LAKERS NOTEBOOK: PHIL RESPONDS TO RED.Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer 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. is one championship shy of tying Red Auerbach's record, and the old cigar-chomping icon is either getting nervous, cranky crank·y 1 adj. crank·i·er, crank·i·est 1. Having a bad disposition; peevish. 2. Having eccentric ways; odd. 3. or probably both. In what's become an annual rite of spring, Auerbach punked Jackson in a recent interview with Bloomberg News. The former Celtics coach said Jackson - who has coached eight NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= champions and owns the best playoff winning percentage ever - has simply benefited from coaching great players, Michael Jordan This article is about the former basketball player. For other uses, see Michael Jordan (disambiguation). Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player. in Chicago, 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. and Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (pronounced "shak-KEEL") (born March 6, 1972 in Newark, New Jersey), frequently referred to simply as Shaq, is an American professional basketball player, generally regarded as one of the most dominant in the National Basketball Association (NBA). in L.A. ``Most of your great coaches do some teaching and developing of players,'' said Auerbach, 84. ``Phil may
Phil May (22 April 1864 – 5 August 1903) was an English caricaturist. Philip William May was born at Wortley, near Leeds, the son of an engineer. be able to do it, but he hasn't shown it. His teams have been ready-made. He hasn't been faced with having nothing personnel and being forced to develop them into winners.'' As if waiting for the question, Jackson smiled when Auerbach's comments were raised. ``I know Red. If you know Red, you know why I'm looking forward to besting his record,'' said Jackson, who rarely speaks with such bravado. ``I'm doing it in lieu of Red Holzman's death, and I'm sure it is a wish he would have loved to have, to see me replace (Auerbach) as the winningest coach in the NBA championships.'' Holzman, the legendary Knicks coach, was Jackson's most influential mentor. ``(Auerbach) still can't get over the fact that we beat them a couple times in the (East) final,'' Jackson said. ``It's just Red and his competitive nature. That's just who he is. He's going to go to the grave like that. We look forward to Boston if we have that opportunity, if we have the good fortune (to see them in the Finals).'' When contemplating his own success, Jackson has always cited his players first. And he said Auerbach ``has a point.'' ``He built the Boston team and retired with the Boston team. He stayed with one organization and made adjustments through the years,'' Jackson said. ``However, it was an eight-team league back then, and you played two conferences. ... I think it was pretty obvious that it was a different game entirely than what the game is today. ``And he did a terrific job as a coach, but lighting a cigar at the end of games and blowing smoke at the end of games, he was the kind of coach that irritated a lot of people in those days. And still is capable of doing it.'' --Open forum: With the Lakers facing a 3-2 deficit in the conference finals - a situation he's faced just three other times - Jackson turned to his coaching staff for suggestions. ``Normally, I pretty much feel confident that I know the talent of my team or what we can do,'' he said before tipoff. ``But in a situation like today, I want to be open and not rigid and hard so that I can't take change and move on and make some adjustments if we have to. I try to stay as placid as possible so I can be changeable in these situations. ... I think we're pretty much of one mind, except for Tex (Winter), but he's never of one mind.'' A CLOSER LOOK QUARTER-BY-QUARTER FIRST With the pressure of an elimination game, it's no surprise that Robert Horry Robert Horry (born August 25, 1970 in Harford County, Maryland) is an American National Basketball Association basketball player. Currently playing for the San Antonio Spurs, Horry is is known for his ability to make clutch shots in big games. calmly sinks a 3-pointer for the Lakers' first points. Kobe Bryant and Chris Webber For the Canadian-born former BBL basketball player, see . Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III, better known as Chris Webber or C-Webb (born March 1, 1973, in Detroit, Michigan), is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the NBA.. get tangled up after a Bryant offensive rebound, earning Webber a technical foul technical foul n. Sports A foul, especially in basketball, that is called on a player, coach, or team for unsportsmanlike conduct or infringement of a rule and does not usually involve physical contact with an opponent during play. . Shaquille O'Neal hip-checks Mike Bibby Michael (Mike) Bibby (born May 13, 1978 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey) is an American professional basketball point guard for the NBA's Sacramento Kings, and the son of former NBA and UCLA player and former USC basketball coach and current Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Henry for a foul four minutes into the game. With the attention on O'Neal and Bryant, the supporting cast is shooting, and missing, a lot of open 3-pointers. Bryant picks up his second foul with five minutes remaining and takes a seat. The first 17 points by the Kings all are by Webber or Bibby. LAKERS 28, KINGS 26 SECOND Peja Stojakovic looks fully recovered from injury and is getting a lot of minutes. He tips in his own miss to give the Kings their first lead since early in the first quarter. O'Neal gives the Lakers back the lead with a facial dunk over Scot Pollard Scot L. Pollard (born February 12 1975, in Murray, Utah) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Boston Celtics of the NBA. In a nine-year NBA career, he has played for four teams, spending the bulk of his career with the Sacramento Kings and the and a free throw. Bryant drives around Stojakovic for a layup and five-point edge midway through the quarter. In the final 30 seconds, Doug Christie Doug Christie may refer to:
