Plenty of Blame for Easy-Picking Defense

Two themes have emerged during the Lakers’ recent struggles: the team’s poor defense and the coach’s reluctance to single out the individuals responsible.

One reason Coach Phil Jackson has not called anyone out during this six-game stretch in which opponents have averaged 104.7 points is that defense is a team-wide responsibility. The Lakers’ perimeter defenders are getting beat off the dribble and the help is late arriving.

Kobe Bryant described defense as “a dance.”

“It’s coordination,” Bryant said. “It’s a rhythm thing. You have to have guards closing out, you have to have big guys stepping out and rotating. Especially pick-and-roll. Pick-and-roll coverage is all five guys out there on the floor have to be able to shift and adjust.”

Whenever talk turns to pick-and-roll coverage, the focus is on Shaquille O’Neal. Opposing teams like to attack the Lakers with the pick-and-roll because it brings O’Neal away from the basket and because he usually is slow to jump out and help the screened guard or move over to the screener after he releases.

But Jackson felt put on the spot when asked why pick-and-roll defense has been a Laker weakness for so many years.

“I don’t think I have to explain that,” Jackson said. “Because I think it’s not fair. It was what you ran against the Lakers when Wilt Chamberlain was playing with them, it’s what you run against the Lakers with Shaquille playing in the center. It’s as simple as that. Big guys that don’t want to come out from the lane and protect the basket are vulnerable to screen/rolls, because it makes them have to come away from the basket and guard a small player.

“That’s one of the things that are problematic for us. It’s been problematic ever since this team acquired Shaquille. It’s a teamwork thing. That’s what we’re saying. As a team, guys have to get together and figure that out.”

Sights

Jackson has become as much a Christmas regular as Santa Claus. He coached in the annual TV showcase game in the final eight of his nine seasons in Chicago and in all five of his seasons in Los Angeles. Jackson is 2-3 on Christmas as a Laker, giving him an all-time Christmas record of 10-3.

Sounds

O’Neal and Bryon Russell trying to prompt a confrontation with Doc Rivers when he visited Horace Grant in the Laker locker room before Thursday’s game. Rivers and Grant butted heads last season, when Rivers coached Orlando and waived Grant because of their differences. But with Rivers at Staples Center as an ABC analyst, and the holiday spirit prevailing, Rivers wanted to make amends with Grant.

“I thought we should have,” Rivers said.

“We’re both professionals. One thing I’ve always said about Horace was that it never was personal. I always liked him. I just needed things to be done my way there at that time.”

Faces in the Crowd

Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens, Tuesday at Golden State.

Norm McDonald and Jack Black, Thursday vs. Houston

In a Word

“Dank.”

Among a series of negative words in Jackson’s description of Oakland. He isn’t too fond of the city, which is why the Lakers stayed in San Francisco before Tuesday’s game at Golden State. But he thought the 45-minute bus ride to the arena might have deflated his team before the loss to the Warriors, so maybe next time they’ll stay in the “dregs” of Oakland.