As the West sinks slowly into its dotage, we turn East to the most ballyhooed second-round series since the rise of modern ballyhoo.

Miami vs. Boston. Nothing in recent NBA history comes close.

In 1968 what remained of the fallen Celtics dynasty came from 3-1 behind to beat defending champion Philadelphia, teaching the NBA an eternal lesson about the need to hammer a stake through the hearts of vampires and Celtics.

The Celtics won Game 7 in Philadelphia's Spectrum as the 76ers' Wilt Chamberlain took two shots from the field in the second half, starting the furor that prompted his trade to the Lakers.

A year later, the Celtics dragged in No. 4 in the seven-team East and beat Wilt's Lakers in Game 7 in the Forum, with the balloons, etc.

Fortunately for Wilt, it was before ESPN so even if his notoriety made LeBron James look like a Boy Scout, it wasn't the same.

If most people can't remember why, this series comes billed as the long-awaited battle between the minions of the devil (Heat) and the Living Embodiment of All the Good Things About the NBA (Celtics).

Well, at least that's how it's billed by Boston fans, pundits and ESPN's Bill Simmons, who's both.

If Simmons' appeal is generational — and I miss by at least three — he's invaluable as a study of the modern . . . uh . . . media . . . with its worship of attitude, however unapologetically jingoistic, self-centered and self-congratulatory.

Preparing either for the NBA version of "Paradise Lost" or a basketball series, Simmons wrote:

"I was looking forward to a Celtics-Heat playoff series for so many reasons, but mainly because it was a battle for everything I ever believed about basketball. Hell, it was the premise of my entire NBA book: that there was more to basketball than just a bunch of individually talented dudes playing together, that the concept of 'team' mattered. . . .

"Miami tried to cheat that structure and my Celtics were going to make them pay. Then the [Kendrick] Perkins trade happened. . . ."

Check me on this:

Didn't Miami's talented dudes, with their spindly, creaky front line, finish No. 6 in defense, and tie Boston at No. 2 in opponents' field-goal percentage?

Wasn't James No. 1 in assists among forwards and Dwyane Wade No. 2 among shooting guards?

Didn't the Celtics cheat the structure, getting Kevin Garnett — who demanded a trade — after Minnesota GM/former Celtics great Kevin McHale took Al Jefferson and more guys who aren't there instead of taking Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom from the Lakers?

All James did was leave Cleveland — after seven seasons, two more than he had to be there — when he couldn't get anyone to go there.

Of course, he did that dumb TV show, aided by Simmons' employers, announcing he would "take my talents to South Beach" — as a piñata, it turned out.

The furor launched the ratings-shattering 2010-11 season, so even if it was totally undeserved, let's have a big NBA thank-you for LeBron!

It's hard to create a rivalry when there isn't one.

But sometime over the next two weeks, be it from the words of Mark Cuban and Phil Jackson or the actions of Kobe Bryant, maybe something will be sparked between the Lakers and Dallas Mavericks.

They haven't seen each other in the playoffs in 23 years, back when Andrew Bynum was all of seven months, too young for him to even try boxing out toddlers.

The Lakers and Mavericks have played each other 88 times in comparatively meaningless games since the Lakers won the 1988 Western Conference finals in seven games, Magic Johnson wrasslin' up 24 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds to give the Lakers the West for the seventh time in the '80s.

They've since played Portland in the playoffs eight times, San Antonio and Phoenix seven times, Houston six and Utah five times.

Forget Big D. This rivalry is a big zero.

They finally get to see each other again Monday at Staples Center to start the best-of-seven West semifinals.

Somebody get James Donaldson on the phone. A.C. Green too. It's time for a series of "Where are they now?" stories.

It's been a Dallas demolition derby from the start, the Lakers losing the regular-season series only three times since the Mavericks joined the NBA in 1980.

The Lakers have never been eliminated by Dallas in the playoffs (3-0) and are riding a 10-3 run in regular-season games, including 2-1 this season.

Some cross-country zinging between Jackson and Cuban added a hint of tension between the teams over the years, but not to worry, TNT analyst Charles Barkley is trying his best to create a rivalry … even if it's only with Lakers fans.

