BOSTON — In their most significant game of the season ...

The Lakers trailed by 30 points before halftime.

They weren't focused enough for this.

The Lakers allowed Boston to score 131 points.

They weren't tough enough for this.

No Lakers starter other than Kobe Bryant made a basket in the first quarter.

They, to keep this as uncomplicated as possible, just weren't ready for this.

Not this series, not this building and especially not this year.

If the Lakers are searching for solace today — and after losing Game 6, 131-92, they must be looking for everything, including a hole in which to hide — they can feel good about having the core of a potential champion.

They just didn't have the scars. Or the maturity. Or the heart.

Not yet anyway. In the near future, perhaps. But not now and really, really not Tuesday, when a tremendous window was opened to them and the Lakers banged their heads on the metal frame.

After an unexpected season that extended well further than anyone on opening night would have guessed, the Lakers finished with a performance that also defied prediction. And nearly description.

This wasn't a parting shot; this was a parting dud.

"I think everybody is disappointed that we didn't (make) a game out of this, give ourselves a chance," Coach Phil Jackson said. Later, he added, "Whenever you get this opportunity, you don't want to let it slip away, and we did."

It is difficult to believe that a season so sweet could leave an aftertaste this sour. The Lakers turned back time with this loss, no doubt leaving their fans longing for the glory days, like when Del Harris was coach.

This franchise's immediate future appears plenty solid, with Bryant, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom set to be joined next season by a still-recovering Andrew Bynum. There's every reason to think they could be back to this dizzying level next spring.

But after witnessing the gap that revealed itself Tuesday — Boston was up by 43 at one point — let's say this much: Bynum's knee better be 100-percent healthy and he better keep developing.

Did we say gap? Make that gorge. In the first half, the Lakers had eight field goals, the same number Kevin Garnett had; Gasol had four turnovers, the same number the Celtics had; and the Lakers had zero offensive rebounds, the same number you had.

Want to know how much they didn't compete in Game 6? Remarkably, the Lakers finished with just two offensive rebounds, both by guards. Bryant had one and the other was taken by Sasha Vujacic, not exactly known as a bullying force.

And realize, please, that this was a game in which the Lakers shot only 42.2 percent, missing 37 shots, meaning the offensive rebounding opportunities were there. Sadly, this only reconfirmed their inside softness, for roughly the 100th time in these NBA Finals.

So they were left to watch Paul Pierce dance, the Celtics mascot run around with a cigar in his mouth and Boston coach Doc Rivers receive a Gatorade bucket bath.

And all that happened before the game was even finished.

The Celtics' Big Three — Garnett, Pierce and Ray Allen — scored 69 points and a fourth teammate (Rajon Rondo) had 21.

The Lakers' Big Three — Bryant, Gasol and Odom — scored 39 and a fourth teammate (Jordan Farmar) dribbled the ball off himself and out of bounds with no Celtic near him.

No, the Lakers just weren't ready for this, none less prepared than Odom. Some players have great fade-away jumpers. Odom has a world-class fade-away game, and it retreated all the way back to L.A. on this night.

In a game during which Bryant's offense disappeared — he went 22 minutes, 21 seconds without a field goal during a stretch — Odom wasn't there to make up the difference. Or any difference, actually.

He failed to hit a basket until the fourth quarter. He was aggressive enough to be awarded a game-high 16 free-throw attempts ... and missed six of them. He drove hard down the lane at the end of the first half and had his shot swatted by Kendrick Perkins.

The even better snapshot of Odom's night came in the fourth quarter when he slashed inside and Garnett banged away his layup try. Odom then turned to complain to one of the referees. At the time, his team was down, 110-75.

Indeed, this game was that ridiculous for the Lakers, who didn't even have Bryant saving what little was left of their face by the end.

On an emotionally dead night, Bryant was as blank as any of them. After a quick start in which he made four of his first five shots, he hit three of his next 17. He repeatedly dribbled idly away outside only to cast up unsuccessful 3-point attempts.

The night required a punch. The Lakers delivered only a punch line.

So what's left to say? Wait till next year?

True, maybe. Pretty hollow sounding today. But after closing their stellar season with a 39-point loss, hollow fits these Lakers quite well.