Jackson’s Patience Has Limits

The margin for error being so slim, Smush Parker will get fewer minutes tonight if his shooting slump continues.

Laker Coach Phil Jackson was not ambivalent when asked if he could stick with Parker as long as he did in Game 6. Parker, who has made only three of his last 24 shots, had two points in 42 minutes Thursday, when he missed all five of his shots from the field.

“We’ll have to make some changes if Smush doesn’t rise to the occasion,� Jackson said. “We believe that Smush can. He’s turned himself around after a couple of bad games during the regular season. That’s why we’ve kind of believed in him.�

On his fourth team in three NBA seasons, Parker became a national name after his Game 4 steal helped push the Lakers to victory. But present-day reality has the Phoenix Suns leaving him wide open, as he was when Kobe Bryant air-balled a potential game-winner at the end of regulation in Game 6.

The Suns have thrown double teams at Bryant and Lamar Odom, often daring Parker to make a shot. Parker passed up numerous possibilities in Game 6. Those he took, he missed.

“I think they know that Smush’s confidence is not all there right now, so they’re leaving him a little bit,� Bryant said. “Smush just has to shoot the ball. That’s something we talked to him about. Just let the ball fly. Just stay aggressive. It just means you’re due.�

If Parker falters, Sasha Vujacic will get more minutes. Vujacic made eight of 11 three-point shots in the first four games of the series but has scored a total of two points over the last two games.

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Center Chris Mihm, who has sat out all six playoff games after aggravating a severely sprained ankle, practiced Friday. It is unclear if he will play today.... Odom received four stitches in the middle of his lower lip, the result of an errant elbow during Game 6.

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TNT’s national coverage of Game 6 was seen in 3,713,000 homes, the most for a cable telecast of a first-round NBA playoff game. The record had been 3,606,000 for a Charlotte Hornet-Chicago Bull game in 1995. Thursday night’s game got a 3.4 national rating.

Times staff writer Larry Stewart contributed to this report.