Lakers Thread

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Postby Fresh8 on Wed Oct 26, 2005 5:17 pm

LA Times wrote:One Buss Likes Ring of It

As Phil Jackson stood in the glare of TV camera lights in mid-June, he gave his reasons for returning to coach the Lakers.

The lure of the game. The challenge of a beleaguered roster. The girlfriend.

Jeanie Buss, Jackson's companion and a Laker executive vice president, campaigned for his comeback from the moment Rudy Tomjanovich resigned in February, firing off urgent e-mails to Jackson while he vacationed in Australia, and, over the next few months, reminding him that 59 was too young to retire.

Jackson and the Lakers ultimately formed a $30-million reunion that Buss thinks will work, given enough time.

"I just have never seen him so up for a challenge," she said. "I think it's going to take some time to see all this come together, but it's been nothing but a pleasant experience. I see such a lightness to him and such a happiness. I have to assume that things at work are going really well."

The Lakers appear to be a borderline playoff team at best, which likely means improvement over last season's 34-48 debacle but no guarantee of games beyond April. The Lakers haven't missed playoffs in two consecutive seasons since 1974-75 and 1975-76.

"I'm as eager as anybody for the regular season to start and see what we've got going for ourselves but I'm also very aware of the fact that, if things don't go well, how quickly people will turn on Phil," Buss said. "Phil is by no means the savior, and I don't think that he has ever presented himself as the savior, but I just know how hard an NBA season is, and Phil has his work cut out for him. I'm not going to be the person to say that now, all is right with the world. I know that people will one day love him and the next day boo him. That's the nature of being a coach.

"Phil wasn't afraid to take this job. Everybody can talk about our roster. Phil sees something that was worth coming back to this job. We've got Kobe Bryant, the best player in the NBA."

There's always that one final issue: Has Jackson popped the question?

"I feel so bad that it's become such an issue [publicly]," Buss said. "There's nothing on the horizon. It's probably never going to happen. But if Phil said to me, 'Jeanie you can have one of two things: One, we can get married, or two, I'll come back and coach the Lakers,' I would say my wish is for you to come back and coach the Lakers. I've gotten my wish to come true. Hopefully he'll be giving me another championship ring."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


A year later, the results were somewhat different in an NBA.com survey of the league's 30 general managers.

Bryant, the unanimous choice as the top shooting guard before last season, received only 56% of the vote in a poll released Tuesday, while Dwyane Wade received 28% and Ray Allen took 8%.

Bryant also slipped in another category: Only 62% of the general managers said they would want him as the player taking a shot with a game on the line, down from 81% last season. Allen received 15% of the vote.

The San Antonio Spurs were the most popular choice to win the NBA Finals, taking 77% of the vote, while the Miami Heat received 15%. There was one similarity to last season's poll: Nobody picked the Lakers to win the championship.


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Smush Parker made four of five three-point shots and had 15 points in the Lakers' 95-85 victory over the Utah Jazz in an exhibition at the Arrowhead Pond. Rookie Andrew Bynum, who had sat out six games because of an abdominal strain, had two points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes. He made one of seven shots.


- A 95-85 win over the Jazz. Smush looks liek he will be starting this season at PG. Good stuff by him. The Lakers are 5-2 in preseason so thats ok although Jax usually disregards preseason results.
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Postby Jugs on Wed Oct 26, 2005 5:47 pm

Smush Parker's pretty cool 8-)
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Postby Fresh8 on Wed Oct 26, 2005 10:00 pm

I read that he's a streetballer by heart and his journey to make it to the Lakers is pretty cool (Y) Lots of hard work no doubt!
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Postby Fresh8 on Wed Oct 26, 2005 11:35 pm

Fox Sports wrote:What's in store for Phil-Kobe, the sequel?

If their first union ended in such a messy divorce, what are the chances that the second joining of Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant will succeed?

Of course, Jackson will be much more than an interested spectator as this dynamic unfolds, but the bottom line is that it's Kobe who bears most of the responsibility for what will or will not happen.

