Because really, who wouldn't want to kick it with cats like me one day removed from a series-deflating loss?  Or because I'm about 95% sure the NBA mandates that coaches address the press each day during the playoffs.  But either way, Phil Jackson was rocking some sandals and taking some inquiries at high noon-thirty.  Here's what was discussed.    

Phil Jackson:  I sent them home today after a short video session and told them to bring their energy back to play a basketball game.  We'll get a practice in tomorrow to do what we have to do to make changes.

Congratulations to Kobe Bryant, who was named to the NBA's All-Defensive First Team for the seventh time.  I'll be honest- I consider this award, like a Gold Glove in baseball, to be very reputation driven and don't think this was Kobe's best defensive year by any stretch.  Granted, it's hard to look like an outstanding individual defender on a weak defensive team and he was put behind the lockdown eight ball with his early season injuries, but independent of that, I don't think this was a standout season for Kobe on that end of the floor.  Still, it's not like he sucks or anything, either.  And I don't get a vote, so this mild, typing-with-a-raised-eyebrow semi-protest is about all I can muster.

BK

What Game 3 gaveth in hope to Lakers fans, Game 4 tooketh away.  After surprising the Suns with their intensity and defensive schemes on Thursday, the Suns came back with a vengeance on Sunday, toying with the Lakers before finally putting them away, 113-100.  So what went wrong for the purple and gold?  That's like trying to settle on a choice at Baskin-Robbins.  Too many options.  Maybe it was Steve Nash, who rebounded from a poor Game 3 with 23 assists (and it could have been more).  As it stands, Nash's day was still among the more prolific in NBA playoff history.  What a difference a year makes.  Or, if you prefer bigs playing angry, by all means feel free to point to Amare Stoudamire's 27/21.  Or maybe it was the full weight of injuries to  guys like Lamar Odom, who gamely what he could to generate excitement in the second half, but was battered badly entering and exiting Game 4.  But the biggest problem for the Lakers, as it generally is in the NBA, is one of talent.  They're just not as good, a reality that may be sinking in on a variety of levels.  Luke Walton had a horrible game (7 TOs), Kwame Brown couldn't sustain his momentum from Thursday, the baby Lakers were nowhere to be found, and the tempo unequivocally belonged to Phoenix.  Don't forget a box score and shot chart too riddled with x's from the perimeter that more or less fill in any remaining gaps. 

Basically, the Lakers absorbed so many body blows, they look about a hair's breath away from the final knockout blow.  But other than all that, Mrs. Lincoln...

...is that it can depart as fast as it arrives.  Such was the case Sunday afternoon, where the scene was much more Game 2 than Game 3.  Translation?  Suns 113-100.  The Lakers kept it close in the first half, working hard, generally sticking to the game plan (as much as the Suns would allow), staying competitive... and finishing down by seven.  Hard to say definitively the writing was on the wall at that point, but there were a host of folks near it ready to get their scribe on, to say the least.  In the end, it was too much Big Three for the Lakers to handle.  Steve Nash logged more assists by halftime (15) than the Lakers did through three quarters (13), and 23 for the game- to L.A.'s 21, it should be mentioned.  That's not good.  Amare Stoudamire had 16/12 at the half, and 27/21 at the final buzzer.  They were so big, nobody really noticed Shawn Marion's 22/11.  At least the Lakers again shut down Pat Burke.   

Meanwhile, the Lakers struggled to stay in their offense and control the tempo, especially in the third quarter, when the Suns pushed their lead to 14.  Kobe was productive, with 31/7/9 on 12/25 from the floor, but it was a struggle as the Suns threw just about every body on the court at him.  L.O. came alive in the last 24 on his way to 19/13/5, including 17/10 after the half, but outside of those two, it was slim pickins.  Mo Evans had 11 points, Luke Walton notched 10 (nearly one for each of his seven TOs).  But the most telling stat for the Lakers were some weak assist numbers, which indicated bad ball movement, and the fact that in the minutes that mattered, Phoenix beat the hell out of them on the boards, and finished with an overall 44-39 advantage.

More on the game to come.  NOW ADDED BELOW THE JUMP.

