Gasol, Odom and Ariza were all big in the series. Kobe may have been the leader on this team, but he had plenty of help at both ends of the floor.
Ariza's defence today on Hedo was a big reason the Magic could only score 80-something. Gasol, Odom and Bynum shut out Lewis and Howard (again).
In the end, the Magic lost the series because their hot shooting hand eventually cooled down, and the Lakers were able to pack it in inside against Howard. We have heard how jump shooting teams don't have success - the Magic almost proved that theory wrong - and the hot shooting they enjoyed against Cleveland just could not be sustained against arguably better defense, and higher pressure games.
Give Kobe some credit - he may not be the most liked team mate in the NBA, but his determination and will to succeed pushed the Lakers over the hump.