The last time L.A. played a Game 7 at STAPLES Center, George W. Bush had just taken office, Y2K had failed to ruin the world and Andrew Bynum was 12 years old.
But Phil Jackson’s attitude hasn’t much changed.
The thesis statement from the head coach after Saturday’s practice was simple: His players were fully prepared, and knew precisely what was required of them leading into Sunday’s Game 7 with Houston.
“The guys on our team believe that we know what we have to do to get this accomplished. We came out in the third quarter (of Game 6) and got the game back in hand, but we lost it by a series of misplays that weren’t related to anything that Houston did but what we didn’t do. We were able to match the energy level in that third quarter, but we couldn’t sustain our mind set, how we’re going to play against them and what we’re going to do, so that’s what we have to do (on Sunday).
Of course, Jackson wasn’t interested in detailing exactly what adjustments will be made, but his general point that his players knew the onus was on them was confirmed by one Laker after another, including Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.
“I don’t know, don’t care (what kind of Rockets team will show up),” said Bryant. “We know they’re going to come out fighting and we have to be ready. We have to worry about what we’re going to do.”
“We know what we’re facing and we’re excited about it,” added Gasol. “The mind set has to be really aggressive and confident.”
Now, if you had to pinpoint a single focus, you can guess what end of the floor it was on.
“We’re continuing to evolve, (but) I think in the second half of (Game 6) we picked up our defensive intensity and saw kind of what we’re capable of in playing as hard as we did,” Bryant continued. “Hopefully tomorrow that effort will be there at the start.”
Fisher’s Confidence Not Faltering
One common question of late has centered around the struggles of Derek Fisher, who had made just 1-of-14 3-pointers en route to 29.4 percent shooting in the series and struggled at times to stay with the younger, quicker Aaron Brooks. Yet Fisher’s been around the block too often, come through in too many big situations to feel anything but confident about his game heading into Game 7, as he intimated after practice. He certainly has the trust of Phil Jackson, who indirectly suggested that Fisher would again be on the floor at the opening tip.
“We want all our players to be ready to play,” Jackson said. “What we have as a starting lineup is certainly not going to be always the team that we’ve got in there, but these are the guys that we count on and we’re going to go with the guys we believe in.”
In other words, the starting lineup should stay the same, but other than Kobe Bryant (he won’t be sitting much), minutes will be determined by who’s playing well, which could well mean more burn for Jordan Farmar in particular.
On the Block
The tenor of the game may be decided not on the perimeter by Fisher and Bryant, but rather on the block with Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom. After all, the Rockets took advantage of the physical nature of Game 6 after noticing early that heavy contact was allowed in the paint, but that may not be the case on Sunday.
With Odom, L.A.’s biggest concern is his bruised back, which Carl Landry took advantage of Odom’s in the second half of Game 6. Jackson said Odom’s pain is “a concern,” but won’t keep him off the floor. Phil had more to say about Gasol and Bynum:
On Gasol: “If he stands still on the post and receives the ball, Chuck Hayes is a big, solid, wide guy, a lot of power in there to get up underneath (Gasol) where he doesn’t have a lot of room to move. But if we get him moving, get the team moving and the ball moving, (Gasol) is fine, he’ll do a good job against (Hayes). We have to set him up, it’s not just going to be get him the ball and let him go 1-on-1.”
On Bynum: “The guys just have to look for him. He’s a great target, he has a big body, if he asks for the ball and guys rotate off him we have to get him the basketball. He was open in certain situations, and we were interested in 3-point shots because we got concerned with making up the distance. But I think the guys will have the right idea, they know what do to.”
The Meditator
When asked if the public confidence he’s portrayed throughout the series was different from his personal feelings, Jackson acknowledged the following:
Has my sleep pattern changed? Yes. But that’s why I meditate and work on the things I work on. You have to play with control, but you have to play at optimum speed, so if you get hyped up and are trying to play above the level at which you can play controlled basketball, you’re doing a disservice. So it’s a combination of two things. I think (John) Wooden said it best: “Be quick but don’t hurry.” That’s kind of the statement.
Eyes Wide Shut
Sasha Vujacic, who like Fisher has struggled with his shot in the playoffs (24.6 percent), was still on the court shooting an hour after the first interview was conducted. After hitting 13-of-14 shots in seven spots around the 3-point line, Vujacic made 10 straight free throws, then 10 more with his eyes shut. “OK, now I can go,” he said before finally walking into the locker room.