BK 

They've done it through three games, but can the Lakers manage to shut down Eric Piatkowski four times in a row?  We'll find out.  I'll have the first quarter.

BK

Unlike Thursday, when there were a lot of late arrivals, everyone's in the building at tip time, and they're loud.  No shortage of atmosphere in the house today.  Only bad thing?  That horrible ABC Sky Cam thing they use to provide the worst angles in basketball broadcast history is whizzing back and forth in front of me. 

11:40- L.O. picks up a loose ball foul, then James Jones drills a three.  A fine start.  Maybe they're only good when they go down by 17.  Amare starts the game fronting Kwame. 

Kobe gets the Lakers on the board. 

The Lakers pulled out the first of two (for all practical purposes) must win games Thursday night.  Today, they'll need to figure out a way to win another, and guarantee one more home game in this series.  There was some talk about getting Vlad Radmanovic back in the lineup today, especially in light of Brian Cook's sprained left thumb suffered in Game 3, and in his pregame press conference, Phil Jackson said he wasn't sure if Vlad would be in uniform.  But looking at the active list there are no changes, which means Radmanovic will be in a suit today (assuming he brought one) on the sidelines.  Incidentally, the one he borrowed in Game 3 belonged to Kurt Rambis.  He should have made Raddy wear the glasses, too, as punishment for forgetting appropriate dress. 

I wrote yesterday that I think the Lakers will need to play a better game today than they did on Thursday if they want to win.  We'll see if they can do it.  In the meantime, enjoy PJ's presser. 

Download phil_jackson_4.29 Pre Game 4.mp3

The potentially series-tying Game 4 this afternoon can't arrive fast enough for the Laker Nation, but as far as the team they support goes, it's all about taking her leisurely.  The key to an ideally pace will be keeping Steve Nash as quiet on the court as he is away from it, forcing him to become less of a puppet-master.  Having successfully muddied Game 3, the Lakers forced the Suns to, if nothing else, take the series a little more seriously, even though nobody's fingers are nearing any panic buttons.  While Phil Jackson ain't cocky, he's pretty calm himself, if a mite dissatisfied with the number of bench guys completing plays Kobe's looking to make.  Thus, more potential tinkering with the active-inactive roster, which may work out well for Vlad Rad, who apparently can't remember to bring a suit, anyway.  While there's always a chance Phil will think way the hell outside the box and sit Kobe, the safer money candidates for deactivation may be either Sasha Vujacic or Brian Cook, who's nursing a sore thumb.

There will be a Game 5.  That much we know.  Whether the Lakers can ensure a return date to Staples by winning Sunday afternoon (a bonus both for fans and for me, since every home game is another chance for taco night in the media room, and I loves me some taco night) remains to be seen.  On Thursday, the Lakers took the Suns by surprise by a) not folding down 17 points before most fans had parked their cars, b) consistently and effectively getting the ball inside, whether by posting up or through penetration, and c) aggressively trapping on the pick and roll.  All of that effectively slowed down the game to a pace the Lakers could handle.  High percentage shots limited run out opportunities for the Suns, and the proactive D took away that extra gear Phoenix usually has (normally putting them about three gears ahead of the Lakers).   

So what happens now?

Did you get a chance to slap Phil Jackson five after Thursday's triumph over Phoenix?  Well, if not, you missed your chance, because the Zen Master is way over it.  Jackson's got too many things on his plate right now to concern himself with accolades and "you da man!" calls.  He needs to predict any adjustments Steve Nash will make to avoid a repeat entrapment, since it'll be tougher to fool them twice.  He needs a player to serve as a bomb threat.  He needs to decide whether he's going to keep Jordan Farmar in the starting lineup.  Throw in the fact that Amare Stoudemire-who wasn't all that impressed by Game 3 surprise savior Kwame Brown- seems determined to prove his team can step on a neck, and it's understandable why Phil may be holed up in his office conjuring magic until Sunday afternoon.

By "The L's," I mean Lamar Odom and Luke Walton, who were more than stoked to see their squad come up big during last night's crucial game 3.  And by "The L's," I also mean two guys who would probably kill the Laker marketing department if the team began promoting them as "The L's."  At any rate, here's what they had to say after the smoke had cleared, revealing a Laker victory.

- AK