Jackson happy to stay home

Lakers Coach Phil Jackson didn't sound disappointed that he was passed over in favor of Philadelphia 76ers Coach Larry Brown for the honor of coaching the U.S. basketball team that will play in the Olympic qualifier this summer. Brown likely will coach the Olympic team in 2004 in Athens, Greece.

"One of the reasons I put my name in the ring, allowed myself to be nominated, was that I knew there was a chance [Shaquille O'Neal] would play, and if we wanted the best players, I was willing to sacrifice my summers," Jackson said.

"So it's kind of a relief now for both of us."

O'Neal, who played on the Olympic team in 2000, had said he would consider playing again, but only if Jackson were coaching the team. Although O'Neal isn't expected to play now, Lakers co-star Kobe Bryant already has said he wants to be on the team, regardless of who is coaching it.

A fresh look

For the first time this season, Magic Coach Doc Rivers started his dream lineup, placing Grant Hill, Tracy McGrady and Mike Miller on the perimeter. Point guard Darrell Armstrong went to a sixth-man role. Both moves have been anticipated.

Rivers has been waiting to unveil the starting trio of Hill, McGrady and Miller for three years.

"We had to wait for Grant to get his feet up under him -- literally," Rivers said.

Now, Rivers has four-fifths of the starting lineup he wants to use. When Horace Grant fully recovers from left-knee surgery, Rivers would like to move Pat Garrity to the bench and start Grant alongside Shawn Kemp. Then, the Magic would be big enough to compete inside and have a size advantage on the perimeter.

Cautious steps

Hill admitted that in his past three games, he tried unsuccessfully to play through soreness in his left ankle.

"I was limited in those games," said Hill, who hadn't played in a week before Wednesday night. "Those were rough games for me. I did what I could do, and it wasn't much."

In those three games, he scored eight, 10 and two points and played a total of seven quarters. His admission is a departure from last season, when he never would say he didn't feel well, instead attributing his problems to "rust." Now that the Magic have seen the real Hill play, they can tell whenever he is suffering from ankle problems.

"That has been a luxury," Rivers said of knowing Hill better. "You notice it right away. You notice his first step. You notice the pep. It's not a guess anymore."

Leaving his mark

Here's one for the fact box: O'Neal holds the Lakers' all-time record for most points scored in a game against the Magic: 39 on Feb. 18, 2000.

And he also holds the Magic's all-time record for most points in a game against the Lakers: 46 on March 8, 1995.

Via Orlando Sentinel

Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic

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Lineup a winner for Magic

It was exactly one year and one day ago that Magic Coach Doc Rivers used this Big Three starting lineup for the first time.

It's back -- and maybe for good.

The Magic used the Tracy McGrady/Grant Hill/Mike Miller lineup -- putting longtime starter Darrell Armstrong into a sixth-man role -- with some impressive results Wednesday night, leading to a 112-102 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers.

McGrady still dominated as usual with 38 points, six rebounds and nine assists. Miller had 22 points and seven rebounds.

Hill had nine points, but he also had a team-high 10 rebounds in 26 minutes. Armstrong, looking well-rested at the end, had 11 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Everyone sounded happy.

"I know I like it,'' said Armstrong, the 6-foot-1 point guard.

"I hope we stick with it. It really gives me a chance to do some different things, and it didn't take me long to adjust. I'm ready for this.''

It gave the Magic a starting lineup with everyone at least 6 feet 8, which caused serious matchup problems for the Lakers. It also should give fits to most every other team in the league.

"It [the lineup] has a long way to go, but I saw some great signs out there today. Some of the matchups we got were incredibly good,'' Rivers said. "Even though they haven't played together a lot, they did a really nice job of playing with and through each other. You'll see it again.’’

Hill didn't play in the fourth quarter Wednesday when his ankle stiffened up again late in the third period. He missed the previous two games with tendinitis in that ankle.

"I thought he was favoring it,'' Rivers said. "He said he was fine. I just decided he wasn't going to play anymore.''

With Armstrong, though, Hill wasn't needed in the fourth.

