Forwards Need to Do Something

Phil Jackson hinted Saturday that he intended to stay with his starting lineup from Game 3, but that he’d consider making changes at power forward and small forward at halftime if he were dissatisfied with the play of Robert Horry or Rick Fox.

Mainly, Jackson was concerned the Lakers lacked life in the early minutes of the second half Thursday, a condition that led to the Minnesota Timberwolves turning a lead of six points into one of 13.

But he also needs his perimeter players to make shots, and on Saturday afternoon he mentioned Horry and Fox by name.

“We really feel like we have to make Minnesota pay for double-teaming Kobe and Shaq,” Jackson said.

Horry, who had a poor regular season, has followed that with three uneven playoff games, shooting 30%, and he sat Saturday staring dully onto the Lakers’ practice floor.

“I wouldn’t say I’m dismayed,” he said. “It’s a little bit different. My wife thinks I’m putting too much pressure on myself. I thought about it. I do think about the games more now than I used to. In that way, I may be putting pressure on me.”

Horry is the famously unemotional Laker, placid in so many ways, cool in so many situations. And now, with the Lakers down, two games to one, he was asked if he’s trying to take on more responsibility.

“A little bit of that,” Horry said. “A little bit of how the whole season has gone. I haven’t had a good night in a while.”

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The most critical defensive issues, according to Jackson: “The biggest key for us, transition defense is still the same, and turnovers have contributed to fastbreak points. I can’t say I’m totally displeased with our defensive effort.”

They had their moments late in Game 3, when the game was most bleak. The Timberwolves shot 40% in the fourth quarter and missed nine of 11 shots in the overtime.

“We play it when we desperately need to,” Fox said. “It has to be the focus on everybody’s minds, play it for 48 minutes.

“Who cares what we shoot from the field? We’ve got to care what they shoot from the field. We can win a knock-down, drag-out 80-point game against these guys.”

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When the Lakers made their late-regulation run on Thursday night, from 12 down to two ahead in seven minutes, their best stretch since the first quarter of Game 1, Kevin Garnett missed six consecutive shots.

In fact, Garnett did not score between a three-point play with 7:13 left in the third quarter and a fade-away jumper almost 13 minutes later. Devean George defended Garnett through much of that period, a matchup that worked at times, despite the three inches George gave away to the 6-11 Garnett.

Jackson smiled and said he probably would not consider it a preferable strategy.

“I’m not going to speculate that Devean can guard Garnett because he has some good moments against him,” he said. “Garnett was tired and I think he pushed him a little bit out of his comfort zone.”