The pressure is squarely on Kobe to rehabilitate his reputation as a winning ballplayer, one who is able to direct his considerable talents toward team-oriented goals. Was he merely an appendage of the Diesel? Or can Kobe be the primary motor for a contending ball club?

Off the court, Bryant also needs to re-establish himself as a solid citizen worthy of admiration. He'll never be squeaky clean again, but his profile must be cleansed enough for him to regain his position as a viable spokesman for some national producer of sneakers, toaster ovens, sports cars, aspirin, etc. The good-hearted citizens of Sports America are always willing to re-embrace a fallen icon who is truly repentant and has been demonstrably redeemed.

In truth, Kobe needs to resurrect his public image more than Jackson needs to prove that he can rebuild a basketball team. Even should the Lakers flounder for the next three seasons, PJ's nine championships have already insured him a place in the Hall of Fame.

Jackson's return to the scene of the crime was not at all motivated by a desire to top Red Auerbach and win a 10th championship. Nor is Jackson concerned that some critics snipe at the gold rings he gained in Chicago and Los Angeles as being somehow tainted because of the superstars he inherited when he took over both jobs.

The reality is that both Michael Jordan and Shaq were ringless for six seasons each until Jackson arrived in town and showed them each how to take that last big step. Jackson has nothing to prove to himself or to know-nothing pundits.

Sure, Jackson's castigations of Kobe as being "uncoachable" and worse in his most recent book are troublesome. However, Kobe knows that his coach left out several of his disrespectful and even destructive antics that were even more incriminating than those revealed in The Last Season.

Did Jackson violate personal confidences to the point where Kobe can never completely trust him? Perhaps. But Kobe never completely trusted Jackson (or any other coach) even before the book was published.

The overriding factor here is that the NBA is a totally existential outfit. There is no past, no continuity and no future. Teammates that ostensibly hate each other suddenly find themselves wearing the same uniform. The Bulls used to claim that Dennis Rodman was a cheap-shot artist, but once he donned the red and black, he was celebrated as a scrappy hustler who always played to win. The only thing that counts is the game at hand.

The one characteristic that is common to Bryant and Jackson is a powerful will to win. The only difference is that Jackson understands how that ardent competitive nature can manifest itself in gold rings — through team work, sacrifice and trust.

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Will Kobe and Phil be able to see eye-to-eye this season? ( / Getty Images)

Kobe has always been smart enough to fake it — to talk publicly with apparent enthusiasm about team values. But the 27-year-old player is much more stubborn than the 60-year-old coach. As such, Kobe still isn't totally convinced that individual brilliance, if augmented by the appropriate underlings, can be denied. Again, the onus to submit to team goals and team discipline is Kobe's.

There are other roadblocks for both Kobe and Phil to surmount in order to achieve, if not eternal, then at least temporary bliss.

The Lakers as currently comprised lack an experienced point guard, an initiator whom Kobe can believe in. Aaron McKie can fill that role for limited minutes but not enough to curb Bryant of his long-time penchant for chasing the ball on offense — a habit which has always wreaked havoc with the precision necessary for the triangle to be effective.

Jackson has attempted to solve this problem by greatly reducing Bryant's ball-handling responsibilities and moving him to a wing position. From there, Kobe will be in an attack mode and will assume the full-time role of finisher as opposed to that of equal parts of finisher and facilitator. Bryant will also be presented with more post-up opportunities than he's enjoyed in the past.

However, with so many new faces on the roster, the correct implementation of the triangle will be a long, arduous and mistake-laden process. Kobe has already voiced his impatience and even his disgust with his teammates' inability to grasp the essentials. Since virtually all of Jackson's teams traditionally struggle in the opening weeks of any given season, Kobe's frustrations might very well become more pronounced in the foreseeable future.

And through confusion and malfeasance what will happen when the shot clock is poised to detonate and the Lakers' complicated triangulations have not come close to generating a shot (or a space) for anyone? Of necessity, Kobe will come to the rescue with a dazzling one-on-one (or one-on-two or one-on-three) move. The more of these he makes, the more likely he'll be to stray from Jackson's game plan.

So, it's a tricky call. Will the Lakers win enough early games to keep Kobe in the corral?

