Full-Court Press

Phil finds Dallas is sometimes foul

With 59 fouls called and 78 free throws attempted, the Mavericks-Lakers game was anything but smooth. But Lakers coach Phil Jackson explained it and also took a little swipe at the Mavericks and Avery Johnson.

"We knew it was going to be like that," Jackson said. "They like to do that here. The coach gets on the referee, the referee's kind of animated. There's a lot of focus on that in this organization. When you come in here, there's a lot of fouls called a lot of times. The Mavs play that kind of a game so you've got to real careful and it can change the concept of how you play it because of the fouls."

Jackson said the stop and start nature of the game interrupted the flow, but then noted that the Lakers reduced a 17-point lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter to five late in the game, so they seemed to be able to handle it effectively.

-- Jan Hubbard

Preparation? So you think it would help?

Before the game tonight, Avery Johnson was asked if he tried to prepare his team to face Kobe Bryant in the same way he might prepare them to face LeBron James, Tracy McGrady or other top stars.

"I don't know if you can really put guys in Kobe's circle," Johnson said. "He's a pretty special player. He's a three-time champion, perennial All-Star. I don't know if there is a player that can really dominate a game right now the way he can when he wants to. I don't know if you prepare the same way that you do for some other guys. I think he's out there in a stratosphere by himself."

And Bryant seems to be proving that. At halftime, he has 22 points but the Mavericks hold the lead at 56-55.

-- Jan Hubbard

Phil would rather relax

Phil Jackson has coached in only one All-Star Game, but all things considered, he would rather not do it again. Like many veteran coaches, Jackson enjoys the three- or four-day All-Star break and would rather spend time somewhere in the sun.

Here's how he put it tonight when asked if he'd like to coach the All-Stars.

"Well, it's an honor to be representing your team, but God help me if I have to go to the all-Star game. I really wouldn't want to do that. There's a lot young coaches and it would great to see them there. I think I have reservations somewhere to relax and retreat."

-- Jan Hubbard

Getting to know...the Los Angeles Lakers

The Mavs return home tonight to play the Los Angeles Lakers. They have taken four of the last five meetings with them and haven't lost to the Lakers at home since December of 2005. After winning 17 of 20 this season, the Lakers have lost two of their last three games and play the second game of a two-game road trip through Texas tonight.

Things were going smoothly...
The Lakers were the top team in the NBA not long ago, which hasn't happened in several years. Kobe Bryant had found the support he'd been whining so much about wanting by way of the burgeoning success of young Andrew Bynum. Then, 11 days ago, in a game against Memphis, Bynum suffered a bone bruise and subluxation of the knee cap when he stepped on teammate Lamar Odom's foot and is expected to miss at least 8 weeks. Bynum provided the strong center that is so crucial to the triangle offense, which is a large reason why Kobe Bryant's scoring numbers are down a little this year. He wasn't having to do as much by himself. Now, with Bynum out, Kwame Brown and Ronny Turiaf are getting more minutes and will try and fill in Bynum's absence as best they can.

Speaking of Kobe
His scoring may be down by more than 4 points per game from last year and 8 points from two years ago, but by no means does this mean he's slipping. His steals, three-point percentage and rebounding are up from last year, likely because opposing teams have had their hands full trying to contain Bynum down low. And, in the end, winning is the ultimate statistic when judging a player's performance, and Kobe has been leading his team to much more of that.

Big offense, little defense
It's not like they're the Golden State Warriors or anything, but the Lakers' scoring offense is third in the league while their defense sits at 22nd. They are scoring 107.5 points per game while only allowing 101.5 points per game. They will get to the free-throw line a lot, but their free-throw percentage is usually pretty middle-of-the-road. With Bynum out, it should free up the Maverick defense to pay more attention to Kobe and monitor their cutters a little more closely.

Random useless fact
Ronny Turiaf is fluent on five languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian and Creole.

Burning question
How well can the Lakers tread water with Andrew Bynum out?

-Scooter Hendon, Hoops Nerd