Eliminated in the second round for the straight year, the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Thunder 106-90 in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals on Monday, losing the series 4-1.

Four losses in eight days that underlined the fact that their roster again was unable to withstand the emotional challenge of the second round and the dominant skills of their opponent. Although the Lakers had a solid season, despite getting no real and certain training camp to make the enormous switch from coaches Phil Jackson to Mike Brown, they weren't as good as the NBA's best.This likely affects for the franchise and a fan base that considers seasons ending before June, to be a gloomy failure.

A second-round playoff loss to a better team caused panic and widespread contemplation Tuesday.

As Michael Lee reported, "While his teammates struggled, Bryant tried to will the Lakers to victory, but it wasn't enough. Now with questions swirling about the future of the team, Bryant is remaining defiant."

Scoring 42 points in 41 minutes as the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the second round for the second year in a row, following a 106-90 loss to the Thunder. But then Bryant also had zero assists, which was a mark of the confined trust he had in his teammates and also clear validation that he was playing for his legacy as much as a Lakers victory in Game 5.

Furthermore, Bryant manifested his disappointments with his teammates which he hoped for more aggressiveness from the Lakers All-Star forward Pau Gasol.

"Pau's got to be more assertive," Bryant said.

"He's the guy out there that we need. When he's getting the ball he's looking to pass. He's got to be aggressive. He's got to shoot the ball. He's got to drive the ball to the basket and he will in the next game."

More generally, the Laker's loss is not just one's flaw . It's the whole team's draw-back performance which led them to bumpy playoffs.Yet, the team is still hoping for reviving it's legacy next year - not a far-fetched goal.

Los Angeles