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NBA FINALS: MAGIC v LAKERS

June 4, 2009

Phil Jackson

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Game One

Q. I thought nine rings were a big deal going into this things. We just asked Van Gundy if he was intimidated by you or your rÃ©sumÃ©, and he said you sitting down on a bench over there, he's not intimidated.
PHIL JACKSON: Anybody have a question they'd like to ask that's meaningful?

Q. Who determines what's meaningful here?
PHIL JACKSON: I am (laughter).

Q. Stan Van Gundy said he's going to take Jameer and play him off the bench behind Rafer. Can you tell us how that changes the complexion of the series or at least your approach?
PHIL JACKSON: We haven't discussed it by name; we've discussed positions. Obviously Howard is a discussion factor because of his size. The players, specific talents, we discuss them. Jameer obviously was playing at a high level, but I think Rafer filled in and almost in many ways was identical to what they wanted to have done. So we haven't made an issue of that at all.

Q. So there's no change. A follow-up question, Jordan Farmar didn't get a chance to play against Jameer and you also didn't have Shannon at that time. Can you talk about how they match up assuming he's back at the same level that he was?
PHIL JACKSON: Well, the penetration was the biggest issue that we had during the games that Jameer came on, being in the second half both games. Most of his penetration, he hit some big three-pointers at the end of the game, in game number two. You have to give us something, and that's one of the things we said we would give up, some of the things, outside shots as opposed to interior short shots.

Q. Last year you had Trevor Ariza in a sort of similar situation and you put him in against Boston several times and he was somewhat effective. Can you talk about the decision making that goes into putting a guy that's been injured for so long and how that worked out for you last year?
PHIL JACKSON: It's a matter of how comfortable a player feels on the floor, and you get a sense of that when they're out there, how they move through traffic, and they're playing unimpeded. They'll get a sense of that almost immediately I would think.

Q. Did you think Trevor was effective in that role last year?
PHIL JACKSON: No, I didn't think he felt comfortable, otherwise we probably would have played him more.

Q. In some parts of the media and some parts of popular culture there's a belief that NBA playoff games are fixed, have a certain predetermined outcome. What can you tell people who think that?
PHIL JACKSON: Hmm, I've never had that comment made to me. The only thing that I can remember, when I went to the NBA, was that a lot of guys in the NBA or around the NBA at that time said, go to the fourth quarter, watch the fourth quarter, all the games are going to be close coming down the stretch. Madison Square Garden was a place people would end up going in at 9:30 and end up watching the last 30 minutes of the game. So it's kind of weird. We know that statistics show that about 70 percent of the games are within six points in the fourth quarter, but there's a drama that goes up to that.
But I've never heard the fixed aspect.

Q. I heard an interview by Mitch Kupchak today which also had me worried, he said there's not much coaching going on, that it's time to let the players play. Aren't you worth something in a championship series like this? They're playing you a lot of money, you've got a lot of rings, so don't you -- doesn't that match up with Van Gundy who's just like new to the party? Doesn't that give you a decisive edge?
PHIL JACKSON: There's adjustments that go on, but I think the players are capable at this time of knowing what they can do and how they're supposed to play out there. You hope, as John Wooden would say, that your coaching is done when you get to the game, that you've done the preparation work and now you can -- not relax but watch the game and make the adjustments that are necessary. We hope that's right for this team.
But between Games 1 and 2 there will be a number of things that go on.

Q. By the way, the idea that you don't take time-outs, did you steal that from Wooden? He didn't take time-outs. Did you steal it?
PHIL JACKSON: I do take time-outs.

Q. Most people think that you never do.
PHIL JACKSON: I know.

Q. Thinking about the various levels of experience on the club and having this be a more nerve-wracking night than for Kobe and Pau, we talk about coaches being inspirational and directing. How important is it to be empathetic to where those guys are?
PHIL JACKSON: I think everybody has a little bit of nervous energy that will come into this game, and Game 1 is a lot of times takes a few minutes for that to all get burned out. But these guys will get down to playing ball by the end of the first half. They'll be good and they'll be playing.

Q. Have you noticed a difference between your team for this game versus last year's Game 1 in Boston?
PHIL JACKSON: Preparation-wise I think we're as well prepared a team as we've been. Knowledge-wise, it's still a matter of X, Y and Z how to play them out there and figure out how to play this guy individually. Somebody has got to defend somebody when they get out there on the court. That's where the difference is. As far as the actions that they create, they have a myriad of things that they do, and it'll be an adjustment all the way through this playoffs to manage that.

Q. Whose predictions would you tend to agree with?
PHIL JACKSON: That's a good question but I can't answer it.

Q. Did you give Jeannie a tip on how you thought it would go?
PHIL JACKSON: No, I just said that this is the game everybody puts the most importance on. This is the one where you get the stats, 70 percent, et cetera, et cetera, very important game, kick-off game, but...

Q. But what?
PHIL JACKSON: That's it. (Laughter).

End of FastScripts

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