They need to stop blaming each other first.
The press began to scatter soon after the Lakers' 103-100 Game 4 loss to Oklahoma City in the second round of the 2012 NBA playoffs, leaving Pau Gasol all alone as he stood by his locker. Alone with his regret over committing a costly turnover that contributed to the Lakers squandering a fourth-quarter lead for the second time in three games. Alone with his frustration that the public would focus on that specific play when many others beforehand also fueled the unraveling.
But Metta World Peace had waited patiently so he could approach Pau Gasol once he completed his own media grilling. When that moment came, World Peace hugged him.
See, Los Angeles Lakers guard Steve Blake had just picked up 
Russell Westbrook's loose ball as he slipped on the Staples Center floor and believed they could break a 98-98 tie with under a minute remaining. So Kobe Bryant and Gasol ran a pick-and-roll that set the Lakers' forward with an open shot. Instead of taking it though, Gasol kicked the ball out to World Peace across the middle of the floor.
But Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant stole the pass and drilled a 26-foot three-pointer, and the Lakers' 3-1 series deficit to Oklahoma City in the Western Conference semifinals pretty much became official.
"I support him," World Peace said moments earlier...
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