Derek Fisher has the last laugh as Lakers finish off Jazz

In what has become an annual tradition, the Los Angeles Lakers eliminated the Utah Jazz from the NBA Playoffs…again…for the third consecutive year.

This time around the Lake Show busted out the brooms and swept the Jazz as Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol continued their spring cleaning.                                                                     

Just when everybody was quick to author the “end of days” for Kobe, the best baller on the planet goes out and reminds the world why his place in NBA history is written in ink and not pencil. After a sub par showing against Oklahoma City, the real MVP did what he does best – abuse the competition and take the hearts of the fans.

Yeah, I know that Utah was shorthanded. No AK47. No Mehmet Okur. No chance of victory. Why even try if “All Hope is Lost”?

Of course, when Pau is dropping 23 and 14 a night, you really have no chance no matter who is suiting up for the opposition.

For those of you who still think Kobe is on the way down, take a look at these averages for the four game series and tell me how far he’s sunk: 32 points per game, 4 boards, 6 dimes, 52% from the field and 86% from the line.

Y’all must’ve forgot!

One thing Jazz fans haven’t forgotten is the departure of Derek Fisher. In one of the most classless acts in the history of pro sports, fans in Salt Lake City spent the last two games heckling D-Fish unmercifully. For the record, sporting  “Fisher Lied” shirts and yelling obscenities at one of the most clutch shooters in post season history is not a good idea.

Then again, ripping a man who chose to seek medical help for his ailing daughter and who gave you 110% every time he put on those putrid Jazz colors shows exactly why the city of Salt Lake still has yet to see a championship banner hanging from the rafters.

Classless, clueless and confused, the Utah fans deserve their continued basketball heartache.

Sure, you’ve got a Hall of Fame coach. You’ve got the best point guard in the game. You’ve even got a fantastic front office. What you Jazz fans don’t have is any taste. You fail to appreciate the sport of basketball for what it truly is – the purest form of team competition.

You Salt Lake City folks seem to have also forgotten how you inherited the overpaid Carlos Boozer.

If memory serves me correct, Boozer shook the hand of a blind man in Cleveland and promised him he’d stay in the Rock N’ Roll Capital. Then he made an about face and bolted for Utah, unable to resist the sweet smell of life changing cash.

Hey, I get it. This is a business and money talks. No matter how selfish Boozer’s move, I feel where he’s coming from. A second round pick that enters the league with nothing guaranteed has to go for his. I’m not saying I agree…but I understand.

So when a class act like Fisher comes along and chooses family over cash – he did walk away from an $8-million contract – you decided to spite him for it.

Stay classy, Salt Fake City. You haters are the reason why guys like Fish love to hear the silence of a packed arena.

Whatever the case, the Lakers are moving onto the Western Conference Finals and the Jazz have gone fishin’! We’ll see you next year Utah. Hopefully you’ll be more mature and will handle a fourth year of playoff pain with more dignity.