Win or lose, Lakers still best in West

With auditions ongoing for two months, there's been a painfully obvious truth on the Western stage. No one seemed capable of playing a credible Joker to the Los Angeles Lakers' Batman. The Lakers have been local heroes with no foils, a team so successful it sucked the drama out of this movie. New Orleans was an early favorite to fill the role of chief antagonist, but coming into Tuesday night's game at Staples Center, the Hornets didn't seem up to it. The first two times they met in N'awlins, the Lakers gobbled up the home team like tasty bowls of...read full article