"The Dallas Mavericks are the best team in Texas and they're going to upset the Los Angeles Lakers," Barkley said Thursday on the air, giving the Lakers little credit after eliminating New Orleans. "They played against a bunch of munchkins. Those munchkins are going home. The Mavericks aren't munchkins."

Bynum, the youngest starter on either team by five years, gets a chance to prove he belongs with the big boys.

He was a key in every game against Dallas this season, for better or worse.

When the Lakers lost in January, 109-100, Bynum scored only 10 points to go with seven rebounds. He was quiet, like the Lakers in their swampy midseason slump.

But they won at Dallas in mid-March, 96-91, Bynum going for 22 points and 15 rebounds to offset Bryant's six-for-20 shooting.

Then the Lakers destroyed Dallas in late March, 110-82, Bynum going for 18 points and 13 rebounds as Bryant again shot poorly (eight for 21).

How important is the kid to this rivalry? Sorry. Nonrivalry.

"Not important at all," Bryant said with sarcasm. "He's our anchor defensively. On top of that, he's shown the ability to knock down jumpers, which is going to give teams a headache because now you have two 7-footers that can pick and pop, as well as roll to the basket and post up deep."

Reporting from New Orleans

Lamar Odom had just one simple goal for Game 6 Thursday night.

"I wanted to impact the game, which for me is just making plays," Odom said.

And that Odom did, filling up the statistic as only he can.

He had 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists and just one foul in almost 32 minutes of the Lakers' 98-80 series-clinching victory over the New Orleans Hornets.

And Odom was efficient, too, making five of 10 shots, one of his two three-pointers.

He even got it done at the free-throw line, making three of his four free throws.

"I wanted to take my time," Odom said. "I wanted to make plays and rebound. I wanted to play good basketball."

Throughout the six-game series, Odom and the Lakers had difficulty at times at making plays against the stubborn Hornets in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

But like the rest of his team, Odom came up big against the Hornets at New Orleans Arena.

Odom played a pivotal off-the-bench role for the Lakers in helping them beat the Hornets, 4-2, in the best-of-seven series.

"I was taking the ball to the basket," Odom said. "I was trying to get fouled. Hitting free throws, that was important to keep a good rhythm."

Odom entered Game 6 averaging just 11.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

He was shooting just 44.4% from the field, 21.4% from three-point range.

His best game of the series had been in Game 2, when he was presented the award for sixth man of the year. He scored 16 points and had seven rebounds in that game.

"With my role, sometimes I feel like I can have good games and the stat sheet might not say it," Odom said. "I just try to make the right play, as well as be aggressive and help lead the second unit. I just try to stay patient."

Odom opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer, extending the Lakers' lead to 13 points.

He made two free throws to increase the lead to 17 points.

Then Odom scored on a fastbreak layup that put the Lakers up by 20.

"I always feel I can find my shot," Odom said. "There's a right way to do that on this team. It's important for me to always stay in that right place. I feel like the team needs that from me. And I expect it from myself at this point in my career.

"So whether it's eight points or 16 points, I expect to play good basketball."

broderick.turner@latimes.com

twitter.com/BA_Turner

Let me just say there's no reason to keep reminding bill.plaschke @latimes.com that he was so misguided, so wrong, and if you will, a Lakers saboteur.

If you want to email him, go ahead. But not me.

But I would like to know why bill.plaschke@latimes.com didn't want the Lakers to win the championship this season. There's no way the Lakers can win it without Andrew Bynum.

"I'm sure (bill.plaschke@latimes.com) wasn't the only one who thought Andrew should be traded," said Derek Fisher. "But I'll tell you, I don't hear anything now from the boo birds (or bill.plaschke@latimes.com)."

Sure there were others who wanted Bynum traded, players from New Orleans, Dallas and every other possible Lakers playoff opponent who was hoping for the chance to win a championship.

Bynum has now become the single biggest reason why every team in the league lacks the answer to hang with the Lakers.

