Playoffs 2000:Jackson creates great Lakers

Jackson creates great Lakers
By Ken Peters
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- The Lakers finally found the winning combination: Superman, the Kid and the Zen Master.


	Phil Jackson pointed Kobe Bryant and the Lakers to the NBA title. Jackson has won seven titles as a coach and one as a player.

The defining moment of the mix -- and of Los Angeles' season -- came late in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals against Portland.

Kobe Bryant lofted the ball near the top of the backboard, out of reach for most mortals. But Shaquille O'Neal launched his 7-foot-1, 330-pound hulk far above the floor, grabbed the ball, slammed it through the hoop, then joyfully pumped his arm as he ran downcourt.

On the sideline, Phil Jackson smiled knowingly.

The Lakers thus passed their toughest test of the season, rallying from two consecutive losses to the Trail Blazers and from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit in Game 7 on their way to the NBA Finals and Los Angeles' first title in 12 years.

Although the Lakers continued their on-again, off-again play and Indiana stretched the Finals to six games, Los Angeles closed it out with another comeback, rallying from 12 down in the first half to beat the Pacers 116-111 on Monday night.

The 21-year-old Bryant and O'Neal, the 28-year-old center with the "Superman" tattoo, not only learned to coexist on the court, they learned to thrive together.

Jackson, able to blend Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and even Dennis Rodman into an NBA dynasty in the 1990s, began the new decade with a similar accomplishment in his first season at the Lakers' helm.

"I knew that Phil and his coaching staff were a staff that was going to put this team over the hump," O'Neal said after winning the first title of his eight NBA seasons, four in Los Angeles. "We had always won 50 to 60 games, but when we got into certain situations in the playoffs, we could never get over the hump."

Jackson is a disciplinarian -- "For the third time, NO LAYUPS!" he admonished his players during one timeout early in the Finals -- and a composed individual who mediates and often speaks of things spiritual.

"When he came in from the first day of training camp, it was no nonsense. Being here in previous years, there were coaches talking, guys messing around. When Phil came in and said what he had to say, because of his résumé, we knew it was no-nonsense," said O'Neal, who wrapped up by far the finest year of his career by adding the Finals MVP award to those he won for the regular season and the All-Star Game.

"He said, 'If you don't do what I say, you're not going to be here.' That's the kind of discipline I was used to with my father, from LSU with Dale Brown. It was nice to go back to that discipline."

Bryant, who impishly calls Jackson "P.J." agreed that his approach, which helped the Lakers put together a 19-game winning streak and post an NBA-best 67-15 regular-season record, was just the ticket to the title.

"The thing that Phil brought to us was obviously leadership and the confidence and the belief that his system works, because we've seen it work for six championships," said Bryant, in his fourth year after coming straight to the Lakers from high school.

Then there was Jackson's calm demeanor, even when the Lakers lost the fifth and sixth games of the conference finals and were heading into the showdown against the Trail Blazers, the only team in the league that realistically had much chance to beat them.

"When you look at a guy like Phil, he's not worried," O'Neal said. "Why should you worry. He's prepared us very well."

Jackson, who took a year off after the Bulls' last championship season, also was wise enough to pick the right spot to re-enter the game -- taking over a team with the NBA's most dominant player, O'Neal, and another, Bryant, who is capable of elevating his game to almost Jordan-esque heights.

Glen Rice, who becomes a free agent and might not return, believes maturity was a factor for the team, particularly for its two superstars. After Bryant sprained an ankle in Game 3 of the Finals, O'Neal hauled him into practice on his back.

"They've been through their ups and downs, through a lot of criticism about them not liking one another, and I think this year they both came into their own," Rice said. "They realized that they really had to go out there and work together in order to get things accomplished."

O'Neal had 41 points and 12 rebounds in the clincher against the Pacers and took charge during the fourth quarter as Indiana tried to come back after losing a six-point lead earlier in the period.

Bryant scored 26 in the victory, which was marred by fan violence outside Staples Center following the game.

At least four vehicles, including two police cars, were torched and 11 people arrested. There were no major injuries reported, however.

Jalen Rose had 29 points for Indiana and Reggie Miller 25, but just four in the fourth quarter as the Pacers couldn't give Larry Bird, who is stepping down as coach, the sendoff they wanted.