Will Phil Light Up a New Stogie for That Old Fogy?

The suggestion should have come from Red Auerbach, but instead came in an e-mail from Grosario, a Laker fan back in Los Angeles: “Ask Phil Jackson to light up a cigar when the championship game is about to be won. I’ll even pay for the cigar.”

I know for a fact Phil Jackson has the ability to blow smoke, but he told me Tuesday he’s never done it on the bench.

I relayed Grosario’s request, and Jackson smiled and said: “Yeah, it’s something to consider.”

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IF THE Lakers’ clinching victory were about to be achieved at home, I’d have urged everyone to bring a cigar with them to Staples Center, and at the proper time, light up and pay tribute to Jackson’s phenomenal success.

(Anyone caught smoking anything else, of course, would probably be mistaken for a Hollywood celebrity and given a better seat.)

Although he resides most of the time atop Mt. Jackson, the guy who is about to match Auerbach’s mark of winning nine NBA titles as a head coach probably still doesn’t get the credit he deserves in Los Angeles.

Some of that comes from standing in line in public perception behind Shaq, Kobe and Jerry West when it comes to putting the Lakers back on the NBA map.

Some of that comes from being known as Michael Jordan’s coach, forever linking the two of them with Chicago’s rise to prominence in the NBA. Some comes from appearing so standoffish.

That’s why I would like to see Jackson break step, go human and surprise everyone. I’d like to see him light up a victory cigar on the bench, maybe even singe his soul patch, Laker fans pointing and giggling at their puffing coach on TV, and taking vicarious pleasure in the team’s three-peat dominance, and Jackson’s part in making it possible. Take a bow--nothing wrong with that.

Jackson’s first title in L.A. was memorable for the comeback against Portland. Last year’s was memorable for Mark Madsen’s dancing at the victory parade.

There has been nothing memorable about these NBA Finals, although the series with the Kings has already inspired talk about next year’s meeting. I’d imagine seeing the Zen Master light a victory cigar and blow smoke in the direction of Sacramento would be remembered by some people.

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IT STILL might take a four-peat to make Jackson bigger than Pat Riley in Laker lore, and looked upon as more L.A. than Chicago. I have no idea what Jeanie is waiting for, but I also have no idea if there is a question that needs to be answered.

I know this. He’s already shown an uncanny ability to make sure his team doesn’t win too many games and force him to coach in the All-Star Game. You try to do that with Shaq and Kobe on your team. He does not fret over losing the home-court advantage, and you try to lose that with Kobe and Shaq on your team.

You criticize this guy, and he’ll go out and win the championship on you. I know one sports columnist in town who had him one game away from losing it all a week or so ago, and now Jackson is one win away from going back to the White House.

Add another NBA title to his resume next year, and although it will probably spark an argument from reverential old-timers, it could very well put him in a coaching stratosphere occupied by only the bigger-than-life likes of Vince Lombardi, John Wooden and Casey Stengel. One more playoff win, and he will have more career victories in postseason play than Riley, and he has already won 155 of the 209 games he’s coached under that kind of pressure.

At the rate Byron Scott is going, I don’t think he’s going to be the one to catch him. If Auerbach has any beef, it should be that he never had the chance to coach against Scott and the Nets.

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JACKSON SAID he received word through a third party from Auerbach that the former Celtic coach was misquoted in reports that he made light of Jackson’s accomplishments. I heard Auerbach on the radio, and he was still pecking away at Jackson’s success. The classy thing, of course, would be for Auerbach to send Jackson a cigar--instead of making Grosario pay for it.

By the way, Grosario, I’ll be sending you a bill for that cigar.

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WITH THE Finals no longer in doubt, the biggest mystery is what jersey Kobe will wear after the clinching win. “Wait until you see what I’ve got,” he teased.

Kobe wore an Edmonton Oiler Wayne Gretzky jersey after Game 3, and said Gretzky agreed to autograph it for good luck. He’s worn Jackie Robinson’s jersey, Derek Jeter’s, Pedro Martinez’s and Joe Namath’s among others.

When I asked him whose jersey he was going to wear next, he said, “He’s the greatest of them all.” Does he have a Michael Jordan jersey? “Of course,” he said, “you can’t have a jersey collection without Jordan.”

Shaq said Kobe respects his father and West the most, but Kobe has already worn both of their jerseys.

There’s Dr. J, Magic and Lisa Leslie, but I’m told he confided to a teammate he will not be wearing the jersey of a basketball player. I can’t believe it’s Pele.

If he really is talking about the “greatest” of them all, I guess that means he’ll be showing up in a bathrobe with Muhammad Ali’s name on his back.

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TODAY’S LAST word comes in e-mail from Numa Gomez:

“You better be careful getting those people upset and blaming it on [columnist] Bill Plaschke. I’d hate to wake up one morning and read the headline: ‘Plaschke Sleeps with the Fishes. ‘“

At least for a change he wouldn’t be the one writing the sob story.

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T.J. Simers can be reached at t.j.simers@latimes.com.