Vujacic Takes Large Strides

In a cramped, sweltering corner of the Pyramid of Long Beach sat Phil Jackson, new Laker coach, attending a summer-league session last July to see exactly what he had signed up for.

Some Lakers stood out -- Smush Parker, Ronny Turiaf -- and others didn’t.

Sasha Vujacic was part of the others.

Vujacic actually regressed in the months between his first and second pro seasons. His attitude needed an overhaul as he resisted the teachings of the summer-league coaching staff, a surprising course of action after averaging only 2.9 points as a rookie from Slovenia.

Vujacic, selected 27th in the 2004 draft, felt lost, looked lost and was failing to improve off what Jackson recently called “almost a disastrous rookie year.”

Then came this season, and the gradual process toward maturation.

Vujacic, 22, was 10th on the team in scoring during the regular season but has been a vital source of outside scoring against the Phoenix Suns.

Before Tuesday’s game, he had made eight of 11 shots (72.7%) from three-point range. He also had been playing better defense, continuing to fill his role as an irritating presence for opponents. Through four playoff games, he had held Sun sharpshooter Eddie House to an average of only 2.5 points, well below his regular-season average of 9.8 points. Vujacic and House weren’t factors in the Suns’ rout Tuesday.

“What Sasha does is he hustles and works hard on defense,” Jackson said. “He’s restricted, I’m not going to say nullified, but restricted House’s appearances on the floor. He’s become dedicated to that, being the one bench player that he can match up with and do a job on. He’s done a really good job for us and that’s helped.”

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Kobe Bryant, he of two Game 4 buzzer-beaters, recently talked about how the ball always seems to end up in his hands in the waning seconds.

“I’ve been in All-Star games where the possession comes down to the last second and everybody on the team is just looking at me to take the shot,” Bryant said. “That’s just how it is. I’ve also been in situations where I haven’t taken the last shot.

“I’ve been in a situation where I’ve created for Robert Horry and he hit the game-winning shot. I’ve created for Ron Harper, he’s hit the game-winning shot. I created for Derek Fisher, he hit the game-winning shot. I’ve created for Shaquille O’Neal and he’s hit the game-winning shot. The ball’s always been in my hands and I’ll create something, whatever it is.”

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Center Chris Mihm did not play for the fifth time in as many playoff games.

“He had some more diagnostics done [Monday] and at this time, we’re just kind of saying that this series is probably going to be a washout for him,” Jackson said.

Mihm sat out 17 games because of a severely sprained right ankle before returning for the Lakers’ season finale April 19 against New Orleans.