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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: NUGGETS v LAKERS

May 29, 2009

Phil Jackson

DENVER, COLORADO: Game Six

Los Angeles Â– 119
Denver - 92

COACH JACKSON: Well, we saved our best game for last here, or maybe we caught our opponent a little bit off stride in tonight's game. But we had the momentum almost from the beginning of the game on.
A lot of precise work tonight, even though there was 11 turnovers the first half. I thought we moved the ball the right way and got the ball in places we could operate.
Defensively, you know, still one of those things where a coach is never totally happy with the defense, but we're able to shut them down from running, and that's a big part of their game.

Q. You guys have received some criticism for your uneven play during the playoffs. Are these the real Lakers who showed up tonight, and how well does it bode for the Finals?
COACH JACKSON: I think teams go through stretches. And you're in the playoffs, also where you don't play the same level all the time. Tonight was a game where we played at the highest level, shooting the ball well from all spots on the floor.
But I thought our collective energy was good. I thought our collective intelligence was good, and that seemed the most important thing at this time is being able to read the defenses, move the ball, get the ball in places where people can operate.

Q. How good is the timing?
COACH JACKSON: We hope it's good. The Finals don't start until the 4th, and that's almost a week away, so we'll be off for a few days.

Q. Was there anything -- you obviously executed really well. But was there anything in the way Denver plays that you diagnosed between Game 5 and Game 6 that helped you shut them down so much?
COACH JACKSON: You know, one of the things we admire and honor about this team, the Nuggets, is their ability to get to the basket and their ability to attack, as they call it, attacking. They're really good at it. And tonight we were able to limit that, and they also made them miss at the rim, I thought a number of times. When they even got in there to make the miss.
Obviously, there's a number of situations that went on out there that put guys in foul trouble. Trevor was in foul trouble and Luke got himself in foul trouble. But I thought we did a pretty good job supporting one another in that situation.
I think the best thing we did was we stopped them from the break and stopped them from their easy baskets.

Q. Is this a team that everyone has been looking for that the Lakers are capable of playing? And do you think you'll continue to get the maximum out of your team?
COACH JACKSON: That's a good question. A lot of it has to do with your opponents. And, you know, tonight I thought Pau moved the ball really well inside. He attacked both inside and outside. When that happens, it's very difficult to beat a team. You see that going on in the Eastern Conference with Orlando being able to attack from the outside and the inside both.
We really think that this is the team that we've seen most of the year, the team that played tonight.

Q. Speaking of opponents, wouldn't you rather see Cleveland because they're easier to beat?
COACH JACKSON: Actually, it's not a rather. The only thing that makes a difference is if it's Orlando we make one road trip in this setup.

Q. Being such a basketball expert, deep down in the pit of your stomach, don't you think it will be tougher (indiscernible)?
COACH JACKSON: No, I just check my intuitive nature and I don't have any--

Q. Nothing there?
COACH JACKSON: Nothing one way or another.

Q. The Nuggets have their five top scorers coming back next season. They obviously played pretty well during the regular season. Do you sense this is a team that will be around for a while?
COACH JACKSON: Nothing helps a team than going through the playoffs. It either unifies them or splits them up if they don't perform well. This team, the Nuggets played exceptionally well through the playoffs. They thrashed a lot of opponents in the Western Conference Finals. And their physicality and athleticism and their scoring ability is remarkable.

Q. How important is it now to get these extra two days of rest? Did you provide any incentives? Did you promise days off if they could take care of it tonight?
COACH JACKSON: That's part of it, we need some rest. But the other thing is preparation. And we'll have a couple days to do that and that's important.

Q. You always talk about looking forward to the playoffs. The regular season is just there. Are you having fun now? Is the performance tonight putting you at that level?
COACH JACKSON: Now it's no fun because the NBA takes the fun out of the Finals because they're everywhere, on our bus, they're everywhere.
So they take the fun out of it. But other than that, up to this point it's been a lot of fun.

Q. $10,000 worth of commentary?
COACH JACKSON: That's not criticizing the officials.

Q. Kobe's 35 points, 10 assists, what can you say about his game tonight, especially in the third quarter tonight making that run?
COACH JACKSON: He waited all the first half until the very end of the first half, I thought, to exploit his game. And the idea that other guys were creating problems for the Nuggets, they were focused on him, gave him extra opportunities at the end of the half.
When he carried us in at the half with that burst of points at the end, it really set the tone for the night. He exploited that lead from 6 to 13. And we were able to go in the second half and kind of feed off of that. It was very controlled, excellent game from him.

Q. You'll now have your third Finals, try to get your tenth ring. What would that mean to you to accomplish that, and where would that put you additionally in basketball history?
COACH JACKSON: You know, that part, I've always said, is really about this team. It's about the guys. It's about what they do. It's the collective energy they put together. And I know there's a lot been said about that. But still it comes right down to the fact that these guys collectively put their energy into this thing, they followed the direction that we've had all year. It's really about them.
As far as getting there, not winning, it's a very big disappointment. Huge. Detroit lost and obviously Boston lost last year, a big disappointment to both the teams and the coaching staff. We feel like we failed our team as a coaching staff in both situations. You feel that way.
So having to go back there knowing what a disappointment it was over the summer to live with that and saying we're going to go back there and do this regardless, we're going to get this done, I give a lot of credit to these guys.

Q. You want all the credit if you win?
COACH JACKSON: I'll take all of it from you, but everybody else doesn't have to give me any.

Q. Could you tell us what was the most surprising individual performance? We know Kobe had 35. Talk about the other players that may have surprised you. Walton came in with 10 points?
COACH JACKSON: It was Walton to basically come in there in a situation which we basically got in foul trouble in the first four minutes of the third quarter. And we just had to support each other in that situation. And when that happens you have to generate energy on every possession because you're taking the ball out of bounds after free throws.
So Walton came in and did some things passing the ball and also scoring that really helped us out.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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