When
people ask what’s wrong with the Los Angeles Lakers this season, two words
can sum it up nicely: not Shaq and Kobe but “growing pains”.
The
process of attaining maturity as a group or an individual is never a simple
one. No one knows this better then the Lakers’ coach himself, Phil Jackson.
As a player in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Jackson was a longhaired,
rebellious free spirit. His entry into the NBA coaching profession in the
1980s was delayed several years when he interviewed for an assistant coaching
job with the Chicago Bulls wearing a funky straw beach hat. He was turned
down and Jackson later came to realize that he hadn’t taken the interview
or himself seriously enough.
As
a coach, helping his players achieve individual personal growth and achieving
team harmony has been the trademark of Jackson’s philosophy and the true
core of his success. The importance of the triangle offense and Zen philosophy
have in some ways been overstated by the media. The triangle has been around
for over 50 years and many more teams have failed with it than succeeded.
Nor has hearing the sound of one hand clapping ever helped win an NBA game.
There is nothing sacrosanct about either. They simply provide a framework
for how Jackson wants his teams to think and play.
Despite
winning 7 NBA titles in 10 seasons of coaching the Bulls and the Lakers,
Jackson’s teams have also traveled some bumpy roads. Never blessed with
exceptional overall talent or great depth, his teams have depended on striking
a delicate balance between the individual achievements of mega-stars like
Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Scottie Pippen, and superior
team play.
It
took at least a season for Jordan to learn to subjugate his talents for
the good of the team and for the Bulls in general to sacrifice some of
their individual game, in order to play within the framework of the triangle.
This was an ongoing process that continued, even after several championships
had been won by Chicago.
Last
season, Jackson faced an even tougher task, trying to get Shaq, Kobe and
the rest of the Lakers to buy into his system. Winning the NBA title in
his first year in Los Angeles was an awesome achievement, even for someone
of Jackson’s stature. It certainly didn’t come easy. Despite their league
leading regular season record, the Lakers were never totally in sync until
the final two months of the season.
During
the playoffs, at times they sparkled and at times they stumbled. In short,
despite the rings on their fingers, the Lakers of 1999-2000, were far from
being a finely tuned machine.
The
defining moments of last year’s playoffs came during the 4th quarter of
the deciding game between the Lakers and Portland and during overtime of
the fourth game of the Lakers championship series against Indiana.
Against
Portland, facing a double digit deficit, with their backs to the wall,
the Lakers proved to themselves and the basketball world they were made
of the right stuff. They eventually won last year’s NBA title and showed
a combination of talent and mental toughness that signaled they could win
several more.
Against
Indiana, after Shaq had fouled out, Kobe displayed the talent and necessary
composure that single-handedly led the Lakers to a victory under championship
game conditions.
Both
endings augured possible scenarios that the Lakers face this season.
The
Lakers of this season are more or less similar to the team of last year.
Horace Grant and J.R. Rider are in and Glen Rice and A.C. Green are out,
but at bottom line, the Lakers are Shaq, Kobe and a host of interchangeable
role players.
The
only meaningful difference between this year’s Lakers and last year’s is
that Bryant has developed into the league’s most dominating individual
talent. Most coaches would kill for such a development. For Jackson and
the Lakers, its basically a headache.
Kobe
has always been headstrong and never was one to be gun shy. This season,
his number of field goal attempts has risen. Some are ill advised and outside
of the framework of the triangle. At this point he is taking more shots
then Shaq and controlling the ball on offense most of the time. Instead
of looking aside at Kobe’s youthful brashness and excesses, Shaq and some
of the other Lakers have gone into a funk. A sign of maturity would be
showing leadership and composure under the circumstances, until the situation
is rectified.
Phil
Jackson’s teams have always depended on a delicate balance. The current
situation has dulled the Lakers’ focus on offense and their intensity on
defense. It's no accident they are slightly behind the league’s leaders
instead of the other way around.
It’s
a Jackson trait to let his players “play through” crisis situations on
the court, instead of interceding. It's his way of building character and
showing faith in his players. I wonder if he might be doing the same here.
In the past it’s worked well. My bet is that by playoff time, Jackson will
have his team where it always is, back on top.