Not only does the lineup give the Magic a size advantage around the perimeter, it also gives the Magic the luxury of having Armstrong back in a spark-plug role that he played so well earlier in his career.

At age 34, he has been wanting to limit his minutes. And this might be the best way.

Armstrong played 30 minutes, below his average the past few years, but he was brilliant in the fourth.

"This is perfect for Darrell,'' Rivers said. "And I think he'll agree he's more effective in this role.''

Via Orlando Sentinel

Orlando Magic

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Let the Great Debate begin: Kobe or T-Mac?

Basketball's Great Debate finally hit the floor Wednesday night. Magic-Lakers. You know what that meant.

Tracy McGrady or Mark Madsen?

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner.

"Hey, T-Mac, I called ESPN and voted for you," Darrell Armstrong said as he left a happy Magic locker room.

That poll actually asked who's better, McGrady or Kobe Bryant? With all due respect to Madsen, the Lakers' loveable, rhythm-impaired center, the real question is not so easily answered. It is quickly becoming one of those questions for the ages.

Bird or Magic? Stones or Beatles? Boxers or briefs?

There is no wrong answer, only different ones. Though one thing is now beyond debate.

McGrady is better.

The record crowd at the TD Waterhouse Centre sure thought so after T-Mac faked a spin that made Bryant look like Madsen trying to dance at the last L.A. title celebration. The crowd laughed at poor, defenseless Kobe, who doesn't suffer indignity well.

"I normally don't retaliate," he said.

Bryant blew past McGrady on the baseline and hammered down a dunk that was felt all the way back in L.A.

Ergo, Kobe is better.

That's how this debate goes. It cannot be settled in one game, though we can tell you who has the better team. That would be McGrady, who had proven commodities like Mike Miller, Darrell Armstrong and (sometimes) Grant Hill to help him. Bryant had Soumaila Samake, Stanislav Medvedenko and Jannero Pargo. The fact management has let Kobe's supporting cast turn into the U.N. intramural team may eventually cost L.A. a fourth consecutive title.

Well, there's always that Shaq guy. Orlando couldn't defend him, but somehow the Andrew DeClercq-Shawn Kemp-Warren Sapp combo contained him. The best chance the Magic had of actually stopping O'Neal came at halftime. Sapp, wearing a (we pause for a melancholy moment of reflection) Shaq Magic jersey, gave the prodigal center a handshake and a hug.

If only Sapp had mistaken Shaq for Green Bay lineman Chad Clifton. But that's another cheap-shot story. The cheaper-by-the-dozen shots Wednesday were flowing from McGrady and Bryant. Not in words, but in the 59 combined attempts.

"I really wasn't trying to get caught up in the one-on-one," McGrady said.

How could he not? Players are programmed to downplay such rivalries, which is sort of like Chevy pretending Ford doesn't exist.

"Oh, he was up for it," Armstrong said of McGrady.

He was throwing up everything, including his lunch. McGrady stared down the flu the way he eyed Bryant after he hit a jumper. Or when he slid past Kobe and finger-rolled in a basket. Bryant then drove the lane and tomahawked another dunk.

"They're both great," Doc Rivers said. "Leave it at that."

You might as well ask people to stop debating boxers or briefs. Some say Bryant is a better defender. He also has the ultimate last line of defense backing him up in O'Neal.

Shaq lightens Kobe's basketball burden, but his presence can mute individual brilliance. McGrady can pretty much do what he wants, which included nine assists Wednesday. Kobe came back with 10 rebounds, one more than Shaq.

"They are the two best," said O'Neal, conveniently overlooking himself.

If Kobe vs. T-Mac were a regular production, the NBA wouldn't have to rely on Charles Barkley kissing a donkey's rear end to generate national attention. How sweet would it be to see the Great Debate played out more than twice a year?

For now, we'll just have to savor the drives, the spins, the dunks and Wednesday's final results. T-Mac had 38. Kobe had 38. Madsen had 0.

That pretty much settles that.

Via Orlando Sentinel

Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers

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