But as the Indiana Pacers stumbled, bumbled and fell hard to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1, one of the apparent blunders was Jackson playing just 28 minutes while his backup at point guard, Travis Best, stole 19 with ineffective play.

That's not the main reason the Pacers knuckled under in the 104-87 loss, but under the circumstances, coach Larry Bird should have played him a lot more. Jackson had 18 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds compared to Best's 4 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds.

"At times, you have to make a decision whether to take him back or leave Travis out there," Bird said. "Tonight, (Jackson) played very well. He probably should have been in a little bit more."

Jackson refused to bite on that.

"I don't get into that," he said. "You know, the bottom line is we didn't do the job as a team. We had success that way. Obviously, I want to be out there, but that's not what it's all about. You have to throw individual stuff out, and do it collectively. Tonight, we didn't do it."

Bird likes the change of pace with Best because he is so much quicker than Jackson, and a great streak shooter. But Jackson had control of a game during which the Pacers were struggling to find anything, including All-Star Reggie Miller, who scored only seven points on 1-of-16 shooting. Consequently, it was Jackson who made big buckets and led a 12-2 run in the third quarter that pulled the Pacers within two.

They didn't hold onto it and after playing 12 minutes in the third quarter, Jackson sat out all but 4 minutes in the final quarter as the Pacers fell apart. It was a classic example of being married to a rotation, and when it fails as it did Wednesday, it will be interesting to see if Bird goes more to Jackson as the series progresses.

"I thought Mark and Travis both played excellent in the first half," Bird said. "With about 7 minutes to go in the game, I thought about bringing Mark back, but I liked the way Travis was moving."

Come Friday night's Game 2 here, it will take more than just movement to keep him in the game.

Miller time (not)

Miller's 1-for-16 shooting was the sixth-worst game in Finals history for players taking at least 10 shots.

The list ahead of Miller goes like this:

1. Chris Riser, Baltimore (4/10/48) 0-for-14
2. Dennis Johnson, Seattle (6/7/78) 0-for-14
3. Guy Rodgers, San Francisco (4/18/64) 0-for-12
4. Harry Gallatin, New York (4/11/61) 0-for-11
5. Dick Schulz, Baltimore (4/13/48) 0-for-10

When prodded about his emotions -- anger, disappointment and frustration -- he said, "Probably all three of those. But the good thing is there's a game on Friday, and you know, like I've always said in other series, this is going to be a long series. It's what adjustments you make, and it's what you do the day after, and the game after.

"So I'm looking forward to it. Just one of those off nights, and Friday will be our night."

He hopes.

Harp's accord

With Miller's off night, it benefited Lakers guard Ron Harper greatly.

Not only didn't he have as much pressure to raise his level of defense (as he often did on the Bulls when they played the Pacers), but it allowed him to get into the flow on offense from the get-go. Although he only played 21 minutes, Harper had 12 points and 5 assists.

And in the first quarter, he was perfect, making all 3 of his shots from the field (including a 3-pointer), and making his one free throw attempt for 8 points, while dishing out 4 assists.

"Everybody played well tonight," Harper said. "Guys came in and they had their hands on it. Shaq had a hell of a game, but he can't do it by himself. We have to do things too, so we're not so dependent on him."

Shots from the perimeter

• Bird is the first person to coach in the NBA Finals after being voted into the Hall of Fame. Eventually 17 coaches were enshrined after they coached in the Finals. On coaching in the Finals for the first time, he said, "I'd rather be playing, in the Forum. But I'm fired up and excited for these guys."
• When asked if having played the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals two years ago with Chicago when Phil Jackson coached the Bulls would make a difference, Jackson said he didn't think so. "We're a different team," Jackson said. "It's the triple post offense, but we were a more defensive-oriented team. Plus, we focus in the middle with Shaq."
• The only two players in history to win the scoring title, the regular season MVP award and an NBA championship in the same season are Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. O'Neal has two-thirds of the trifecta completed.
• Sam Perkins now has played in the NBA Finals with the Lakers (1991), the Sonics (1996) and now the Pacers, making him only the sixth player in history to reach the Finals with three different teams.
• Should the Lakers win, Jackson would join Alex Hannum (Hawks and Sixers) to coach two different teams to NBA titles.
• The Lakers' victory was the fifth consecutive win for the home team in Game 1 of the Finals. The Rockets defeated O'Neal and the Magic in 1995, then swept the series.
• The Lakers' 15-point lead in the first quarter was the first time they led after the first quarter after trailing in the final four games against the Blazers.
• In the Pacers' four victories over the Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals, they averaged 9.8 turnovers. They had nine in the first half Wednesday.