As Fisher said, "I think it's still understated what Bynum has meant to this team. Obviously Kobe, Pau, Lamar and Ron Artest deserve the credit they get, but I think more times than not it's understated for Bynum because his stats don't jump out at you."

In short, and that's funny to say about a big guy, he's a game changer. He had 18 points in Thursday's close-out game, a dozen rebounds and a pair of blocks.

It might not be enough for bill.plaschke@latimes.com, but it caught the attention of New Orleans' Chris Paul.

"He's three times bigger than anybody else on the court," said Paul. "He had an outstanding series."

And then with a sigh of hopelessness, Paul added, "He hit a step-back jumper with the clock running down."

All season long Coach Phil Jackson has tried to convince his team and bill.plaschke@latimes.com the Lakers have the advantage on the league so long as the ball goes inside.

Tough to convince some of the Lakers to give up the ball when someone like Pau Gasol goes Don Knotts on everyone at times, but as Bynum's knee has become stronger, so has his game.

"He's getting better," said Kobe Bryant, although we have yet to hear from those who still think Carmelo Anthony would make the Lakers a better team.

As for Anthony, he's probably off playing golf.

"You see Drew's second effort?" said Jackson, as giddy as he gets about any player. "He can now go up, come down and go right back up. That was missing when he was having trouble with his knee."

A month ago Bynum was talking about helping the team only as a defender, but in this series he took to bumping and banging inside for better offensive position.

"I was trying to get deep position and do something with it so my teammates could trust me," Bynum said. "They will try to get the ball to you if they know you can do something with it."

Bynum averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds in the six-game series, dismissing the suggestion, though, that he just keeps getting better and better.

Reporting from New Orleans

The first round finally ended for the Lakers, perhaps a game or two too late, but whatever.

No more getting outrebounded by the sawed-off front-line of the New Orleans Hornets. No more triple-doubles for Chris Paul. No more April anxiety for Lakers fans who witnessed too many downs this season to recognize the ups.

The Lakers moved on to the Western Conference semifinals after short-circuiting the Hornets, 98-80, and winning the best-of-seven series, 4-2, Thursday at New Orleans Arena.

The Lakers begin the next round Monday at home against Dallas, an inviting matchup for the Lakers, who have won 10 of their last 13 games against the Mavericks and went 2-1 against them this season.

It's also good for history. Surprisingly, the Lakers and Mavericks haven't seen each other in the playoffs since the 1988 West finals, won by the Lakers in seven games.

Cue up the old videotape of Magic Johnson on Derek Harper, James Worthy on Mark Aguirre, the Fabulous Forum and Reunion Arena.

For now, the Lakers are happily past the Hornets. Or, as the white board in the Lakers' locker room said after the game: 12 mo'

A dozen victories separate the Lakers from a third consecutive championship. To get there, they'll have to show the same blend on both sides of the ball they had Thursday.

Kobe Bryant again ignored a sprained left ankle and had 24 points in 30 minutes, making six of 16 shots and all 10 of his free-throw attempts.

He embraced a long weekend of rest "so when the next series comes around, I'll be close to 100%," he said.

It's getting repetitive, but Andrew Bynum was dominant down low with 18 points and 12 rebounds, eight in the offensive end.

Even when he was bad he was good, twice missing layup attempts, taking the rebound and scoring.

"He's three times bigger than anybody else on the court," declared New Orleans guard Chris Paul.

Pau Gasol (16 points, eight rebounds) and Lamar Odom (14 points, eight rebounds) continued the Lakers' obvious show of strength, helping them embarrass the Hornets in second-chance points, 21-4.

"Our bigs played the way we wanted to see them play," Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said.

There was also the defense.

In the third quarter, as the Lakers extended from a 40-34 halftime lead, Gasol blocked Marco Belinelli's jumper as the shot clock expired. Bynum then blocked Carl Landry's shot, the Hornets forward lunging at the rebound and awkwardly throwing the ball out of bounds.

Ron Artest stole a pass under the Lakers' basket, getting away with a small shove, and scored on a layup. It wasn't a kiss-the-biceps moment. He chose to flex both arms instead.

