Phil Jackson

Obviously, from the title of this post, you know what I am about to write. So, for those of you who are Laker haters because a) you severely dislike Kobe, b) you don't live in Los Angeles and feel that you have to hate the Lakers in general, or c) don't like the Laker coach, Phil Jackson, please stop reading and blog stalk someone else.

I would like to address an article that I read about Phil in the L.A. Times today.
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/22/sports/la-sp-simers-20100323

The author seems to be scrutinizing Phil very closely and his lack of wins and energy that his team has put forth in the last few games. Yes, the Lakers blew some big leads the past games to pull off some close wins - nevertheless, wins. (If you don't know, I will admit that the Clippers beat the Lakers, but they also beat the Jazz, another Western conference team that has shown some big strides this season - it happens, teams get beat, even the best). The press seems to feel worried about the lack of energy from the Lakers, namely Pau, Kobe (why is he only taking 1 shot during a half?) Bynum, and the inconsistencies of Odom. Phil is being partly blamed for this, ie why can't he step it up now, why can't he be a little less lax about these close games, etc. However, if you have followed the Lakers throughout the years, you know only too well that they are, historically, a "clutch" team. They always come through in the end (see the number of titles they have won in the last 10 years). I am not worried at all about the Lakers. True - they may have some tough games in the playoffs, but that should be expected of any team. Let's just ponder recent Laker history for a minute and think back about June 2009.