Lakers' Jackson embarks on a salvage operation
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - Any psychoanalysis of the Lakers must start where all the post-Game 4 analysis ended.
Kobe Bryant was the last person to answer questions at Staples Center Thursday night. Like everyone who preceded him, Bryant had no good explanation for the Lakers' 97-91 loss to the Celtics in the biggest collapse in NBA Finals history. That might explain why things got a little ugly as Bryant made one final attempt at putting the devastating loss into perspective.
"We just wet the bed," said Bryant. "A nice big one, too, one of the ones you can't put a towel over. It was terrible."
Huh? A statement like that makes you long for the days of Bryant's expletive-laced, on-court tirades aimed at teammates or his self-edited, interview room responses where he supplied all the beeps necessary.
But to borrow a phrase often uttered by Lakers assessing the Celtics' comeback from a 24-point deficit: Give credit where credit is due. Bryant's imagery was disturbingly on the mark, capturing the shock, horror, and disappointment of the loss in a way something less graphic could not. After all, you don't gain much insight from a bunch of players observing they needed to execute better in the second half.
Give credit to Bryant for telling it like it was, for not trying to sanitize the magnitude of the loss or hide behind X's and O's. Bryant recognized the psychological dimension of the collapse as the Lakers suffered their first loss at home during these playoffs. Phil Jackson saw the same psychological impact and canceled practice yesterday. It was the definition of a mental health day, though the Lakers did watch tape of Game 4 at their practice facility.
"Just in checking out how the guys were and how they felt, I just felt it was a good idea," said Jackson. "We have two days to work on things we need to work on. We have guys that are well-conditioned at this time, and we need rest and recuperation in this situation, probably more psychologically than we do physically."
While the Lakers' youth has been viewed as a disadvantage during the Finals, it may work to their advantage when fighting off elimination tomorrow night. More than once, Jackson has remarked on the Lakers' resiliency. It has been a quality in great demand during the Finals, with the Lakers dropping the first two games in Boston, then winning ugly in Game 3 at Staples Center. After briefly addressing his team yesterday, Jackson figures the Lakers will be ready to go mentally and physically for Game 5.
"I just told them as a team, they had their heart ripped out," said Jackson. "It's tough to recover from that, but they will. This thing is not over, and we want to force the action, want to continue to force the play."
In his postgame remarks, Bryant joked about self-medicating with alcohol. But, if anything, sleepless nights, not late nights with wine, beer, or shot glass in hand, were an issue. Still, Jackson reported the Lakers "looked clear-eyed for the most part" when watching tape of the first half yesterday. By reviewing how the Lakers built a 24-point lead in the second quarter and carried a 58-40 lead into halftime, Jackson hoped for some positive reinforcement. He knows starting with the positive is the best way to mend the Lakers' weakened psyches. Jackson had no plans to make lineup or rotation changes, but said the Lakers would "pull out everything as this series goes along."
"Obviously, we were successful in the first half and did some things that got a lead for us," he said. "I wanted to explain to them that they were the same ball club, the same personnel that went out there in the second half, and if they can get that kind of lead, they can maintain that kind of a game, if they really put their minds to it."
A review of the second half showed Jackson plenty of areas for improvement. He recalled a time late in the third quarter when Pau Gasol didn't go strong enough to the basket when he had a dunk. Then, the Lakers coach pointed out his team still held a 10-point lead with 2:02 left in the third, noting how just one missed opportunity like Gasol's helped the Celtics build momentum and finish the quarter trailing only 73-71.
"There's some little key plays right there at the end of the third quarter that changed the energy that they were able to bring, the hope that they were able to bring," said Jackson. "Any team that's down that deep says, 'Let's just get it back to 10 points. Let's not try to make it all up in a row or in a hurry.' Not only were they able to get it back to 10 points, they were able to get it back almost entirely by the end of the third quarter. Those are the things that inspired their team, and we have to look at that as a critical element."
Although Jackson is one of the best in the business at pushing the right buttons and finding ways to motivate players, he has a tough job ahead. At practice today, the Lakers must figure out a way to stay mentally and physically tough through four quarters. They must convince themselves they can play four strong quarters, not just two.
As Bryant might say, it's time to clean up the mess.
Shira Springer can be reached at springer@globe.com.