Patience is the unknowable factor, one which can only be manifested over time.

If I was a betting man, I'd wager that through the ministrations of general manager Mitch Kupchak, the Lakers come up with a reputable point guard (plus another veteran big man), that Bryant will fake it until he makes it, and that he and PJ will evolve a workable relationship.

That's quite a parlay, but much more unlikely transpirings are the norm in the wonderful world of the NBA.


Charlie Rosen wrote:Kobe and Phil questions ...


1. Why did Jackson agree to come back in the first place?

There are several possible considerations. The primary one being the need for an undertaking that's competitive enough for Jackson to commit himself on every level — psychological, emotional, physical, and even spiritual. He thrives on challenges. Nay, he can't live a fulfilled life without one.

During his temporary retirement, neither his summer-in-wintertime travels Down Under nor his continuing schedule of motivational speeches to big-shot CEOs could satisfy his competitive itch. And as much as some part of him resisted sticking his head back into the "NBA trap," there was no other scratching post that offered the same relief.

2. Why, then, the Lakers?

Because he's happily ensconced in his beachside crib near the Marina (close by the Lakers' practice facility as well as the airport). Because girlfriend Jeanie Buss lives a hop and skip away. Because he's already familiar with the ins-and-outs of the intrinsic intrigues within the organization's power structure. Because he's comfortable living in L.A. where he's just another run-of-the-mill celebrity. (Unlike in the Midwest, where at least one mother brought her crippled child for PJ to touch and hopefully to heal.) And because he believes the Lakers' immediate future can be salvaged.

3. Given what Jackson had to say about Kobe in his recent book, can Kobe and Jackson coexist?

I believe they can because, while Jackson is exasperated with Kobe's selfishness, he admires the young man's talent, and, above all, his will to win. The main reason why Phil and Michael Jordan got along so famously was that they were the two most competitive people in the Bulls' organization.

Through all of their hassles, though, Phil has always expressed a liking for what he perceives as being the basic foundation of the house of cards that Kobe has erected. That, childish and impulsive as he might be, Kobe is still a nice person. As such, he's still young enough to be saved. And if Jackson certainly doesn't see himself as the instrument of Kobe's salvation, he can certainly provide an atmosphere of forgiveness, trust, and support in which Bryant just might be able to discover his "original face."

Also, it is widely reported that Shaq was the Big Source of Disenchantment with Jackson's famed triangle offense. But that's only partially true. The largest part is that Kobe found the triangle boring and restricting. He was convinced that the Lakers could win "his way," with him being the focus of the action and not Shaq. Hopefully, last year's unmitigated horror show has altered Kobe's mind-set. Or maybe not.

-Charley Rosen
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Postby Matthew on Wed Oct 26, 2005 11:48 pm

I think Jackson came back for the money primarily, and also to prove critics wrong. They've always said " Jackson manages teams well, but has always had the most talented teams" as a cheap excuse for his sucess. If he gets this team to the playofss ( ithink they'll make the 2nd round or the conference finals) that has to be considered a good season imo.
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Postby Matt on Thu Oct 27, 2005 3:57 am

playoffs would be a good season considering Lakers lack of a PG, any sort of depth, or decent big men.
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Postby Fresh8 on Thu Oct 27, 2005 5:48 pm

I would say we have the big man in Kwame Brown. It's up to him to do well and with all the attention on Kobe/Phil and Lamar... he will have less focus on himself.

The Lakers' real problem is finding a PG but Smush looks like a guy who can come in and make the open jumper. McKie isn't actually doing much but I hope he can play about 30 minutes a night if he is going to start because he is still a big guy at that position. Just hope he's not like Vlade was for us last year.

