New North/South Cali Rivalry

[Whisper]

When Facing Nellie, Jackson Refuses To Think Small

LOS ANGELES -- Any time Don Nelson is involved, the subject always comes around to matchups.

But when it comes to the Lakers and the Golden State Warriors, the most important matchup centers on Nelson himself and his ongoing drubbing at the hands of Phil Jackson.

It's a statistical trend that's almost becoming a law of nature, a dominance reinforced by the Lakers' 123-113 victory at Staples Center.

When Nelson was in Dallas, Jackson's Lakers were 15-5 against Nelson's Mavericks. Since Jackson returned to the Lakers in 2005 after a year away from the team, he has launched a winning streak against the Warriors that has reached nine consecutive games, including the past five over Nellie-coached clubs.

The record dating to last season probably is the most relevant because the two teams are so closely aligned. Both teams were 42-40 last season.

They each were 11-8 heading into Sunday's first meeting of the season, an interesting test for two teams that figure to be among those fighting for the bottom four playoff spots in the Western Conference. The Lakers and Warriors have their pluses and minuses, but when it comes to facing each other head-on, Jackson gives the Lakers an advantage. That's because he doesn't fall for Nelson's mind games.

"Over the years having coached against Nelson, there's always the mismatch that he always tries to throw," Jackson said.

"There's always the idea that he wants to go smaller and smaller to get you to match up with his smaller players, and I've tried to resist that over the years as I've coached against him. A lot of coaches get caught in that, and there's a web that you get caught in. Eventually, you're playing out there with five little guys and your offense suffers because of it."

He could have taken a swipe at another coaching rival by adding that Pat Riley fell for it Friday night. Riles sat Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning in the fourth quarter at Golden State even though both had helped the Heat build an 18-point lead. Miami went small, playing right into Golden State's hands, and the Warriors dropped 38 points in the fourth quarter to steal a victory.

Jackson always has looked down on Nelson's gimmicky lineups. After his Chicago Bulls beat Nelson's Warriors in a 1994 game, Jackson was asked his opinion of Nellie's matchups. Jackson said: "What about when he had [5-foot-7] 'Mister' Jennings on [6-7] Scottie Pippen? I liked that matchup."

So Jackson once again stayed firm in his resolve Sunday. He sent his message to Nelson from the outset: Have some of Andrew Bynum. Bynum had 20 points and 11 rebounds and blocked five shots.

"Andrew set up the whole game because of his presence in the low post," Lakers guard Derek Fisher said. The Lakers made 53 percent of their shots, including 44 percent of their 3-pointers. Bynum collected lobs and alley-oops for easy baskets. He protected the hoop from driving Warriors.

So when the Warriors went with a lineup that had 6-9 Al Harrington as their tallest player, Jackson stuck with Bynum or Ronny Turiaf.

"Even [if] it's just to spite the other coach, he's not going to take the guy out just for matchup situation," Fisher said. "The advantage is the bigger guy. As well as Andrew's playing, why take him out of the game? Make them adjust to him."

Yes, Jackson was the one forcing Nelson to make the adjustments and get out of character, including a start of rarely used Patrick O'Bryant at the beginning of the third quarter. O'Bryant had both his shot attempts blocked. Bynum got a dunk-and-one at the other end, and O'Bryant got the hook after only 74 seconds -- enough time for the Lakers to expand a one-point halftime lead to nine.

"It was a mistake, wasn't it?" Nelson said. "We thought we'd give him a chance and try to go with a little length against them, and you saw what I saw."

We also saw Kobe Bryant, after struggling early, eventually get the better of Baron Davis in their head-to-head matchup (28 points and eight assists to Davis' 20 and seven).

Stephen Jackson, after going to Las Vegas with Harrington for the Floyd Mayweather-Ricky Hatton fight Saturday night, shot 8-for-21. They were back in L.A. by 2 a.m., a regular night by NBA standards. But as soon as I saw them at the MGM, it seemed apparent that those at the sports book picking the Lakers would be making a good call.

There won't be a Vegas side trip before Friday's rematch in Oakland. But it still will be Jackson and Nelson on the sideline. You know where the smart money goes.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime


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I've been saying it all along, North and Southern Cali should be two separate states >.> (North and South Carolina... West Virginia and Virginia...)

Plus I've been saying it all along, it's fun to watch, but the Warriors style of play(and the Suns... and all the other teams like the Nuggets, etc. etc.) just doesn't work, I disprove it. Play an efficient half-court game with a good big man in the middle and it's all good. A lot of people don't like the Spurs because they think they're boring lmao, there's a reason why they make deep runs every year, why they pound on these small ball teams like the Suns, Nuggets, and the Warriors. Smart coaching that doesn't fall for the small ball game, leaving their big men out there not falling into the traps, and efficient half court sets, the good stuff that wins you championships.