Jackson Relates to 76ers’ Brown

Imagine Red Holtzman taking a vacation during the season.

Larry Brown might have started a trend, if only he’d used his two days off from the 76ers more wisely. Instead, he stayed in Philadelphia. In December.

“As long as you’re going to take a couple days off,” Laker Coach Phil Jackson said, “go to Cabo or Puerto Rico, somewhere that’s a vacation.”

Jackson said he never had the urge to leave a basketball season, even for a day or two.

“I had one year that I had some conflicting things with my players [in Chicago],” Jackson said. “But, for the most part it’s been gravy. Well, winning is a panacea for everything. Fortunately for me there’s been a lot of winning being done.”

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Among the remarkable things about Shaquille O’Neal is that he has never let his inadequacies at the free-throw line bleed into the rest of his game.

Jackson, however, feared that O’Neal’s famously sturdy confidence wobbled against Miami on Tuesday night.

“I saw him hurrying his shot at the end of the game for fear of being fouled,” Jackson said. “That, he’s got to do the right thing. He just can’t play not to be fouled with the basketball. It’s obvious at the end of the game--he was concerned about it and put up a quick shot. We talked a little bit about what that’s all about and the inevitability of you’re going to have to play your way through that.”

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Horace Grant suffered from an upper respiratory infection and upset stomach and played 16 minutes against the Rockets.

TONIGHT

vs. Dallas

5, Channel 9

* Site--Reunion Arena

* Radio--KLAC-AM (570)

* Records--Lakers 19-9, Mavericks 18-10.

* Record vs. Mavericks--1-0.

* Update--The Mavericks believed they were cheated on several calls during their 99-97 loss at Staples Center three weeks ago. More realistically, they had no one to guard Kobe Bryant, who scored 38 points.