Jackson has own view on TV history

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - For a second straight day, the resumption of the Celtics rivalry remained a popular topic at the Lakers' practice facility. Give Lakers coach Phil Jackson credit for adding "Sex in the City" into the mix as he pondered whether these Finals would be the most-hyped championship series of his coaching career.

"The NBA's hopes are that," said Jackson. "Without a doubt, we'd love to have the audiences that we had back in the '90s and the '80s, I'm sure, the command of the general public . . . If we can draw those other people in that are watching 'Sex in the City' on Channel 5 and reruns of 'Friends' and 'Seinfeld,' so much the better.

"The names alone in basketball - the Celtics and Lakers - create a phenomenon on its own."

Asked if he saw the first matchup between the Lakers and Celtics in the 1962 NBA Finals, Jackson had a little fun with reporters.

"No, I was in Alaska," he said. "I was in Siberia, actually, growing up.

"No, I was a junior in high school at the time. They didn't cover it. I didn't see it on TV. My parents didn't even own a television set, so there. So I don't know the history of it. But I did see some of the later ones in '68, '69."

Jackson added that the hype did not affect his players, describing the mood during yesterday's nearly three-hour practice session as "studious."

"They're ready to start buckling down and thinking about what they have to do," said Jackson. "[We] try to get some offensive sequences in there that are a little different, run a little team that is representative of the Celtics, which is impossible to do."

Not playing the match game

Coaches typically find a way to talk without committing to any specific strategy, for obvious reasons. With his experience coaching in the Finals, Jackson knows exactly how to handle probing questions. He didn't reveal anything shocking when discussing possible matchups.

Asked about Lamar Odom guarding Kevin Garnett, Jackson said, "At times, I'm sure he will. We haven't talked about that specifically. Well, I mentioned a little bit about it, but not a whole lot."

With regard to a possible Kobe Bryant-Ray Allen duel, Jackson said, "That's a matchup we'll probably start with, but we're going to move people around and find out who's going to guard whom in this series."

Guarded concerns

Hard to believe, but the Lakers have only two players on their roster with NBA Finals experience: Bryant and Derek Fisher. Jackson extolled the virtues and mentioned some of the concerns of coaching the 33-year-old Fisher, who started all 82 games this season. "I knew the stability he would bring our team, the leadership he would give," said Jackson, who coached Fisher during his first stint with the team (1996-2004). "I know the general demeanor of what Fisher represents as far as a citizen. He's responsive to the community and responsive to his teammates. My coaching worry would be as far as age and his ability to recuperate from game to game and day to day. It's something you're always concerned about with a player, especially when he's had operations on his foot. But he's held up remarkably well." . . . While the Celtics are led by three 30-something veterans, Jackson doesn't see their longer road to the playoffs taking a toll on the Green. The Lakers have played five fewer games than the Celtics this postseason. "I look at it as they've had more of a chance to improve their ball club. They've done that. They've improved as they've gone through the playoffs."

Shira Springer can be reached at springer@globe.com