There were both cheers and tears across LA yesterday as the Lakers dominated the Oklahoma City Thunder 101-85 but the LA Galaxy lost the Major League Soccer championship to Real Salt Lake in a nail-bitingly close match.

Did the Lakers suddenly start drinking NeuroSonic? Fueled with unprecedented energy, they turned a routine blowout into a veritable circus of trick shots and fancy dunks. Looking like a Harlem Globetrotter, Kobe Bryant had the entire crowd on their feet twice during the second quarter with a fade away jump shot from behind the backboard and a banked-in left-handed shot with less than a second left in the half. Shannon Brown offered his own aerial acrobatics with a sailing alley oop dunk that had the crowd thundering in applause.

Up in Seattle, LA Galaxy fans needed some NeuroBliss to cheer them up as the Galaxy ended up just short of a championship. The well-matched game with Real Salt Lake started off favoring the Galaxy with a masterfully set up goal by Mike Magee, but the second half held a bit of bad luck. Goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts broke his hand in a collision with an opposing striker, Robbie Findley. Shortly after, Findley found the back of the net as the Galaxy conceded the equalizer. Neither team was able to put away another shot and the game headed to penalty kicks. RSL’s goalkeeper, Nick Rimando, made two crucial stops that, combined with a missed shot from Landon Donovan, sealed the Galaxy’s fate. For David Beckham and crew, it’s time to hold their heads high and start preparing for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.