From New Orleans

Like anybody who spent parts of two weeks hanging around Bourbon Street, the Lakers staggered out of town Thursday night looking very different from when they arrived.

There were rips on their shirts, scrapes on their face, flecks of blood on their fists, a tightness in their stare.

But, man, you should have seen the other guy.

What the first-round playoff series against the New Orleans Hornets sapped from the Lakers' strength, it replenished in spirit, providing basketball's ballerinas with a right jab, a left cross and renewed hope that they might just be tough enough to win a third consecutive title.

As competitors, the Hornets were only briefly scary, falling, 98-80, to the Lakers on Thursday to lose the series, four games to two.

But as sparring partners, the Hornets were consistently spectacular, having awakened a Lakers physical intensity that could fuel them until June.

Perhaps you remember last year's first round against Oklahoma City? This series was that series, a Lakers team being shoved down to a hardwood floor that it transformed into a trampoline.

"This series got our motors going," Ron Artest said late Thursday from underneath a mountain of ice.

This series gave Kobe Bryant his chip again, the star beginning it by losing a fight with a courtside chair but ending it by slugging Emeka Okafor. This series gave Pau Gasol his temper again, as he was ripped by his coach for being timid early, then embraced by everyone Thursday after a driving dunk attempt that knocked two Hornets into next season.

This series gave Andrew Bynum a first step again, as he stood strong enough to finish Thursday with 18 points and 12 rebounds and even a 15-foot jumper that will make future opponents wince. Breaths still need to be held until Bynum can prove his knees will survive through the middle of June, but there is at least reason for the slightest of exhale.

It was a six-game series that felt like a six-round preliminary bout that, in the end, felt just perfect.

"This is the way it has happened for us in the last few years, and it seems to work," Derek Fisher said. "You would like to sweep the early rounds, but if you don't, they help you develop that thick skin, that mentality that you will need for the rest of the playoffs."

The thickest of that skin, of course, belongs to Artest, who turned the corner on a listless regular season to become this series' MVP. It was Artest who fueled the Lakers' renewal after their Game 1 loss with a plea to the team to "go loco," and it was Artest who threw the final punch Thursday when he turned Chris Paul into CP3-ohhhh.

It happened in the final 25 seconds of the third quarter, the Lakers leading by eight, Artest finding himself guarding Paul underneath the Lakers basket. Paul seemed to slip on the baseline, at which point Artest shoved him out of bounds and stole the ball and laid it in.

The New Orleans Arena crowd, which had seemed small and quiet for most of the game, roared in disapproval while Artest, naturally, roared back. For the first time in several games, he flexed his biceps with his trademark strong-man pose.

"It has to be worth it," Artest said of the pose. "And when it happens like that, it's worth it."

After his layup, Artest blocked a shot and Bryant was flagrantly shoved by a frustrated Jason Smith. Two free throws later, the Lakers finished the quarter leading by a dozen and were never seriously threatened again.

Before the fourth quarter, when the public address announcer screamed, "Let's hear it for your Hornets!" … he was answered with crickets.

"The crowd got rattled," Artest said.

They weren't the only ones, the Hornets finally covering up and spending the rest of the night against the ropes. Paul was so beaten down by body blows from Fisher and Steve Blake and any Lakers who wandered near him, he stopped driving the lane, shooting only one free throw on a night he only made four baskets. The rest of the Hornets were so battered, they scored only four second-chance points.

After spending nearly two weeks waxing with pride about his team's determination, Hornets Coach Monty Williams ended it pleading for them to show pride.

"We've got to play it out," he begged them in a sideline huddle late in the game. "We've got to play it out no matter what."

That's what physical does. That's what physical earns. And so the Lakers have been thusly reminded of this, a team that began the series cowering and questioning ending with puffed chests and calling for next. Considering the Dallas Mavericks are bigger and stronger than the Hornets, this is a good thing.

"We have a reputation for being soft," Coach Phil Jackson said. "We obviously don't believe that about ourselves."

Two weeks ago, they might have. Today, they do not. Farewell, Bourbon Street. The Lakers owe you one.

bill.plaschke@latimes.com

twitter.com/billplaschke