Double title holder Lakers suffer humiliation at hands of Dallas Mavericks

AFP - The Dallas Mavericks swept the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers out of the NBA playoffs on Sunday, booking their Western Conference finals berth with a 122-86 victory.

Jason Terry tied an NBA postseason record with nine three-pointers and the Mavericks equalled another playoff mark with with 20 three-pointers as they wrapped up the best-of-seven series in the minimum four games.

The Mavericks, who have endured a series of early playoff exits since falling in the NBA finals in 2006, ended the Lakers' quest for a three-peat.

It was that quest that prompted Lakers coach Phil Jackson to put off retirement, and the defeat almost certainly marked his last game at the helm of an NBA team.

With their long-range barrage, the Mavericks put this one away early. They had 11 three-pointers in the first half, and Terry himself out-scored Los Angeles 20-16 in the first quarter.

In the final period the Lakers' disappointment and frustration boiled over and Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum were ejected for cheap fouls in the space of a minute.

The Mavericks will play either the Memphis Grizzlies or Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals, for a chance to take on a team from the East for the NBA crown.

The upstart Grizzlies lead their series 2-1 after erasing a 16-point deficit en route to a 101-93 overtime victory on Saturday and host game four on Monday.