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NBA FINALS: LAKERS v CELTICS

June 4, 2008

Phil Jackson

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Practice Day

Q. Will you just talk about as far as Kobe, the two games that you guys played against them in the regular season, how much can you look at the way the Celtics defended him from that? Or is it now just with Pau, with time passed, you can't really gauge things based on those two games?
COACH PHIL JACKSON: No, you have to take into respect the competition and the night, you know. I think we had Thanksgiving Thursday here, played on Friday. We were full of Turkey (laughter). It showed in our game. We weren't very competitive that night.
The game in late December was much more reflective of the team. However, we wore those short shorts that night and lost our attitude early in the game. I think the guys got a little tight.
So those games were last year, and it gave us an idea of the type of defense the Celtics play, how dedicated they are to it, and they really got our respect for that.

Q. How has Kobe helped in mentoring the young players on this team, and how has he changed over the years in that regard?
COACH PHIL JACKSON: I think there's a process for Kobe. We've had so many young players in the course of the three years that I've been back coaching. First year he was supportive, last year was difficult because we had some kids that were hard-headed and had a hard time responding, you know. And I think this year there was a certain tenor that was set early in the year about players being responsible and responsive to coaching. As I'm sure this organization is well aware of, and we are, too, that the brand of young players that we've gotten in over the last ten years, a lot of them without college, without the discipline that goes into sometimes college education, and we really had to make an emphasis that everybody was going to be attentive and listen.
And with the coaching staff, you know, reiterating the fact that our captains were experienced guys, had been to the playoffs, both Fish and Kobe stepped in and were really demonstrative and outspoken right from the start about being attentive and about being respectful to what players had to do, and that set a real good tone for us.

Q. Can you talk about the challenge presented by Kevin Garnett and how you defend him, how you go about that and how you plan on approaching that.
COACH PHIL JACKSON: Well, Kevin is a terrific offensive scorer, shooter. You know, we have faced him before in the playoffs. Three of our players were in that 2004 playoffs against Minnesota, and obviously know his effect on the series, even out to the three-point line as a shooter. But we have more regard for him as a defender, that honor that he won this year kind of says a lot about him anchoring the defense and about the ability to roll and help support his teammates. That's really the role that I think is awfully special that he plays.

Q. Have you found over the years as you get to The Finals that there's not anything you can really tell players about the experience of being here, that they have to find out for themselves?
COACH PHIL JACKSON: I think so. I think a lot of players are finding out in the last two days a little bit of what is the press and the pressure of the media that goes into it. They haven't experienced the game until they're out there on the floor at 9:00, and they won't. But the reality of coming through this process and doing it the way we've done it so far gives me some hope that they're going to be responsive at that time.

Q. These are two of the most storied franchises in NBA history. Last time they met in The Finals most of the players are too young to appreciate it. Does it have any special meaning to you, this final, Lakers-Celtics?
COACH PHIL JACKSON: I just think that it's very interesting for our organization. We gave a great chase to Garnett last year and put a lot of pressure on the Minnesota franchise, and felt like we had the inside track on that and that we would end up missing out on that opportunity and still be here in this challenge, The Finals, is really kind of a great story in itself. Disregarding all the other things about the Celtics and the Lakers going back for the last 30-some years, 40 years. I think that's really an interesting aspect of it.
The fact that the fans in both these towns have a great deal of memories about these series, the press. A lot of kids growing up with the TV on, basketball, as a fan, understand this rivalry to be one of the bigger ones.
Myself, I've never been in The Finals against the Celtics, but with the Knicks we had four of them here when I was playing, and they were all very intense, very difficult. You know, we have some -- understanding that the Lakers in their past series have had some really tremendous playoffs and faced an uphill battle for so many years against this team that when they finally overcame it was great for LA to finally have won a series against the Celtics. So I know this carries a lot of import to my owner and the people in management.

Q. What do you think that this past season, or actually the last couple of seasons, have taught Kobe about the value of teammates, the right teammates, how he relates to his teammates, having gone through everything he's gone through?
COACH PHIL JACKSON: It's been my understanding that really terrific players, players that are an echelon above and understand their role and impact in the game, feel pressure to do a lot of it on their own if they see their teammates falter. I thought Kobe got in that position the second half of last year, and it was a very difficult finish, not only for him but for our team.
When we met earlier this fall we resolved that it wasn't going to happen again like that to us. We didn't want that to happen. So he's been really inclusive and encouraged his teammates even to the point of getting guys going late in the ballgame when he feels guys need help or support to pick their game up, so that's been a key for us this year.

Q. You were talking just now about players realizing in their first Finals, what's different about this. What about coaches? What advantages do you have or have you noticed that you've had in the past, you've been here so many times, you've won, when you're across the floor from a coach who has never coached a team in The Finals before?
COACH PHIL JACKSON: Well, I'm not going to think that our experience is going to be any greater than the staff of the Celtics. The only thing that I've felt, one of the reasons why I've used a system of offense is because it's a changeable thing; you can make adjustments. And when you have a series of games you have to be able to make adjustments against teams. Hopefully we can make adjustments against a defense that's a great defense in the NBA in this team. So we're going to have to make adjustments, and hopefully our team is up to the ability to do that, and that's some of the things that we can bring.

End of FastScripts

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