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Closer Look Jackson's 'teardrop' nips Lakers' comeback in the bud
Posted: Saturday June 17, 2000 01:57 AM
By John Donovan, CNNSI.com INDIANAPOLIS -- From the start of a game that many figured would be their last of the season, the Indiana Pacers beat the Los Angeles Lakers every which way they could. The one time the Lakers made a meaningful push -- and, c'mon now, it was more of a tiny tap than a push, really -- veteran point guard Mark Jackson pulled them out of the semi-funk they were in and KO'd the Lakers for good. And so the Pacers, given up for dead and, in reality, still sucking on life support, forced a Game 6 in Los Angeles on Monday night in the NBA Finals. They're still down 3-2 in the best-of-seven series. But a prideful Jackson, for one, isn't giving up yet. "We had to make a statement from the beginning that we're not here just to roll over," said Jackson after his team's 120-87 win on Friday night in a raucous Conseco Fieldhouse. "We look forward to making that trip to California, because our objective is to win this thing." Indy started out sizzling in Game 5 and slowed little after that. The Pacers made all six of their 3-point tries (and shot 75 percent overall) in a 39-point first quarter and led by 19 points at halftime, 64-45. But the Lakers jumped on a 12-4 run early in the third quarter to whittle the lead to 70-57. They had effectively knocked six points off the lead less than five minutes into the second half. The Pacers still led by 13, but suddenly the lead was not insurmountable. The Lakers, remember, overcame a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter of Game 7 of the Western Conference finals to beat Portland. Indy called a timeout, but the Lakers turned up their defense, forcing the Pacers to scramble as the shot clock wound down. Jackson, who played most of the night because of a shoulder injury to backup Travis Best, pushed the ball down the right side of the lane with L.A.'s Kobe Bryant defending. The 6-foot-3 Jackson, who excels in posting up in the lane, was suddenly against the 6-foot-7 Bryant. But Jackson, used to shooting in the lane over bigger players, went to a little baby hook to get it over Bryant. The shot fell, barely beating the buzzer, the lead bounced up to 15, and it never got below 14 points for the rest of a very long evening for the Lakers. "I've used that shot since I was a little kid. I call it a 'teardrop.' I use it to get it over big guys," said Jackson, who finished with 10 points and a game-high seven assists. "I just got the ball and had to make a play, realizing the clock was winding down." Said L.A. point guard Derek Fisher: "I'm not sure exactly what it was. But he definitely can get into the lane and make a lot of things happen." The 33-point loss embarrassed the Lakers and put the pressure squarely on L.A.'s back. If the Lakers are to win their first NBA title since 1988, they are going to have to beat a suddenly supremely confident Pacers team. "We absolutely, positively have nothing to lose," said Indiana's Reggie Miller. "We have everything to gain."
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