From Deseret News archives:

It's Psychology 101 with Jackson in mix

Published: Tuesday, May 6, 2008 12:19 a.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
LOS ANGELES — Loooook into my eyes.

You are getting sleepy.

Verrrrrrry sleepy.

OK, maybe that's a little heavy on the hypnotic hocus-pocus. Still, that's kind of how it is in a series involving Lakers' coach Phil Jackson.

It's all in the mind.

It has been 10 years since the Jazz were in a playoff series involving Jackson, but they probably haven't missed it. The positioning. The lobbying. The Vulcan mind-melding.

The psychology of it all.

He was Dr. Phil before that other Dr. Phil even had a job.

If anyone has forgotten, this what happens when you face a Jackson team. There's the game on the court and the game in the head.

So it continued, Monday, when Jackson addressed the issue of free throw shooting. L.A.'s Kobe Bryant got a whopping 23 attempts on Sunday, a club playoff record, and made 21, also a record.

Story continues below
"I doubt that'll happen again," said Jackson. "They throw lot of bodies at us. They're not afraid to go play hard and let the referees make a decision on it. They'll contest shots and they have three or four guys they can move around on defense so they can all accumulate fouls, so we'll see what happens that way."

Already, it seems, Jackson is lobbying for favor from the officials, calling the Jazz's physical style "a scrum match."

"Well, they play a very physical game," added Jackson.

"They bring the element up and just let the referees make a decision upon what is a foul and what isn't, and it escalates. But they play well under those circumstances. They must practice like that — contest it in their practices — because their people all play that way."

Unspoken message: Beware, refs, or the Jazz will turn this into mud wrestling.

This series features Jerry Sloan, the plain-talking pragmatist, and Jackson, the hippie existentialist. Jerry the Farmer vs. Phil the Shrink.

It's not as though there has ever been open animosity between Sloan and Jackson. But it's obvious they're not good buddies. Sloan has more than his share of friends and admirers in the business, Detroit's Flip Saunders, San Antonio's Gregg Popovich, Houston's Rick Adelman and Portland's Nate McMillan, to name a few.

Somewhere else on the spectrum is Jackson.

They don't exactly trade insults, but they don't exchange Christmas cards, either.

In a way, it's odd they're aren't best friends. Jackson is from Deer Lodge, Mont., Sloan from McLeansboro, Ill. Jackson went to high school in North Dakota and college at the University of North Dakota. Sloan played his college basketball at Evansville.

Recent comments

ok

re:re:re:@rizz | May 8, 2008 at 9:38 a.m.

Rating of your ability to pick up on obvious sarcasm in the first...

re:re:@rizzo | May 7, 2008 at 7:08 p.m.

Math is fun - let's do some now.

0 rings + 0 banners = Jazz

1...

re:@rizzo | May 7, 2008 at 6:05 p.m.

previousnext

Latest comments

Hall reprimanded by MWC

You dont like us and tell us everyday how much you hate our school. Of all...

did not win the game Harvey Unga did and without Mr Unga BYU would not have...

Hall reprimanded by MWC

in two senses of the word. 1)Great game. Both defenses played terrific...

Max Hall issues apology

At least someone has class. I hope your wife is OK. BYU fans = hypocrites

Hall reprimanded by MWC

I was not a big fan of Max before the game, nor during the game, but I AM...

Letters: Therapy for Hall

@I don't know where he got this: "I don't know where Max Hall is coming...

Some 40 + years ago A friend and I attended at BYU/Utah game in SLC. Many...

Letters: Cell phone danger

And these cell phone laws will need to be enforced by our police officers who...

Militia movement resurfaces in U.S.

Self defense doesn't encourage violence, it prevents it. Training to face the...

Hall reprimanded by MWC

This make you crybabies feel better? Guess what? THE SCOREBOARD IS THE...

Advertisements