LAKERS NOTEBOOK: LINEUP MIGHT BE A CLOSING SUCCESS.Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer PHOENIX - There wasn't a lot for the Lakers to take away from Thursday night's overtime loss to Denver, a three-hour marathon of a game. But coach Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas "Phil" Jackson (born September 17, 1945 in Deer Lodge, Montana) is the current coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, an American professional basketball team. might have found a lineup he can use to close out games from now into the playoffs. With Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant (born July 23 1978) is an American All-Star shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. , Lamar Odom Lamar Joseph Odom (born November 6 1979, in South Jamaica, Queens, New York) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays power forward (also plays both forward spots and is a "point-forward") for the National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Lakers. , Devean George Devean Jamar George (born August 29 1977 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA. He typically plays small forward but because of his athleticism and defensive activity, can defend many shooting guards as well. , Luke Walton Luke Theodore Walton (born March 28 1980 in San Diego, California) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His position is small forward. and Kwame Brown on the floor, the Lakers erased the Nuggets' lead in the fourth quarter and forced overtime. The lineup puts five players on the court who are all 6-foot-6 or taller and well-versed in Jackson's triangle offense. The Lakers matched up defensively against the Nuggets Nuggets can refer to several branches of interest:
"I envisioned this team playing with that group of guys on the floor prior to this season beginning," Jackson said Friday, "because I think at a certain level they can play kind of like a matchup zone and play pretty well defensively." Jackson benched starting guard Smush Parker for the final 8:08 of the fourth quarter before bringing him back in overtime after Odom fouled out. Parker finished with six points on 2-of-9 shooting against Denver. Only a night later, Parker had the most critical assignment for the Lakers in stopping Phoenix's Steve Nash. Such is life in the NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= . "It's a good game for him to recover and play well for us," Jackson said of Parker. "We need him to play well." --Welcome back: A month after he was released by Phoenix, Lakers guard Jim Jackson returned to US Airways Center • • [ to face his former team. Jackson played nine minutes in the second quarter Thursday in Denver and hit a 3-pointer. There were no hard feelings for Jackson with the Suns, although he said he had little communication with coach Mike D'Antoni and the team's front office in the months before he was released. "You're going to make decisions, you're going to do what you need to do as a team," Jackson said. "That's all part of the business. But I think from a communication standpoint, I don't think the lines were always open." --Man of mystery: Phil Jackson was asked if he would hold anything back against the Suns, a potential first-round playoff opponent for the Lakers. "I'll hold my secret weapon out, Von Wafer, more than likely," Jackson said, referring to the Lakers' seldom-used rookie guard. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Phoenix's Leandro Barbosa, right, drives the lane to score on the Lakers' Sasha Vujacic during the second quarter. Roy Dabner/Associated Press |
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