Jackson Delivers Message

By Tim Brown

April 25, 2004 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

HOUSTON — Not often moved to soothe a disgruntled player, Phil Jackson said he advised Gary Payton on Saturday morning to “be ready on Sunday,” and left it at that.

Asked Payton’s response, he said, “I don’t know. I mean, he didn’t say anything.”

So stands the relationship between Laker coach and Laker point guard, Jackson having been through this with Payton a handful of times in their only season together, Payton having been benched in back-to-back fourth quarters.

In Game 2, Jackson took the opportunities of Derek Fisher’s hot hand and a comfortable lead to rest Payton’s sore back. In Game 3, Payton had missed most of his jump shots and Jackson went back to Fisher, again for every minute of the final quarter.

Asked how Payton had taken his message, Jackson said, “Not my job to worry about that. My job is to do what I think is best for the team.”

Pressed further on any other conversations the two might have had, Jackson snapped, “You don’t need to know that. That’s my business.”

The rest of the Lakers tiptoe through the conflict. They like Payton, an engaging character whose game at times has been swallowed whole by a combination of the triangle offense and the talent around him. And they respect Jackson, of whom they become particularly mindful in the postseason.

“I don’t know what’s going on between them two, but I don’t think it’s something we should blow up right now,” Shaquille O’Neal said. “We’re on a mission here and everyone needs to be on the same page. Hopefully, those two can work those issues out.”

With all the reporters and questions, sometimes everything gets a little tangled up.

Toward the end of an interview session KNBC producer Steve Leveton began asking O’Neal, “Your mind-set heading into tomorrow, you came down here and said you wanted to take one out of two ... “

O’Neal looked up and said, “Hot tamales?”

Leveton grinned and answered, “Hot tamales, yeah. You like hot tamales?”

“Huh?” O’Neal said. “What’d you say?”

“You like hot tamales?”

“No. I didn’t hear what you said.”

“No. I was just talking about the mind-set.”

“Oh, the mind-set,” O’Neal said. “I didn’t hear what you said.... Yeah, we wanted to come in here and get two. Obviously that’s not going to happen. We’re going to go ahead and look at tape and we’re going to have to play a different game on Sunday.”

“But,” Leveton asked, “do you like hot tamales?”

“No. They make me go to the bathroom.”

Slava Medvedenko, who has not played since straining his Achilles’ tendon in Game 2, said he has experienced improvement.

Jackson said Medvedenko was “hopeful” he would play today.