Zen Master stalks his prey with subtle hints to refs
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Phil Jackson is always thinking a few moves ahead, but sometimes it's necessary to go in reverse to unleash his dastardly brand of psychology.
This explains why, before Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Jackson made no effort to conceal his opinion of the controversial missed layup by Courtney Lee at the end of regulation in Game 2. According to Jackson -- aka Honest Abe -- Pau Gasol should've been called for basket interference because his fingers touched the rim in the course of Lee missing the shot. That's Phil, the tallest gardener in the world. Always planting.
So it wasn't surprising at all to see Jackson up and out of his chair and engaging the officials Tuesday night more than he has in recent memory during these playoffs. Nobody has a better sense of when the politicking should begin. That moment was Tuesday night, and my guess is that Jackson and the Lakers are only getting started.
My eyes were drawn to Jackson on the sideline at several points during the Magic's 108-104 victory over the Lakers in Game 3, and his eyes appeared to be focused with blazing intensity on Dwight Howard. It has been a constant battle in the postseason for Howard to find the balance between exerting his physical prowess and stepping over the line.
My eyes told me that Jackson thought Howard was stepping over the line Tuesday night. And when I asked Jackson what he'd been so concerned about out there, his answer proved that I was right.
"Well," Jackson said when I asked my question, and I knew he was off and running. "He was just using his strength out there. We're obviously concerned about his physical contact out there and the amount of picks he's laying on our defenders -- Trevor [Ariza] and Fish [Derek Fisher]. They did give an offensive foul to him at one point, but we thought there were three or four occasions where there were offensive fouls."
• Magic 108, Lakers 104 | Series
Consider the idea planted. Consider the trap set. Jackson is up to his old tricks again, and he's right on time. It always starts when the Lakers get hit on the chin.
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| Look out, Dwight Howard. Phil Jackson is watching you. (Getty Images) |
"With [Andrew] Bynum, he doesn't mind banging," Howard said. "With Gasol sometimes, you've got to be aware of what you do in the paint. Gasol is very smart. .... You've got to be physical, but you've got to be smart."
Magic coach Stan Van Gundy took his own subtle swipes at the officials in his postgame news conference, so don't believe him when he says he doesn't spend time worrying about such things. Asked about Mickael Pietrus stealing the ball from Bryant with 28.7 seconds left and Orlando leading 104-102, Van Gundy said, "We had him trapped one other time, and I guess we fouled him. ... You've got to make sure that you really keep your hands back on all his traps. You don't want to touch him at all."
Heavens, no, Van Gundy was saying, you don't dare lay a finger on No. 24.
Van Gundy gets extra credit for subtlety. But when I asked him about my theory that Jackson was about to commence open season on his big man with regard to how he's officiated, Van Gundy said, "I have no control over that. We're going to try to stay focused on what we have control over."
In some parts of the country -- hint, it's hot and humid here, and there are a lot of amusement parks -- the hot topic during the 48 hours between Games 2 and 3 was the fact that basket interference hadn't been called on Gasol when Lee missed that layup with 0.6 seconds left in regulation Sunday night. And now there will be plenty of spin, hints, and perhaps flat-out proclamations from Jackson about Howard getting away with moving screens and being a little too eager to share his elbows with the rest of the world.
Jackson began his warfare with the referees after the Lakers lost Game 4 of the conference finals, calling Dahntay Jones "unsportsmanlike" for tripping Bryant during the game. Jones wasn't the same the rest of the series, and Jackson's comments -- and ensuing fines for himself and the Lakers totaling $50,000 -- clearly got into the Nuggets' heads as well. When an anonymous Nuggets player alleged that the Lakers had "paid $50,000 to win that game," the Zen Master must've been smiling. Or maybe even laughing hysterically.
One of Jackson's smartest players, Gasol, already was taking up the cause before Jackson even had a chance to amble toward the team bus. Asked what the difference was for Howard Tuesday night -- he had 21 points and 14 rebounds -- Gasol said in the interview room, "He played with a little more energy, and he's allowed to do physically a couple more things here at home. Basically, that's what it was."
So now Jackson has served notice that he's got his eyes on No. 12, the biggest and strongest man in this series and in the NBA. Whomever is officiating Game 4 better get used to Jackson standing very close to them and pointing a lot to the area under the basket. And you know what? Fans on either side had better get used to the fact that sometimes your team doesn't get the calls, and that doesn't mean there's a conspiracy. It's just the way it is in basketball.
If Orlando loses this series, some people will blame it on the no-call at the end of Game 2, perhaps failing to recognize that the explanation is right there in black and white in the NBA rule book. The conspiracy theorist has no allegiance to these things called facts. Gasol's fingers touched the rim, but it wasn't basket interference because he didn't move the rim or impact the shot. That's why Bernie Fryer, the NBA's supervisor of officials, told ESPN.com after the game that it was a "cut-and-dried no call."
But to fans with overactive imaginations, coaches with overly-developed lobbying skills, and yes, gamblers with a few bills on the outcome, there is no such thing as cut-and-dried when it comes to NBA officiating. You'll see. Just wait until the first time Howard tries to set a screen in Game 4, somebody falls down, and a 6-8 man with gray hair and an artificial hip pounces out of his seat like a gazelle. The Zen Master's work has only just begun.
