Lakers vs. Knicks: Lakers defeat New York

Final: Lakers 100, Knicks 90

It sounds strange to say and even write, but the Lakers had to hold on for the victory.

They once led by 25 points in the fourth, but the lead was cut to eight points late in the fourth before the Lakers won their fourth straight game.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 34 points, five rebounds and four assists.

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Third quarter: Lakers 83, Knicks 62

The Lakers went on a 17-0 run to extend their lead to 24 points.

All five Laker starters had scored in double figures by the end of the third quarter.

Kobe Bryant led the way with 30 points on 13-for-30 shooting.

Lakers at 50 poll: Who is the best coach in L.A. Lakers history?

Today, you get a chance to do something our Hall of Fame basketball writer, Mark Heisler, couldn't do: Make a choice.

They both have won four titles for the Lakers, so the question is, who is the best coach in L.A. Lakers history, Phil Jackson or Pat Riley? We'll even give an option of "other" for you Del Harris and Randy Pfund fans out there.

Vote in today's poll and let your voice be heard, then leave a comment letting us know why you voted the way you did.

-- Houston Mitchell

Injured Lakers might not play in exhibition

Lakers forwards Pau Gasol and Luke Walton are doubtful for Thursday’s exhibition game against Sacramento, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said today.

Gasol has been sidelined by a strained right hamstring, and Walton has been bothered by a sore back, though both will travel to Las Vegas with the team today.

Neither injury is considered serious. Walton said he was “feeling a lot better.” The Lakers are 1-1 in exhibition games, with six more to play before the regular season begins Oct. 27 against the Clippers.

-- Mike Bresnahan

Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant get up close with Jonah Hill

A report from Sports Business Daily today gives a little inside look at what life can be like along the sideline of a Lakers game when sports and Hollywood collide. Here's a report from the Daily off Wednesday night's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" involving actor Jonah Hill ("Superbad," "Knocked Up," "The 40-Year-Old Virgin") and Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant of the Lakers: 

Actor Jonah Hill appeared on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" last night, where Kimmel displayed a picture of Hill at a Lakers game sitting next to the Lakers bench.
The picture showed Hill sitting only a few feet away from Lakers G Kobe Bryant.

Kimmel asked, "Now you weren't on the Lakers, right?"

Hill: "My agent has these awesome seats that are right next to the bench and until my career goes down the toilet which it's headed – hopefully not – but I get to sit there like four or five times a year. It's the most amazing thing forever and I feel so fortunate because I'm a lifelong Lakers fan and I've never had awesome seats like that before."

Hill: "I think I got carried away a little bit because Kobe Bryant talked to me and he was like, 'I love your movies,' and he started quoting 'Superbad' and stuff. It was mind blowing for me."

Hill said while at a Lakers game, HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" was filming and "they're like, 'Can we use your seats and you take the two seats next to you while we shoot the thing?' Of course, I'm a huge fan. Anything, they're not even my seats. So I went to the seats right next to those ones and they shot their scene and then they were done....

"My friend and I were like, 'Let's switch back to the other seats,' but we didn't realize that's not good etiquette during the middle of the basketball game. So we switched and all of a sudden Phil Jackson who's never looked in our direction turns to us and says, 'Hey, this isn't musical chairs! Next time you move around during a play I'll kick you the (expletive) out of here!' It was the most terrible feeling because I look up to this guy so much."

-- Mike James

 

Coach K swears off the Lakers

Remove this name from the list of potential Lakers coaches in waiting:

Mike Krzyzewski.

The Duke coach said at his annual summer meeting with reporters that he would not be the coach of the Lakers.

Not next year if Lakers Coach Phil Jackson were to retire.

Not ever.

Krzyzewski, who was coach of the U.S. men's team that won gold at the Beijing Olympics, said he wouldn't leave Duke "until I leave coaching." The coach made about $3.6 million from Duke last year -- a $1.4 million raise from the previous year.

Kobe Bryant has talked often about how much he admires the Blue Devils' coach and the Lakers took a run at Krzyzewski at least once before, in 2004.

Krzyzewski's pronouncement, if he stays with it, is good news for hopefuls such as Kurt Rambis, Brian Shaw and Byron Scott.

-- Mike Hiserman

Photo: USA's head coach Mike Krzyzewski kisses the crowd after his team defeated Spain and won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Photo credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times.

What recession? Kobe's game-worn Finals jersey goes for $35k

Apparently some memorabilia collectors are unaffected by the economic recession.

