Result: DALLAS COMPLETE THEIR rout of the Lakers with a 122-86 victory.
What that means: The Mavs progress to the Western Conference finals where they will meet either Oklahoma or Memphis.
How it happened: The fun is over for Phil Jackson and his five kids.
They’ve spent the last 20-plus years treating the NBA playoffs like a private party, according to their dad. So with Jackson retiring after this postseason, and with his Los Angeles Lakers on the brink of elimination, four of them flew to Dallas for Game 4 of a second-round series against the Mavericks.
Decked out in yellow hats with Roman numerals marking Jackson’s 10th and 11th championships, hoping he could somehow pull out No. 12, they instead witnessed perhaps the worst game of his playoff career — an ugly blowout loss to the Mavericks, completing Dallas’ sweep.
Jason Terry tied a playoff record with nine 3-pointers and the Mavs advanced to the Western Conference finals with a 122-86 victory Sunday that ended the Lakers’ run toward a third straight NBA championship.
“It felt good tonight, but we know we’re only halfway home,” center Tyson Chandler said. “We’ve got eight wins, but we need eight more. That’s our ultimate goal.”
Jackson knows that better than anyone.
A Hall of Famer since 2007, he leaves with a record 11 titles, and only 10 series losses. Take away Red Auerbach, who won nine championships, and Jackson won more titles than any two coaches combined. He won six championships with Michael Jordan, three with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, and the last two with Bryant leading the way.
The 65-year-old Zen Master had to be talked into coming back this year. He was lured by the chase for a 12th title, bundled neatly as four three-peats, but he knew it would be tough with a team worn down by three straight years of playing into mid-June.
“(That) puts a lot of strain on the basketball club from all angles: personalities, spiritually, physically, emotionally, and getting charged up for game after game and assault after assault when you go in and play a team,” Jackson said. “It was a challenge bigger than we could beat this year.”
Jackson has retired before, only to come back. This time, he said he means it.
In all my hopes and aspirations, this is the final game that I’ll coach. It’s been a wonderful run.
Dallas will host either Oklahoma City or Memphis in the conference finals. The Grizzlies lead the Thunder 2-1 going into Game 4 on Monday night. The next round likely won’t start before next Sunday, a layoff that could pay huge dividends for a roster filled with players in their 30s.
Then again, the Mavs might want to keep playing the way they’re going.
They tied a playoff record with 20 3-pointers, shooting 63 percent from behind the arc and 60 percent from the field (44 of 73) overall.
They extended a franchise record by winning their sixth straight playoff game, a streak that began right after they blew a 23-point lead in Game 4 of their first-round series against Portland.
While the crowd went bonkers all afternoon, they weren’t doused in confetti at game’s end. The organization held back to symbolize that this is only a step toward the bigger goal of winning its first title.
“I’m going to enjoy this for a day,” Dirk Nowitzki said. “I think I’m gonna have some pizza and cheat on my diet.”
Result: Atlanta beat Chicago 100-88.
What that means: The Eastern Conference semi-final is tied up at 2-2 ahead of tomorrow night’s fifth game.
How it happened: Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith is frequently criticized by Atlanta fans for his inconsistent play. He heard nothing but cheers Sunday night, coming up with a huge game that helped the Hawks even the Eastern Conference semifinal against top-seeded Chicago at two games apiece.
Largely ignoring the long jumpers that aren’t his forte, Smith had 23 points, 16 rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and a steal in Atlanta’s 100-88 win over the Bulls.
“We’re always trying to stay in his ear, but obviously when he’s going to the basket and making it easy for himself, we just try to keep encouraging him,” teammate Joe Johnson said. “He was All-Star caliber. When he’s playing like that, it’s almost impossible for a team to beat us.”
Smith will have to keep it up for the Hawks to have a chance to knock off the Bulls. Game 5 is Tuesday night in Chicago.
The Hawks snapped a nine-game home losing streak in the second round, their misery dating to a May 13, 1996, win against Orlando.
Jeff Teague also played a big role in stopping the skid.
Filling in for injured Kirk Hinrich, the second-year guard again directed the team with the poise of a veteran instead of someone who played infrequently during the regular season and hardly at all in the first round of the playoffs. He scored 12 points and doled out four assists, putting the capper on a late 10-0 run that broke open a game that had been tight and intense all the way.
“He’s playing great,” said Hinrich, who’s watched this entire series in dress suits because of a hamstring injury. “Obviously he has ability. He’s fast. He’s good at finishing up around the rim.”
Driving toward the hoop with Kyle Korver draped all over him, Teague flipped up a shot as he was falling down. It banked in, giving the Hawks a safe lead, 94-84, with 1:26 remaining. The second-year player bounced off the court with a big smile, bumping his teammates on the way to the bench.
Someone held up a sign, “M-V-Teague.”
The actual MVP scored 34 points. But Derrick Rose needed 32 shots to do it, and he wasn’t nearly as effective as he was in scoring a career-best 44 points in Game 3, leading the Bulls to a 99-82 rout that restored Chicago’s home-court advantage.
The top-seeded Bulls can still close out the series simply by winning at home, but the Hawks know they’ll get at least one more home game.
Rose turned it over twice during Atlanta’s decisive run, and Chicago also was hurt by an admitted blown call from referee Bennett Salvatore. He blew his whistle, said he didn’t mean to and ruled a jump ball that was won by the Hawks. Bennett said he watched a replay after the game and should’ve called a foul on Jamal Crawford when he blew his whistle.
“It was a tough game but no excuses,” Rose said. “Put this game on me. Two turnovers at the end of the game.”
No one stops Rose completely, of course. He still had plenty of moves for the highlight film, including a soaring dunk of his own miss when no one blocked him out early on.
But down the stretch, the Hawks clamped down on the Chicago star. Rose tied it at 84 on a drive with 4½ minutes to go, but he made only one more basket, a late one that didn’t matter, and finished 12 of 32 from the field.
“I put us in a bad position at the end of the game,” he said. “Turnovers, loose balls. Just learn from it and just try not to do it the next game.”
– Match reports by AP
