31 As a lifelong observer of the usually successful Los Angeles Lakers, for example, I can attest to the fact that long winning streaks are notched up to such simple explanations as smooth teamwork, hard work, and the natural talent of the players, whereas the occasional loss generates dozens of column inches and hours of radio talk time in the endless search for this, that, and the other cause—Kobe and Shaq’s feud, Phil’s bad back, payroll disputes, too much travel, too many Hollywood distractions, and so on, anything but the fact that the other team just outplayed them.