Depth is very lacking but look for Devean George to have a decent sixth man campaign. Contract years always bring out the best in most players (Y)

8th seed is definitely achievable for LA and I guess that's what I'm expecting of them. A good season would be a winning record. Second round would make it a good season and conference finals would just be an otustanding feat (And most possibly fluke).
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Postby J@3 on Thu Oct 27, 2005 7:05 pm

Smush has looked fantastic the last 2 games. I don't care about McKie at all now, Smush has got the starting spot on lock if he can carry this over into the regular season.
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Postby Matt on Thu Oct 27, 2005 9:10 pm

but can he play 82 games?

would say we have the big man in Kwame Brown


that's a big gamble there. I'm sure Kwame will do alright, but he'll lack consistency.
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Postby Fresh8 on Thu Oct 27, 2005 10:19 pm

Kwame is a gamble but we also have Mihm. Both of them are inconsistent players but I'm very sure that the two of them will get over it if they are used properly. I think in order for it to work, we will see Kwame play with Kobe and Lamar while Chris Mihm and Devean George lead the second unit.

Daily News wrote:Lakers notes: Bynum gets pushed into action

ANAHEIM - Andrew Bynum still isn't old enough to vote, at least for another two days, but the Lakers' first-round draft pick was thrown into his first NBA game Tuesday night, a 95-85 exhibition victory against Utah at The Pond.

Bynum played a little more than 19 minutes, some with Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom on the floor, and matched up against Jazz center Greg Ostertag, a 10-year veteran with a Fred Flintstone tattoo on his right calf.

The 17-year-old center played to good reviews, only a day after he returned to practice from an abdominal injury. With the season opener a week away, Lakers coach Phil Jackson deemed it time to get Bynum his first taste of the NBA.

He finished with two points and seven rebounds, and had to be shoved into the low post by Bryant on defense just once. Bynum also was part of the group in the fourth quarter that gave back most of the Lakers' 21-point lead.

"I felt that I got into a pretty good rhythm," Bynum said. "I went out there and just tried to do my best.

"My offensive game, I'm still working on. I've just got to get stronger, so I can be stronger with the ball. On defense, I'm just trying to grab the rebound as soon as I can."

Bynum forced his way between Ostertag and Andrei Kirilenko for his lone basket. He hadn't played a game since the Summer Pro League, but beat Ostertag with a nice spin move, though he couldn't finish on the play.

Assistant coach Kurt Rambis was in Bynum's ear at every timeout. The work for Bynum today will focus on defensive rotations and recognition. Jackson, meanwhile, said he would try to find Bynum minutes whenever they come.

"He had a nice opportunity out there to play against a big guy like Ostertag," Jackson said.

Options market: The Lakers face a Monday deadline to exercise the fourth-year option in Brian Cook's contract. Much as they did last year with Caron Butler and Kareem Rush, the Lakers apparently will make their decision later rather than sooner.

"That's a decision they have to make," said Mark Bartelstein,

Cook's agent. "Brian's working hard and is happy with being there. He understands that we just have to wait and see what happens."

If the Lakers exercise the option, Cook would make $1.82 million in the 2006-07 season, receiving almost a 75 percent raise. He would become an unrestricted free agent this summer if the Lakers do not exercise the option.

Bartelstein said he believes interest in Cook around the league would be strong. Cook is one of the better shooting big men in the NBA, has worked on his rebounding and slimmed down this summer to pressure the ball better.

Still the one? Bryant, who last year was a unanimous preseason choice by NBA general managers as the league's best shooting guard, received only 56 percent of the vote this season. Miami's Dwyane Wade was voted best by 28 percent of GMs.

None of the league's GMs picked the Lakers to win the Pacific Division and only 13 percent voted Jackson the NBA's best coach. New York's Larry Brown (33 percent) and San Antonio's Gregg Popovich (25 percent) both got more votes than Jackson.

Guard Aaron McKie received a vote as the active player who would make the best future coach.

Also: Jackson said forward-center Corie Blount wouldn't play in the exhibition season but that would not preclude Blount from making the team. Blount has a sprained ligament on the bottom of his left foot. ... Bryant led all scorers with 20 points and played in a pair of leg sleeves to stay warm.