KINGS 56, LAKERS 51 THIRD The teams exchange baskets throughout. Bryant ties the game at 66 on a fast-break alley-oop from Derek Fisher Derek Lamar Fisher (born August 9 1974 in Little Rock, Arkansas) is an American professional basketball player with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was with the Utah Jazz but asked to be released from his contract to care for his 10-month-old daughter, who has cancer. . But Bibby, who shot 1 of 8 in the first half, comes back with his second 3-pointer of the quarter. Divac picks up his fourth foul, pushing O'Neal in the back with three minutes "Three Minutes" is the 46th episode of Lost. It is the twenty-second episode of the second season. The episode was directed by Stephen Williams, and written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. It first aired on May 17, 2006 on ABC. remaining. He leaves the game. Bibby loses the ball while going up for a shot. Bryant picks it up and goes all the way to the hoop for a layup plus a free throw to tie the game at 71. LAKERS 75, KINGS 75FOURTH The Lakers take the momentum and have the home crowd on their feet, scoring the first five points of the quarter. Divac fouls out with 2:56 remaining and the Lakers trailing by two. The Lakers lead by one when O'Neal scores a nimble reverse layup in the final minute. Hedo Turkoglu converts two free throws with 20 seconds left. Sacramento immediately fouls Bryant, who makes both from the line. Turkoglu makes a layup. Bryant goes to the line and makes two more. Bibby misses a jumper in the final seconds and Horry takes the rebound. LAKERS 106, KINGS 102 LOOK AHEAD Three-peat dreams remain alive. The Lakers head to a Game 7 for the first time since that epic victory against Portland in the Western Conference finals two years ago. This time, they will have to win on the road. It's all up for grabs Sunday at Arco Arena Current arenas in the National Basketball Association Western Conference Eastern Conference . KEY TO THE GAME In a back-and-forth fourth quarter, the Lakers led by one when Shaquille O'Neal took the ball baseline and spun around third-string center Lawrence Funderburke Lawrence Funderburke (born on December 15, 1970 in Columbus, Ohio) is a former player in the NBA who last played with the Chicago Bulls. He played his freshman year of college basketball at Indiana University, but transferred after that season to Ohio State University, where he for a reverse layup that a guy of his size shouldn't be able to make. The Lakers held on to that small cushion. KEY MATCHUP Kobe Bryant vs. Doug Christie Bryant came alive in the second half. He scored nine points in each of the final two periods and made key free throws with 19.8 remaining. Christie didn't make Bryant work on defense, scoring just five points. PLAYER OF THE GAME For the first time in the playoffs, O'Neal dominated every quarter, including the fourth, on his way to 41 points. He mixed in thunderous dunks with difficult short jumpers. He even made his first 10 free throws. Took down 10 of his 17 rebounds in the second half. GOAT OF THE GAME Vlade Divac couldn't manage to stay in the game because of fouls. He couldn't stop Shaquille O'Neal. But he had a better chance of slowing the Big Fella than Scot Pollard and Lawrence Funderburke. Divac also shot poorly from the field, scoring three points in the second half. NUMBERS GAME FAST BRK BRK Break BRK Broken (meteorological, cloud cover) BRK Bayerisches Rotes Kreuz (Bavarian Red Cross) BRK Berkshire Hathaway (stock symbol) BRK Brick PTS PTS put to sleep; a common euphemism for euthanasia, but also used to describe general anesthesia. .: KINGS 11, LAKERS 18 FG PCT (Private Communications Technology) A protocol from Microsoft that provides secure transactions over the Web. See security protocol. .: KINGS .413, LAKERS .459 FT PCT.: LAKERS .850, KINGS .720 FT ATT ATT ammonia tolerance test. .: KINGS 25, LAKERS 40 PLAYER ANALYSIS LAKERS CENTER Shaquille O'Neal Monster on offense as the Lakers kept feeding the big man. Fouled out Vlade Divac and Scot Pollard. GUARD Kobe Bryant Slow first half after first-quarter foul trouble. Great in the second half, making key free throws in the final minute. GUARD Brian Shaw Lots of playing time in the first half and a little more in the fourth quarter. Handled the ball Handled the ball is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. Definition Law 33 of the Laws of cricket provides that: "Either batsman is out Handled the ball if he wilfully touches the ball while in play with a hand or hands not holding the bat unless he does up the court when in the game. GUARD Derek Fisher Terrible in the first half, repeatedly fouling Mike Bibby on jump shots. One key 3-pointer in third quarter. FORWARD Rick Fox Aggressive at the end of the game, twice getting to the line and converting four free throws in the final two minutes. FORWARD Robert Horry Led the team in assists and grabbed big rebound of Mike Bibby's miss in the final seconds, sealing the game with a free throw. KINGS CENTER Vlade Divac Big 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer, not to mention 11 rebounds. Didn't play well after that. GUARD Doug Christie Hardly shot the ball and couldn't control Kobe. Did have seven rebounds and five assists. FORWARD Chris Webber Another outstanding game, leading the team in points and assists. GUARD Mike Bibby Started out cold from the field, heated up in the third quarter but didn't do enough in the fourth. FORWARD Hedo Turkoglu Seems less involved in the offense now that Stojakovic is back. Made two free throws with 20 seconds left. FORWARD Peja Stojakovic Scored eight first-half points but sat most of the second half as the Kings went with starter Turkoglu. CAPTION(S): 13 photos, 4 boxes, chart Photo: (1) Shaquille O'Neal (2) Kobe Bryant (3) Brian Shaw (4) Derek Fisher (5) Rick Fox (6) Robert Horry (7) Vlade Divac (8) Doug Christie (9) Chris Webber (10) Mike Bibby (11) Hedo Turkoglu (12) Peja Stojakovic (13) QUOTE OF THE GAME ``We've been through so much together since we came here. ... Facing elimination, this is nothing.'' - Kobe Bryant, referring to himself and Shaquille O'Neal Box: (1) A CLOSER LOOK (see text) (2) PLAYER ANALYSIS (see text) (3) LAKERS vs. SACRAMENTO: Best-of-seven series tied 3-3 (4) GAME RECAP Chart: NUMBERS GAME (see text) |
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