And for the Lakers as a whole, the biggest thing is living without Johnson.

Can they put it all out of mind and defend their title without Johnson, at least for a while?

He had realized his responsibility without Johnson in the lineup.

But without Johnson on the sideline, them Cowboys won't be as good.

After all, he has a team that has been playing without Johnson.

Jones wants desperately to prove he can run the team without Johnson.

Without Johnson, he might have had it; he just picked the wrong race.

Without Johnson, the 4x400 team is still expected to win a gold medal.

But the Jets, in careful language, also seem to say that they were prepared to move on, with or without Johnson.

Yet even without Johnson for the final 16:39, the Lakers refused to crack.