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| | Wednesday, February 16 | |||||
| CHICAGO -- It doesn't matter on which bench he's sitting or
who he's coaching, Chicago still loves Phil Jackson.
The man who led the Bulls to six championships got a standing
ovation Tuesday night as walked onto the floor of the United Center
for the first time as an opposing coach. He smiled as cheers filled
the arena, acknowledging them with a little wave as he reached
halfcourt.
He hugged Bulls assistant Bill Cartwright, a player on Chicago's
first three championship teams, and then made his way to the Los
Angeles Lakers bench. Then he watched his Los Angeles Lakers play through a sluggish three quarters before beating the Bulls 88-76.
"I'll be happy when they throw the ball up," Jackson admitted
before the game. "It'll be the right thing to do."
Jackson was as much a part of the Bulls dynasty as Michael
Jordan or Scottie Pippen. He was there for the entire championship
run, and an assistant for two years before that.
But he rode off on his motorcycle in 1998, tired of the circus
that surrounded the Bulls and the sniping with general manager
Jerry Krause. He took a year off before going to the Lakers,
turning them into NBA title contenders in his first season.
It doesn't matter to Chicago, though. He'll always be one of
them. The United Center was packed solid for one of the few times
since the breakup, with scalpers outside looking for tickets.
"I'm not surprised," Jackson said of Chicago's continuing
adoration. "I was a New York Knick. The last championship they won
was in 1973, and there are still a lot of fans in New York, when I
go down the street, who remember that was the last championship.
They didn't forget very quickly.
"So I understand what the champions and the winning do to a
city, especially ones who've tried like this one," he added.
"Chicago hasn't had a lot of champions the last few years, so it's
important to them. I think savoring it is important to them, too.
But yeah, we all move on. It'll be a memory that will be lost the
next couple of years."
As for Jackson's own memories, coming to the United Center for
the shootaround Tuesday morning was tougher than arriving for the
game a few hours later.
"Being on the court, being in this (visitor's) locker room,
it's a different place than I've been," Jackson said.
Some things haven't changed, though. Banners honoring the title
teams still hang from the rafters, as does the one honoring
Jackson.
"Actually, Kobe (Bryant) asked me what that banner was up
there," Jackson said. "'Are those the number of wins you had
here? What did Jerry Sloan do for this organization?' All he knows
him as is a Utah coach."
| ALSO SEE Jackson has made the difference in L.A. Lakers give Jackson a welcome home win over Bulls AUDIO/VIDEO   Phil Jackson was thankful for the warm welcome.wav: 65 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6  | |||||