End of an Error

Yes, it was a four-gone conclusion.

Self-destructive destiny. Collapse karma.

Maybe you can go back to the day the NBA lockout ended, or when Michael Jordan retired, and the expectations expanded into dangerous territory.

Or when Del Harris was sacrificed for the good of Laker progress, or Eddie Jones, or any of the others.

Or when any of the other ridiculous, inevitable moments of this Laker season nicked and nibbled at team cohesion and trust, all the way through to this lost Laker weekend, when it ended in a sigh and a surrender.

Peace at last.

The last ridiculous collection of moments came Sunday, before 17,505 at the Great Western Forum, when the San Antonio Spurs finished the Laker season with a thorough, textbook 118-107 victory to complete a four-game sweep in this Western Conference semifinal matchup.

“It’s very embarrassing,” said Laker center Shaquille O’Neal, who was swept out of the playoffs for the fifth time in his career. “Every time I get sent home, I get embarrassed. I hate saying, ‘Well, we played hard.’

“No. Now, it’s over.”

Now, there are a hundred little questions to weigh and debate--from O’Neal’s ability to become a free agent, to Coach Kurt Rambis’ shaky status, to Glen Rice’s future, to Jerry West’s future, to the whole franchise’s future.

Do the biggest Laker pieces go into the dump truck any time soon?

“I really don’t like starting over,” said O’Neal, who scored 36 points, had 14 rebounds and has a clause in his contract that can be exercised to make him a free agent. “So, right now, I’m not even thinking about it. So we’ll see.

“We just have to grow together. I think if we can get some more time together, we can be OK.”

But before all that is tossed into the air, the Lakers took time Sunday to grieve for their lost season, which ended in the same way as it did last season--a four-game sweep, by Utah.

It was busy, it was crazy, and it did not work out well.

“When you get swept like this, it’s the most depressing thing in the world,” said reserve forward Robert Horry, one of the few Lakers whose status is set for next season. “You feel like you let down everybody from the security guys all the way up to the owner. You let them all down.

“Right now, everybody is really hurt because we did the same thing last year.”

On Sunday, after the Games 1, 2, and 3 routine--Lakers battle into the fourth quarter, Spurs execute down the stretch, Lakers flop--the outcome was easy to predict.

You knew the result before the blunders happened--you knew the boos would thunder down, the shots would bounce awry, and the Lakers’ annual march to a May vacation would be complete.

For the Lakers, Game 4 was the simplest, clearest game to decipher, since there were no disputes about late foul calls or blown coverages or last-minute decisions.

The Lakers never led, only made one decent push into contention (a 12-0 rush to close the third quarter, narrowing San Antonio’s lead to 86-84), and that one charge was stifled by a 13-0 Spur volley to start the fourth.

And then there was plenty of time in the fourth quarter to ponder what went wrong, and where they are going.

“I’m not going to question the players’ effort,” Rambis said. “I don’t think you guys should, either. I just think we were in a desperate situation, the guys played well . . . but the other team . . . played very well.

“I don’t think you should question our heart or our effort in this basketball game.”

But the Spurs shot 60% from the field (36 for 60), got another incredible game from Tim Duncan (33 points and 14 rebounds) and drew the Lakers into 39 fouls, leading to 54 free throws. The Spurts made 39, three more than the Lakers attempted.

Jaren Jackson came off the bench, as he did in Game 3, to throttle the Lakers when they double-teamed the post, making six three-point baskets in 11 attempts on his way to 20 points.

“I think it’s a testament to them,” Rambis said. “I just think they’re a really good team.”

And the Lakers, a preseason pick to win the NBA title?

“This season in particular wasn’t conducive to making changes,” Rambis said, “and we made a lot of them.”

Did the Lakers, who made it to the Western Conference finals last season, take a step backward, despite all the frantic efforts made to hone them for a championship?

“I’ll just say we took a step sideways,” Horry said. “We didn’t step forward, because there were so many things that went on this season. Too many things.”

And there are more potential changes on the horizon.

Who will be running the team when the smoke clears? Who will be the coach? Will O’Neal be the centerpiece, or will he be gone?

Will Derek Fisher, Rick Fox and J.R. Reid--all free agents--be back? Will Lakers, who have an option on Rice for next season, exercise that, negotiate a new deal, or deal him?

The last hours of the Great Western Forum, due to be abandoned by the Lakers next season for the Staples Center, were full of shrugs and guesses.

“You don’t know what the big fella’s going to do, you don’t know what Glen’s going to do, you don’t know about J.R., Derek Fisher,” Horry said. “It’s just. . . . it’s going to be tough.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

BY THE NUMBERS

0: Number of Laker leads in Game 4

32-34: Record of Shaquille O’Neal’s reams in the postseason

5: Number of times O’Neal’s teams have been swept in the playoffs

6: Number of minutes it took Laker Travis Knight to foul out, a playoff record

11-14: Tim Duncan’s shooting from both the floor and free-throw line as he led the Spurs in scoring with 33 points

106-88: Spurs advantage in fourth-quarter scoring in series

96-59: Spurs advantage in bench scoring in series