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NBA FINALS: CELTIC v LAKERS

June 3, 2010

Phil Jackson

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Game One

Boston Celtics 89
Los Angeles Lakers 102

PHIL JACKSON: Well, it wasn't the prettiest basketball game I've ever watched in my life, but it was a good win for us. We sustained the lead in the second half even though we had some tough plays, tough sequences out there. But they contested well at times and got some easy baskets and some transition points that helped edge it.

Q. Could you address Pau Gasol's contribution tonight.
PHIL JACKSON: Well, you know, I thought Pau played a big game tonight. He tried a couple things in the post to start the game that weren't successful and he found a new rhythm. Other spots in the game I thought they did a good job on him in the post, but his movement and his activity was important.

Q. Can you talk about, you went deep into your bench in that second quarter and played some line-ups you really haven't played all year. Talk about how they held down the fort for you.
PHIL JACKSON: Yeah, we had to match up with a small guard unit. They came out with Robinson and Rondo, obviously they tried to energize their game a little bit with pace. Put Allen some at three even, that sequence. We had a good contribution from Shannon. I thought he did some things that were good for us, that sequence, Jordan did some good things on defense all right, and I think we kind of weathered the storm out there with fouls and Artest and Derek and Kobe, all of them in foul situations we had to do that.

Q. Can you talk about Ron Artest's defense on Paul Pierce tonight.
PHIL JACKSON: He did fine. I thought he had -- he had a foul, we tried to talk him into not getting gambling fouls out there, little consequential things that cost him a foul early in the ballgame. He had to go sit down for a while. But he came back and I thought solidified our defense for quite a period of time. A couple times Pierce had to find a bail-out pass and got a run-up lay-up out of it.
He made some big baskets for us, also, that I thought were real shot-in-the-arm kind of shots for us, three-point shots and sequences of opportunities, at the end, a screen roll.

Q. Were you surprised by the power categories, the differential rebounds, points in the paint, second-chance points, all heavily in your favor?
PHIL JACKSON: You know, I hadn't analyzed the box before I was run out here, but 16-0 in second-chance points is pretty remarkable. They are a team that has big guys. They do splay out with their shooters. Garnett and Wallace a lot of times are not available, but Perkins and Davis are active on the boards. We were able to hold that in. That was a big part of the game.

Q. You said it wasn't a pretty game but was it aesthetically pleasing to you to get that production and the balanced scoring you saw from your team?
PHIL JACKSON: I thought we got some different places, guys chipped in at different times, helped us out. You know, I was particularly happy about Drew being able to play the minutes he was able to play tonight and support us because of foul trouble that Lamar got in.

Q. You talked a little bit about Pau, but coming off of 2008 there was still a lot of questions about toughness about him. Do you see from him an effort to consciously try to answer those sorts of questions about his game?
PHIL JACKSON: Well, what I see from him is just the little actions that represent not backing down type of things, getting hit, taking the blow, absorbing it, not reacting to it one way or the other with the mentality to look at the referee or wonder about the blow and the legitimacy of it. Those are the things he's learned in the last year and a half or two.

Q. You guys were able to build up a big lead and extend it and never really let it dwindle too far. Talk about the importance of keeping your foot on the gas.
PHIL JACKSON: They had a good third quarter, important quarter. Obviously a couple baskets in there that really kind of stepped it out a little bit. It just stayed at 9, 10, 11 for a long period of time in that third quarter and then we were able to extend it somewhat. Fourth quarter obviously they came out and scored 10-1 right off the bat and set the game right back into contesting point again.

Q. What does the statistic mean to you that you're 47-0 in your career when your team wins the first game of the series, and now the first game is over? Do you have continued good feelings that you've had when you've previously won the first game of series?
PHIL JACKSON: I wish I felt that way. I wish I had put it in the bank, so to speak. We've got to play this out, and we know this is a team that's got a multitude of changes, line-ups, activities, capabilities. Our defense, I think stiffened at various points in the game; was very effective. So we've got a lot of work ahead of us, but it's nice to know that that's on our side.

Q. You talked a lot about keeping the Celtics in general out of transition. Can you talk about the keys of that.
PHIL JACKSON: Yeah, I thought that was a big part of it, not having the lay-up line going with Rondo and his activities, just little things, steals in the backcourt, transition baskets, steals and activity in outlet passes and things that he's capable of doing. I thought we were careful with him but yet respectful of what he can do.

Q. Isn't this supposed to be more interesting? It's The Finals.
PHIL JACKSON: It's Game 1.

Q. Were you bored by what was going on?
PHIL JACKSON: No. It was long, though. It was a long game.

Q. The Celtics seemed to make a push defensively in that fourth quarter. Are you concerned that they sort of gained an idea of how they want to attack you, concerns for Game 2?
PHIL JACKSON: I think that's consistent with how they want to play. We were trying to, you know, encourage our players to continue to do things that were correct, and they felt into little habits of dropping the ball in Kobe's hands and allowing him to try and do things individually, which their defense can key off of. They're a good enough defensive team to be able to key off of that. We know it's going to take more than just dropping it in Kobe's hands and standing in the corner and watch it.

Q. I know you sort of deferred on that Game 1 issue, but how important is it in your mind to get off to that good start, especially when you have the home court advantage?
PHIL JACKSON: It's ultimately important, but then every game becomes the next most important game. You know how that goes. This first game kind of sets the table, and that's important action.

End of FastScripts

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