George Makes His Second Start

Pressure?

Your coach questions your motivation.

You are zero for nine from the floor over a three-game span.

Twenty-four feet from the basket, with the game on the line, you take a pass from Kobe Bryant and find yourself with an open shot.

Swish.

No pressure for Devean George. Without hesitation, he made the three-point shot Thursday night in Seattle that broke an 85-85 deadlock and gave the Lakers a lead they would not relinquish en route to a 92-87 win.

George, averaging 7.0 points in his third season with the Lakers after arriving as a first-round draft choice out of Augsburg College in Minneapolis, scored eight in the crucial fourth quarter Thursday night.

“I’ve done everything I could to get him motivated,” said Laker Coach Phil Jackson of George. “Maybe the problem was that he felt he didn’t play enough. Players come up with all sorts of justifications when they are struggling.”

That will no longer be an excuse. Jackson started George on Friday night against the Atlanta Hawks, only his second Laker start. He had 12 points.

Asked what has changed, George responded with a shrug of the shoulders.

“I just went out and played,” he said. “Even if I’m flat offensively, even when I’m not shooting the ball well, I will rebound, play defense and supply energy.”

And when his big moment came Thursday night against the Sonics, there was no doubt how he would react.

“Ask any of the guys,” George said. “If I’m open, I’m I going to shoot it. I like to score. I’m not going to pass up open shots.”

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Public-address announcer Lawrence Tanter is writing an apology to Jackson for making a mistake in introducing the starting Laker lineup for Tuesday night’s game against the Washington Wizards, the first such mistake Tanter has made in 19 years behind the microphone.

Tanter introduced Derek Fisher as a starting guard when it should have been Lindsey Hunter. “I could have gone to the scorer’s table,” Jackson said, “but it’s not a big deal who starts.”

Steve Springer