(My Sportsbook) - The Los Angeles Lakers are used to being the bullies of the NBA. They've played plenty of games against their Western Conference foes and always seem to come out on top.

This season, things are different.

The Dallas Mavericks are this season's NBA bullies. They're off to an 11-0 start, with the latest of their wins coming at the expense of the Lakers.

Steve Nash scored 21 points and Dirk Nowitzki added seven of his 18 during a game-breaking run in the second quarter as the Mavs ran away with a 98-72 victory.

Los Angeles is off to a 3-8 start and looks like a team in turmoil. The Lakers shot just 30.8 percent from the field, which is their worst shooting percentage ever.

Things have been bleak for Los Angeles, and its foes in the Western Conference have little sympathy for the wounded giant. The Lakers have lost two straight, six of seven and four in a row on the road.

Of course, the Lakers are playing without Shaquille O'Neal, who is the most dominant player in the league. Kobe Bryant, who is pretty dominant in his own right, feels the team is in a fog.

"I look around the locker room and I don't see fire in anybody's eyes," said Bryant, who led Los Angeles with 18 points against Dallas but shot just 7-of-21 from the field. "Everybody is kind of dozing off a little bit. There's no intensity."

The good news for the Lakers is that O'Neal is due to return Friday against Chicago. Not only will this give the Lakers a boost in points and rebounds, but it could go a long way towards restoring their swagger. Heck, just the prospect of his return seems to be doing that.

"Dallas has been beating up a lot of teams," coach Phil Jackson said. "They can have their fun because we're going to be back together in another month."

Jackson must be allowing three weeks for O'Neal to get in game shape.

Bryant feels it's only a matter of time before his team is back on top.

"Teams know that what goes around comes around," Bryant said. "We're not going anywhere. They know that. We usually get the last laugh."

Until Shaq starts ripping the rim down and instilling fear in the hearts of the opposition, there won't be much laughing in Lakerland.