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Postby J@3 on Thu Oct 27, 2005 11:06 pm

Seven rebounds (Y)
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Postby dada on Sat Oct 29, 2005 2:08 pm

i think kwame will prove his worth this season. mainly because no-one is piling on the pressure for him to produce big numbers. The lakers already got kobe and lamar so hell get alotta cleanup points and offensive boards (if he stays in the game). I feel like hell have a good rebounding year and i expect the lakers to do better than ppl think. most ppl feel they are an 8th seed at most, I feel they are an 8th seed at least.
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Postby Fresh8 on Sat Oct 29, 2005 2:37 pm

The Lakers are playing a good game against the Kings right now! It soudns like it's a pretty exciting game for a preseason game. Most of the starters from both teams are playing the fourth quarter. (Y)

I'm listening to it right now.

101-98 Lakers lead... 45.8 secs left
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Postby j.23 on Sat Oct 29, 2005 3:00 pm

anyone got the box score? leading scorers?
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Postby Fenix on Sat Oct 29, 2005 6:09 pm

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=251028013
Odom had 19, Kwame 15, Kobe 24, Bibby 20.
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Postby dada on Sat Oct 29, 2005 10:33 pm

was a very good game. l liked the way the offense was run for the most part and the defense was very active, scrapping for loose balls (for the most part)
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Postby beau_boy04 on Sun Oct 30, 2005 7:31 pm

just so you know Lakers has dealt Jumaine Jones to Charlotte Bobcats for their 2007 second rounder.
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Postby Heiks on Sun Oct 30, 2005 7:37 pm

beau_boy04 wrote:just so you know Lakers has dealt Jumaine Jones to Charlotte Bobcats for their 2007 second rounder.


A really awkward move, the only thing that could be logical is making some room in the salary cap. I didn't know that they desperately needed to do that.
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Postby Fresh8 on Sun Oct 30, 2005 9:44 pm

LA Times wrote:Struggles Continue for Medvedenko

LAS VEGAS — Slava Medvedenko, one of many expected to improve at least a little bit with the return of Phil Jackson, has shown few signs of doing so.

The reappearance of the triangle offense has not led to the restoration of Medvedenko's confidence after a poor 2004-05 season. He averaged 2.9 points and 1.4 rebounds in the exhibition season and did not play Friday in the Lakers' 105-103 victory over the Sacramento Kings at the Thomas and Mack Center.

"My coaches this morning said that Slava has kind of got lost in the process," Jackson said. "But I count on the fact he knows what we're trying to get accomplished and is familiar with what we're trying to do. He hasn't always been the best student — some of it's a language barrier situation — but he does have a familiarity with what we do and he has the ability to score and that's always a valuable asset."

Medvedenko is in the last year of a two-year contract that pays $3 million a year. He averaged 3.8 points and 1.8 rebounds last season, his lowest numbers since his rookie season in 2000-01.


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Lamar Odom, power forward-turned-point guard, had struggled with his new job description before scoring 19 points against Sacramento, his best game of the exhibition season.

"Lamar had a game that I thought gave me a lot of hope at that position," Jackson said.

Overall, though, he averaged 11.6 points, 3.9 assists and 2.9 turnovers in exhibition games.

"Lamar has the biggest growth spurt that has to happen for our team to be successful, and he hasn't shown that he can score yet at that position," Jackson said before Friday's game. "How does he score and become a really productive player? That's still the question for him."

Odom made only 26 of 64 shots (40.6%) in eight games and took too many from three-point range for Jackson's taste, making only four of 24 (16.7%) from behind the arc.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sacramento had preliminary talks with Jackson last summer before he took the Laker job, but the Kings' interest in him might not be enough to save him from a boisterous, cowbell-clanging welcome when the Lakers play in Sacramento on Jan 19.

Years ago, Jackson called King fans "semi-civilized" and referred to their city as a "cow town," topics revisited briefly before Friday's game.

"You can't do anything about the people that live in your city," Jackson said, smiling. "That's something you have to live with [and] deal with, the productivity in your area, an agricultural area. Although I hear the delta is becoming quite an up-and-coming place. …"


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Kobe Bryant had 24 points on seven-for-19 shooting as the Lakers finished 6-2 in exhibition play. Kwame Brown played with a heavily taped left thumb, the result of a sprain he sustained in practice. He had 15 points and seven rebounds.
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Postby . on Sun Oct 30, 2005 11:47 pm

Heiks wrote:
beau_boy04 wrote:just so you know Lakers has dealt Jumaine Jones to Charlotte Bobcats for their 2007 second rounder.


