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Lakers' Locker Room Jackson shows a master's touch in L.A.'s Game 4 win
Posted: Thursday June 15, 2000 09:43 AM
By Marty Burns, Sports Illustrated INDIANAPOLIS -- The party should have just been getting started. After all, it was only some 30 minutes after Reggie Miller's potential game-winning 3-pointer had clanged off the rim, allowing the Lakers to escape with a 120-118 overtime victory Wednesday night in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. But just as the Lakers were starting to feel good about their situation -- no team has ever blown a 3-1 series lead in the Finals -- coach Phil Jackson threw a wet blanket on the proceedings. "OK, let's go!" Jackson barked as he hobbled into the Lakers' locker room, his white dress shirt still damp with perspiration. "Let's wrap it up!" Leave it to the Zen Master to keep his team focused while everyone around them is losing their heads. Jackson's fingerprints were all over his team's showing in Game 4 Wednesday night. From his deft handling of the Glen Rice fiasco before the game to his decision to spread the floor in overtime and let Kobe Bryant meet the moment, Jackson showed once again he has a master's touch. As a result, the Lakers are no longer the immature band of crybabies swept out of the playoffs the past two seasons. Suddenly they are a team that can go into hostile Conseco Fieldhouse and overcome a fired-up Pacers team, in overtime, with Shaquille O'Neal sitting on the bench with six fouls. In other words, they are a team with the look of an NBA champion. "Yeah, I believe we came of age somewhat tonight," said guard Ron Harper, who won three rings with the Bulls. "Guys stepped up and hit shots, made plays, all of that. And it wasn't just Kobe and Shaq. It was a team thing." And Jackson was a big part of it. In the closing minutes, with the Conseco crowd roaring like a jet engine, the Lakers calmly, methodically, put away Indiana with stunning precision at both ends. Like a well-oiled machine. Or a well-coached basketball team. When Travis Best tried to run a screen-and-roll to win the game at the end of regulation, Shaq and Bryant alertly switched on the play, with Bryant taking Sam Perkins at the top and Shaq guarding Best. Perhaps surprised by the switch, Best tried to shoot over the 7-foot-1 O'Neal, and wound up with an airball. Last year the Lakers couldn't defend the pick-and-roll to save their lives. "I think Travis was a little surprised," Lakers guard Derek Fisher said. "Shaq played that perfectly, and Travis didn't really know what to do." Jackson's best work might have come before Game 4. With Bryant hobbling from a sore ankle and Rice sulking, the Lakers appeared to be in a fragile state. Instead, Jackson remained calm, made some adjustments to counter the Pacers' more aggressive double teams and kept his team confident. He also didn't let his ego get in the way of the Rice crisis. Instead of fighting with his player publicly, he shrugged off the controversy. Then he went out and made sure Rice got some open looks early. He even left him in the game to play defense against Jalen Rose in the crucial final minutes. Perhaps not surprisingly, Rice did a decent job. "Our coaching staff has been tremendous," Fisher said. "They've given us a composure and poise we've never had before." And maybe, just maybe, a locker-room celebration one day soon.
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