the most talented teams, and it is not too late to turn things around and control the conference. \nAlthough the Lakers and Blazers have struggled, beating them will be even more difficult in the playoffs. The teams that have played so well all season will have to prove again that they can out-duel the beasts when it really matters.\nIf that happens, we will see one of the greatest accomplishments in sports -- not because it is so hard to conceive these teams winning, but because their effort and determination would overcome the lifeless talent that was supposed to run away with the conference.