A really awkward move, the only thing that could be logical is making some room in the salary cap. I didn't know that they desperately needed to do that.

They moved him to make some roster space. With Jumaine they still had Devean George, Luke Walton and Laron Profit at the Small Forward position. Both George and Profit played well under Phil Jackson this pre-season, and Luke Walton is expected to have a key role on the team. Jumaine Jones doesnt really fit in Phil Jacksons game, but its sad to see him leave. He was about the only spark for the Lakers coming off the bench last year.
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Postby Fresh8 on Thu Nov 03, 2005 6:35 pm

LA Times wrote:2nd Time Is Charm for Bryant

After missing in regulation, he makes a jumper with 0.6 seconds left in overtime to give Lakers a 99-97 victory.

By Mike Bresnahan, Times Staff Writer


DENVER — Phil Jackson was back. So were the Lakers, at least for a night.

In a season opener where the Lakers had to rally late to force overtime, Kobe Bryant made amends with a 23-foot jumper with 0.6 seconds left in overtime to drive the Lakers to a 99-97 victory Wednesday over the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center.

Bryant had 33 points, eight in overtime, and a part of Jackson felt as if he had never left.

"That's when he's at his best," Jackson said, "under duress at the end of games."

The first paradox of a very young season: Jackson didn't diagram the final shot for Bryant, but for Kwame Brown, who was relatively ineffective throughout the game.

Brown had a shot from the left block, rebounded his own miss and fed Bryant with a few seconds left.

Bryant dribbled toward the top of the key and feathered a shot over Andre Miller and Eduardo Najera.

Bryant said he didn't care how the play was drawn up.

"[Jackson] trusts me. He knows that if the play breaks down, I will find my way back to the ball," said Bryant, who made only one of six shots in the fourth quarter but all three of his overtime attempts.

"Kwame got a great look. How he got his own rebound, I have no idea because he was going the opposite direction. He got it to me and I knocked it down."

The Nuggets had a final chance to answer after a timeout, but Voshon Lenard's shot at the buzzer was short.

The Lakers forced overtime with a frenetic final minute of regulation.

Smush Parker made a three-point shot from the top of the key to bring the Lakers within 89-88 with 37 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Chris Mihm then made one of two free throws to tie the score and, after Carmelo Anthony missed an 18-footer with 11.9 seconds left, the Lakers had a chance to win in regulation.

But Bryant missed a 22-footer as time expired.

He wouldn't miss again.

Overall, there was a series of firsts on the night of Jackson's return to basketball.

Parker, in his first game as a Laker starter, scored 20 points, making eight of 12 shots. He had no turnovers and was a presence at both ends of the court.

Brown, in his Laker debut, had seven points and six rebounds in 28 minutes.

Lamar Odom was up and down, scoring eight points on two-of-13 shooting. He had seven assists, nine rebounds and four turnovers.

Andrew Bynum logged his first five pro minutes, had no points, two rebounds, one blocked shot and became the youngest player in NBA history (18 years, six days).

Beforehand, Jackson spoke of pangs of anticipation, if not anxiety, in his first game since the 2004 Finals.

"Right now, it's the apprehension of how we're going to do, how we're going to stand up to this kind of a team on this kind of a night with this young group of guys we've got, guys that have never been out there before," Jackson said. "There's some apprehension, excitement about how it's going to go."

During the game, it was a different Jackson than the one from the past, more animated and less contemplative.

He sparred with the referees, sighed deeply from the bench on more than one occasion, and even stood, arms folded, as the game neared its conclusion.

The Lakers did their best to keep the Nuggets down, playing defense that would have been unimaginable last season.

The Lakers, 27th in the league in points allowed in 2004-05, forced 23 turnovers and held the Nuggets to 43% shooting.

Just a day earlier, an hour before the Lakers boarded their charter flight, Odom said they needed to be one of the best defensive teams in the Western Conference if playoffs were to become a reality.