A game-used jersey worn by Kobe Bryant in Game 1 of the NBA Finals was auctioned off today for over $35,000.

The auction -- through a partnership between the NBA and MeiGray Group Game-Worn Jersey Authentication Program -- ended Thursday at 6:22 p.m. after being available on the league's auction site since June 4.

Bryant's jersey started at $1,000 and finished 32 bids later at $35,270.90. The minimum bid increment was $20.

Orlando Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu's jersey, worn only in the first half of Game 1, sold for $1,770.

The buyer, whose screen name on the site is "jtnbafan," purchased both jerseys.

Imagine how much more it would have gone for had the jerseys been signed.

A much more attainable item: Phil Jackson's X-cap worn after Game 5 in Orlando and during the championship parade Wednesday. The cap is on sale for $25 (plus shipping and handling). Proceeds go to benefit the American Indian College Fund.

--Mario Aguirre

Ted Green: No rain on this parade

It was warm and sweet, loud and proud, and when the celebration ended no one wanted to go home. Not today and maybe not til next June or even the June after that.

In a parade and victory celebration that was better, more real, more heartfelt and less pretentious and oafish than previous championship parties, on a warm, wonderful Wednesday, the Lakers unified our city as only they can, bringing a sense of community and commonality to our diverse and disparate, sprawling metropolis.

This was so much better than real sports, dominated today by power, money and a lot of poor decision-making. Plus we didn't have to suffer through Pat Riley bragging, Shaquille O'Neal rapping or Mark Madsen dancing. Instead, Pau spoke real Castillian Spanish with elegance and class.

And those who questioned whether it was right or prudent to even hold a parade in today's difficult economic climate certainly have every right to a take-two do-over today. It was right and it was also prudent.

Fact is, there will be a lot written and said about how our city needed this parade and the good, happy, optimistic vibes the Lakers brought to it. Needed is not the right word. In real life, our city needs more jobs, better teachers and more money for schools a lot more than it needs 15 tall multimillionaires dancing in a circle to "I Love L.A." But the point is, the party didn't cost the city one red penny and the entire morning and afternoon of purple and gold couldn't have struck a more spot-on note to brighten a city that can use a little cheering up, a city that wants only to feel a little better about itself.

Lakers parade: The Lakers and Phil Jackson

From the front lines of the Lakers' victory party in the Coliseum:

As soon as the crowds saw Lakers Coach Phil Jackson being driven to the stage in his golf court, fans let out a loud cheer. When Jackson heard this, he waved his hand.

All that did was incite the fans to cheer even louder. Jackson smiled and continued to wave.

-- Broderick Turner

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson, left, speaks as Kobe Bryant looks on during the Lakers' NBA championship victory ceremony at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 17, 2009. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Follow the Lakers tonight on LATimes.com

Can the Lakers defense hold Orlando to a respectable shooting percentage rather than the otherworldly 62.5% the Magic shot in its Game 3 victory Tuesday night in Orlando?

Is Kobe Bryant out of gas?

Is Stan Van Gundy actually outcoaching Phil Jackson?

Follow Game 4 action from Orlando tonight on LATimes.com. Lisa Dillman will be twittering and Brian Kamenetzky will be blogging and chatting from courtside.

Also, Broderick Turner will be filing pregame and quarter-by-quarter updates. Bill Plaschke, T.J. Simers, Mike Bresnahan, the Orlando Sentinel sports staff and NBA TV analyst Kenny Smith will be lending perspective after the game.

-- Randy Harvey

Suns' Steve Nash is David Letterman's NBA Finals correspondent

When you don't make the NBA playoffs, you have a lot of time on your hands.

Just ask Shaq, who spent all day Sunday on Twitter before Game 2 of the NBA Finals featuring the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic. Now Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash -- and Shaq's teammate -- will cover Game 3 tonight for the Late Show with David Letterman. Nash's report will air on Thursday's show.

Maybe Nash will get a dig on Lakers Coach Phil Jackson, who told reporters Sunday that he's turned down offers at one point to coach the U.S. and Canadian Olympic basketball teams.

"I was asked by the Canadians if I'd like to coach their Olympic team," Jackson said, without divulging exactly when that offer was made. "Steve Nash wasn't a mature enough player yet, so I had to turn that one down."

If Nash's appearance with Clippers guard Baron Davis in a video spoofing Step Brothers is of any indication, we should be in for a real treat on Thursday. For any who have missed out, enjoy the video below.

--Mark Medina