It’s Not a Tired Story

Phil Jackson has stood away from the view many times, enough to know substance from a little good fortune.

Well into Wednesday night he did again, a quarter-hour after the Lakers routed another team with another reputation. He looked across six consecutive wins over nine nights, and three road wins in four nights, and decided the Lakers won again not simply because of their top-end height, but also because of their breadth.

“For that reason,” he said evenly, “we have a real good chance of repeating this year.”

The Indiana Pacers, rested and primed for the Lakers, were the latest to go, and to go big, by 109-90 at Conseco Fieldhouse. Kobe Bryant scored 31 points, awkwardly at times, and Shaquille O’Neal scored 20 in 24 minutes.

Jermaine O’Neal had 18 points and 18 rebounds, but was three for 14 from the floor, and the Pacers made only 35.4% of their attempts, including a four-for-26 second quarter.

While it was Bryant who made the splashy shots finally, and O’Neal who had the brutish third quarter that spent the otherwise game Pacers, Samaki Walker had a team-high 13 rebounds, and Derek Fisher had 10 points and six assists. And guys such as Slava Medvedenko and Mitch Richmond helped push the game through the in-between places, through the slivers of defenses the Pacers attempted, and bungled.

“There’s a bench behind our first unit that plays well together, and has a good concept of what we’re trying to do,” Jackson said. “In fact, sometimes they play better than the first unit does.

“The little things make the difference. And right now, we’re rebounding better than we were. We’re not turning the ball over like we were earlier in the year. We’re being a little more patient with the basketball. That’s the key.”

The Lakers finished the Pacers, or nearly did anyway, with a 32-point third quarter, when O’Neal scored 13 points and had three of his five blocked shots. He made six of seven shots in the quarter, a period in which the Lakers scored the first 15 points to drive their lead to 64-43.

“I’m good,” said O’Neal, whose sore feet still require him to limp before and after games. “I just could never get into the game.”

The fouls and, eventually, the blowout, limited O’Neal to 24 minutes. He played 25 Tuesday in Detroit, and averaged 28.8 minutes in four games since he came off the injured list.

“As long as we keep playing like this,” he said, “we’ll be fine.”

This trip--the Lakers are successfully through the first of two back-to-back series--was supposed to be the hard part. Instead, through Toronto, Detroit and Indiana, and with Minnesota and Chicago ahead, the Lakers are averaging 113 points in the three victories, 109.7 on the overall winning streak. On average, they are winning by more than 20 points on the trip.

“I’m not shocked by it, because this team has played well on the road,” Jackson said. “But, the level they’re going through their opponents is impressive.”

Bryant is averaging 27.3 points on the trip, and against the Pacers made 11 of 22 field-goal attempts and eight of 14 free throws. It was the worst free-throw shooting game of his career with a minimum of 10 attempts. He missed six of his first seven.

“We laughed about it a lot in the locker room,” Bryant said, “but I told them, ‘Look, I gotta chase Vince Carter, Jerry Stackhouse and Reggie Miller [over three games in four nights]. I can’t do everything.’”

He made all seven free-throw attempts in the second half, and four of nine field goals on a night when he said his legs felt thick and heavy.

When Bryant left the game, all but over with more than nine minutes left, he went down the bench and pounded every hand with his, a big show for the fans who taunted him all game.

It was all part of a very odd game for Bryant, who, among other things, missed two break-away dunks in the third quarter. He frequently appeared frustrated on both ends of the floor, both defending and trying to post Miller, and during timeouts he often sparred with fans in the first few rows.

When his shots fell early in the fourth quarter, the 19-foot fade-away from the right corner, the 21-foot step-back from the top, the floating left-handed finger roll, he stared into the crowd and cupped a hand behind his ear.

“I’m a pretty confident guy,” he said.