Lakers back on winning track in victory over 76ers, but Jackson not satisfied with defense or Bynum
"I was pretty P.O.'d," Bryant said. "Normally when I come here I go get a cheese steak and I drive around the old neighborhood and stuff like that. Today I was too upset to do that. So I just zeroed in."
Bryant said he made a conscious decision not to force his individual offense as he has in Philadelphia in the past. He could cite his precise shooting numbers from last year's game here when he said his plan was to "put an end to shooting 6 for 20's in this building. Just taking the shots when they present themselves."
There you have the crux of Jackson's philosophy: Stay in the moment and be mindful when your opportunities come. It took Bryant some time in previous years to wrap his head around it, and it's going to take Bynum some, too.
Although the Lakers and a strained right hamstring held Elton Brand to three points on 1-of-7 shooting, the 76ers still shot 48.8 percent from the field. Bynum blocked one shot after blocking none in the past two games. Before that, he was averaging 2.4 blocks.
Jackson came into this season making clear that he expected dominant defense and rebounding from Bynum. The coach is going to play whatever mind games it takes to get that.
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(c) 2008, The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.). Distributed by Mclatchy-Tribune News Service.




