All Sides Coy About Timeouts

So, what was going on there in the last 30 seconds of Game 4 when, with the Suns ahead by more than 20, the Lakers and Suns exchanged timeouts, and then Coach Phil Jackson called another?

During each of the timeouts, the players from both sides just stood around, smiling, as the music played, and Jackson and Phoenix Coach Scott Skiles kept their faces blank.

“We were just having fun--just having fun,” Laker guard Ron Harper said. “Part of the game. He called timeout, we called timeout.

“Hey, all in fun.”

Jackson refused to answer questions after the game.

Skiles gave some indication of the gamesmanship when he was asked about the timeout trade-off.

“I don’t know, what do you think [was going on]?” Skiles said. “You know, nothing, really. I wanted the game to end on our terms.”

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Jackson may or may not have addressed the team at halftime, or even been in the locker room for very long (reports vary), but the Laker players said there wasn’t much to say, anyway, after giving up a season-high 71 points.

“Guys in there know exactly what’s going on,” Robert Horry said.

“Phil respects us as players and he knows that most of us are going to know what’s going on. There was no need to say anything but go out there and try to do your best to win this game.”

And what did Jackson say after the game?

“Get it in here,” Horry said. “That was it.”

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Before the game, Jackson was asked about the low-scoring New York Knick-Miami Heat playoff series. Is he watching it?

“When I’m extremely bored. Then I leave,” Jackson said.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Lakers’ Big Three

O’NEAL

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Sun. Series 24 Points 34.0 9 Rebounds 15.0 3 Assists 2.5

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BRYANT

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Sun. Series 23 Points 22.0 3 Rebounds 4.5 5 Assists 3.5

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RICE

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Sun. Series 15 Points 11.3 5 Rebounds 4.5 2 Assists 1.8

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Suns’ Big Three

HARDAWAY

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Sun. Series 16 Points 24.8 3 Rebounds 3.8 6 Assists 6.5

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KIDD

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Sun. Series 22 Points 10.5 10 Rebounds 7.8 16 Assists 10.3

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ROBINSON

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Sun. Series 32 Points 24.5 9 Rebounds 6.3 0 Assists 0.5

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