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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: SUNS v LAKERS

May 25, 2010

Phil Jackson

PHOENIX, ARIZONA: Game Four

Suns Â– 115
Lakers - 106

Q. Can you talk about their bench and the difference it made especially in the second quarter tonight?
COACH JACKSON: Yeah, they came out and hit a number of 3s, and that second quarter got real excited inside, the fans. We knew we'd have to weather some storm in this sequence of games at some level.
We were hoping it was just going to be in the second quarter. But they came back and hit three in the fourth and you open that game back open again when we took the lead. That was the problem. The second quarter was the second quarter. We understand that they're going to have a hot spell. A lot of those guys haven't had any success out there. So it's exciting for them to get it.
But we didn't shut them down in the fourth, and that's the time we have to do it.

Q. Are you worried? Surprised? Disappointed?
COACH JACKSON: You know, obviously disappointed. We thought we could come here and get a game. And unfortunately you know we weren't up to the task. But we outscored them from the field I think both games. Shot better than they did. Did a lot of things very good and still wasn't enough to win the game. They beat us at the foul line both nights, and that's the difference in the margin of the game. And we have to do a better job on that activity.

Q. Is that to the hoop or is that the officiating?
COACH JACKSON: Oh, no.

Q. Kobe, 38 points. Nobody else more than 15. Kobe, ten assists, nobody else more than three. Obviously Kobe's playing great. But you need others to step up?
COACH JACKSON: Didn't we have five guys in double figures. We had a lot of guys in double figures. There's a lot of guys that contributed. Pau didn't have a 25-point game but we had a lot of guys contribute tonight.
I have no problem with our offense at all. I think our offense is fine. We gave up a 40-point quarter in that second quarter and we gave up a 30-point quarter in the fourth. But that's going to happen when you give up 14 free throws, and some of them were intentional fouls at the end.

Q. Are you concerned that your bench got smoked?
COACH JACKSON: Well, it wasn't a Cohiba, I'll tell you that. But I just thought that they got confused out there at one point. The biggest disappointment to me was the fact that we took five 3s in that sequence of action where they made up the ground, when we took the lead in the fourth quarter.

Q. Did I miss your answer on the officiating or aggressiveness to the hoop?
COACH JACKSON: No, you did not.

Q. Did you answer it?
COACH JACKSON: Yes, I did.

Q. What did you say?
COACH JACKSON: Neither.

Q. What is the explanation?
COACH JACKSON: I don't know. I mean, it seemed like every time we went near them they fell down at some level in that game and they went to the line. Nash went down a couple times at the end, looked like Richardson went down on a sequence where we were putting some pressure on the ball. So we just have to be more resilient out there defensively.

Q. Why do you think you guys, over the last couple of nights, have struggled against the zone?
COACH JACKSON: I don't know. We shot 49 percent, didn't we? That's pretty good. Nothing wrong with that. I wouldn't say we're struggling against the zone. I think we're struggling at the defensive end. That's where I see it.

Q. Is the difference the home court, the atmosphere and all that?
COACH JACKSON: Seems to me like they shot the ball pretty well here, didn't they? Their 3-point shooting was really great tonight. But that will happen. They came through in a game that was a critical game, No. 3, and they loosened up tonight and had a lead to play with a little bit.
And I thought it gave them some confidence.

Q. You mentioned some defensive lapses. You seemed upset with Bynum a couple of occasions. What's happening with him on defense?
COACH JACKSON: We just -- I thought we were standing around watching. That's what I said to them. We're not actively defending sequences that we know we have to defend. And, you know, some of it is our anticipation. Some of it is not being ready.

Q. (Indiscernible) this series has been very up and down.
COACH JACKSON: I thought he played pretty well tonight. I was heartened by his play tonight. I think he's going to play better as we go along.

Q. Speaking of the interior play, Pau said the other day that he was more concerned not about the Suns hitting 3s, but basically what you were just talking about, getting points in the paint. What can you do? Is it the perimeter defense that's allowing him to get to the paint or is it limitations?
COACH JACKSON: I don't think that bothered us tonight. I think it bothered us last night. If I saw it right -- I don't think it was that big a differential tonight. Yeah, we had 42 points in the paint. They had 42. So the difference was the 3-point shooting and the free throws is what it was.

Q. Do you see any similarities and does it help from a month ago when you were 2-2 with Oklahoma City you guys considered kind of a must-win Game 5 and everyone rallied around?
COACH JACKSON: Critical game. We all say they're critical. But this is what playoffs are about. If you can support yourself on the home court you have a chance of going back and pulling an upset or winning the game, No. 5, and creating the momentum change. So we'll see what comes out on Thursday. Should be interesting.

Q. Do you think toughness is an issue defensively at least?
COACH JACKSON: Well, I thought they knocked about four balls loose in the offensive boards. Pau had the ball. Lamar had the ball. Lost the ball. They were a little more aggressive on the boards. And I think that created an atmosphere that I didn't like in the ball game. Ended up there's quite a differential on the offensive boards. And that was a problem for us tonight. I thought they were the aggressor in that part.

End of FastScripts

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