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Jackson's Lakers will transcend Kings
Posted: Thursday May 04, 2000 03:53 AM
Lakers coach Phil Jackson received a lot of credit this season -- deservedly so -- for leading L.A. to the league's best record. Now, however, we're about to find out if the Zen Master was really worth that $6 million-per-year contract. In throttling the Lakers twice in a row to even their best-of-five playoff series at two games apiece, the Sacramento Kings have exposed L.A.'s three biggest weaknesses: a thin bench, poor foul shooting and a weak power forward. Sacramento's Bench Mob has outscored L.A.'s reserves 72-19 over the last two games. Meanwhile, Shaquille O'Neal was a combined 10-of-26 from the foul line, proving the Hack-a-Shaq defense can still work. And we won't even talk about Kings forward Chris Webber 's total domination of Lakers counterpart A.C. Green. Hang in there, Lakers fans. Jackson didn't win all those NBA titles in Chicago by riding Michael Jordan's coattails -- not alone, anyway. Look for the Zen Master to make the necessary adjustments for Game 5 -- he's already lobbying the refs to call illegal defenses on Webber. L.A.should be fine once it gets back to the friendly confines of the Staples Center. If not, Jackson and Shaq will be meditating on this one for quite some time. Changing their Spurs?With seven free agents, including Tim Duncan, many are expecting major changes this off-season for the Spurs. However, it could just as easily go the other way. Don't be surprised if all the key players come back for one more title run in the Alamo City. There's still a good chance Duncan will stay in San Antonio for at least one more year, especially given the careful and considerate approach GM/coach Gregg Popovich and Spurs management gave their star power forward after his knee injury. If Duncan returns, small forward Sean Elliott would probably hold off retirement for another year. Of all the core Spurs, the only player who definitely will be gone is shooting guard Mario Elie. In bowing to the Suns in the first round, the Spurs became the first NBA team not to repeat as champs since the '86 Celtics. Unfair though it might be, the Spurs' collapse this season is going to add to perceptions that their title last year during the lockout-shortened season deserves -- as Lakers coach Jackson suggested last month -- an asterisk. Irvine deal not done yetReports that George Irvine has been given the Pistons head coaching job are premature. According to a source close to the situation, the Pistons have indicated to Irvine that the job is his if he wants it, but as of Tuesday no negotiations had taken place. Irvine, who took over after Alvin Gentry was fired late in the season, still hasn't decided if he wants to continue as head coach. Look for an announcement sometime next week. No matter what, Irvine won't lobby superstar free agent Grant Hill to return to the club. "George is a professional. He would never do that," an Irvine associate says. "He knows that it's a personal decision for Grant, and he wouldn't do that to any player." Sports Illustrated staff writer Marty Burns covers pro basketball for CNNSI.com. Click here to send Marty a comment.
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