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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: SPURS v LAKERS

May 21, 2008

Phil Jackson

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Game One

COACH JACKSON: Well, I told the players that 6:00 game, they didn't wake up until normal game time at 7:45 tonight or something. They were fortunate to get a win. We almost gave up home-court advantage to a great effort by the Spurs.

Q. Kobe took three shots first half, was that by your design, his design, San Antonio's design?
COACH JACKSON: No, I told them I didn't think he was taking shots available to him. He was looking to pass the ball, which he had five assists. He was doing some things good. But it had gotten us out of rhythm during the course of the first half.

Q. What was the biggest difference between the second half when you were down 20 and came all the way back in the first half which they controlled?
COACH JACKSON: Well, we just had to move the ball. We had to do some things differently with our offense. Power up the line a little bit, bring them up to the high post a few times, get them in screen roll and challenge their defense a little different way.

Q. Coach, did you change anything on Tony Parker in that fourth quarter? He shot a high percentage in the first half, but the fourth, it just seemed like you struggled quite a bit.
COACH JACKSON: Well, I think fatigue was probably a factor for them at the end of the game. But we did make some adjustments during the course of the game, tried to keep them from going over the pick. Keep them going to the -- a single way out there on the floor.

Q. I understand your frustration with slow start, but as far as come-backs go, where does that one rate for you?
COACH JACKSON: Well, we're deep in the hole, there was no doubt about it. 20 down and half the quarter gone in the third period. You know, it was a struggle just to have to fight back into the ball game by the end of the third quarter.
But that was a big come-back. It was a good club. They're a poised team, and we were able to do some things, change the course of that game and game-ender in the last two minutes.

Q. Phil, as you said it was late. You guys scored 14 points in three minutes. If you hadn't done something like that, do you think this game would have been as reclaimable?
COACH JACKSON: We just wanted to get it down to single digits at the end of the third quarter. You know, the fourth quarter, there is a lot of momentum swing still in a 12-minute period of a game. Things were slipping away there for a while.

Q. Can you talk about Sasha's play down the stretch, off the bench, and what he did offensively and defensively.
COACH JACKSON: Well, you know, Sasha had an assignment out there tonight, and he played Ginobili very well. That was really his assignment.
But offensively, we just wanted to keep him in spaces where he was occupying the defense or else getting shots if he was open and activating the ball if necessary in certain situations.
You know, offensively, Sasha had a lot better games but defensively, that was one of his best.

Q. Coach, you stayed off the double it seemed like with Gasol and Duncan for most of the game, even though he was having some success. Was that just sort of pick your poison kind of situation?
COACH JACKSON: We didn't want to get into double teaming Duncan because of the three-point shooters that become available. He is a good passer out of a double team. He is an awfully big guy to have to go down and try to destroy his vision or change his look.
At the end of the game, we felt we could go down and we did get the ball back off a missed play and a pass to Parker.
But, you know, there were only a couple times we double-teamed him in the course of the game. We didn't want to do it when Ronny was in the ball game, but we just never were available, guys just weren't in sync about that during that period of time.

Q. That final Spurs possession, were you anticipating them looking for a three-point shot?
COACH JACKSON: No, we thought they might go two and foul, but then we find out they had no time-outs, so it was almost necessary for them to go out, go three and foul and try to get something, a two-second play or something like that at the end.
Just a big -- a big play for us. As soon as they bring Robert Horry in, all bets are off as far as whether or not they will go for a three-point play.

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