"That might be a surprise to y'all," he said. "But we know we can do it. We have the agility and ability."

On Wednesday, they were agile and able enough for a victory.
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Postby Heiks on Fri Nov 04, 2005 2:31 am

A great win! I didn't belive that they would beat the Nuggets, but they did! A great game by Smush, I think that was enough to ensure him the starting PG for the rest of the season.
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Postby Blokeman on Fri Nov 04, 2005 8:21 am

yer for sure parker was a good pick up for the lakers him and kobe play well together.
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Postby Fresh8 on Fri Nov 04, 2005 4:41 pm

The Nuggets were tired so I think that LA was lucky to win that one... but I'm not going to say they don't deserve the win. And today's game was pretty good in terms of individual performance from Kobe, Lamar and Parker. Lamar was real awesome- breakout game. I'm waiting for a recap and will post it here later.

EDIT:

Yahoo! wrote:LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Phoenix Suns weren't about to blow a big fourth-quarter lead a second time, although they came close.

Shawn Marion had 30 points and 11 rebounds, Steve Nash had 17 assists and 12 points, and the Suns held off the weary Los Angeles Lakers 122-112 on Thursday night.

The Suns, who blew a 17-point lead in the final quarter before losing 111-108 to Dallas in double overtime Tuesday night to start the season, led by 17 with 8 1/2 minutes left in this game.

But the Kobe Bryant-led Lakers got as close as three points before the Suns scored the game's final seven points.

James Jones added 17 points and Raja Bell and Kurt Thomas each scored 14 for the Suns.

Bryant led the Lakers with 39 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Lamar Odom had 23 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists, and Smush Parker matched his career high with 21 points.

The game was the Lakers' home opener, and their first regular-season game at Staples Center since Phil Jackson was rehired as coach. They opened the season with a 99-97 overtime victory in Denver on Wednesday night.

Jackson received a loud ovation before the opening tip -- not long after saying fans attend NBA games to watch the players, not the coaches.

``The excitement is on the floor,'' he said.

The Lakers won only 34 games last season and missed the playoffs for just the second time since 1976.

As they did in the second and third quarters, the Suns dominated in the first few minutes of the final period, outscoring the Lakers 11-2 for a 106-89 lead with 9:09 remaining.

It was 108-91 when the Lakers went on a 12-2 run, making it 110-103. The Suns extended the lead to nine before Los Angeles went on a 7-1 run to draw within three points with 2:11 remaining.

But the Lakers wouldn't score again.

Jones made a 3-pointer with 1:57 left, Bell added a jumper with 51 seconds to play, and Nash made two free throws with 30 seconds remaining to complete the scoring.

The Lakers had won 12 of their previous 13 home openers.

The Suns outscored Los Angeles 9-3 to start the third quarter for a 75-59 lead. With Odom scoring seven points and Parker adding five, the Lakers went on a 12-2 run to draw within six points. It was 95-87 entering the final period.

Phoenix scored the first 10 points of the second quarter to take a 41-30 lead. The Lakers got as close as two points before the Suns extended their lead to 66-56 at halftime.

Bryant scored 17 points in the first quarter including 13 straight for the Lakers at one stage. He lost his cool late in the period, drawing a technical foul for shoving Bell after being fouled.

Notes

Lakers F Luke Walton, who injured his left hamstring Oct. 11 in his team's first preseason game, was cleared to practice starting Friday. ``The last five or six days, I've been running. The last two days, I've been running pretty hard,'' he said, adding there was no timetable for his return. ... The Suns swept the Lakers last season, winning the four games by an average of 11 points. The Lakers won six of the previous seven games between the teams. ... Chris Mihm was replaced in the Lakers' starting lineup by Devean George. Mihm started all 75 games he played in last season -- his first with the Lakers -- as well as the season opener in Denver. ... Former Boston Celtics star Bill Russell and San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds were among those in attendance. ``Everybody's got to be someplace,'' Russell said with a smile when asked what brought him to the game.
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Postby Blokeman on Mon Nov 07, 2005 8:13 am

nice!!!!!!!
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