Defensive Problem Isn’t New

Even through their three consecutive championships, the Lakers had a tendency to make point guards bigger than they actually were.

They’ve never been particularly committed to pick-and-roll defense, because Shaquille O’Neal is broad and strong but, 25 feet from the basket, not lithe. Phil Jackson also has a preference for bigger guards, which often equates to slower guards.

Now, as they all try to wring one more title from the Jackson-O’Neal-Kobe Bryant years, Tony Parker stands where Mike Bibby, Allen Iverson, Jason Kidd, Damon Stoudamire and the rest have. That is, averaging 25 points and making half his shots -- some of them defended -- through two games.

And Jackson appears to have the same amount of anxiety over it. Which is, apparently, none.

Maybe he’ll assign Bryant to him. Maybe he’ll order the occasional trap. Maybe O’Neal will help more.

Maybe not.

“We may just have to take what we can get against Tony and not get all flustered about whether we have to stop him or have to jump all over him on screen-and-rolls or anything else,” Jackson said Thursday. “He’s going to have some games. He’s going to control the ball and shoot the ball a lot. He’s going to have numbers. We’re just going to have to accept that and play around it.

“We’ve had games in which [Tim] Duncan scored 40 points and yet we’ve still won ballgames. You have to work around those things. This is a good basketball club, they’ve got some good players. You have to concede what they do well and allow that without concession to layups off transition and other things you can eliminate as a basketball team.”

Of course, the blood-thirsty bystanders are wondering when some square-jawed Laker will see just about enough of Parker flitting to the rim and squish him.

Jackson smiled.

“Ooh-la-la, Tony?” he said.

“No. We wouldn’t want to do that. We don’t want to be physical with this team, we don’t want to appear to bully this team, because I think that’s playing into their hands.”

*

There was a time when Bryant terrorized the Spurs, even after defensive specialist Bruce Bowen arrived.

He is shooting 39.5% in this series, however, following a trend of a postseason in which he has shot 38.9%. Bryant scored 31 points in Game 1, only 15 in Game 2.

It is possible Bryant is wearing down after a long and trying season, but Jackson did not think so.

Bowen has developed a defensive reputation, and so Jackson believes referees allow him greater physical liberties.

“Bowen didn’t have a license to hunt the way he can hunt now,” Jackson said. “[Before], he got in foul trouble. And [Bryant] got to the foul line. How many foul shots did Kobe shoot last night?”

Two. Jackson nodded.