Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
Just before what could’ve been the last game of his coaching career, Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson was fined $35,000 for comments about the officiating.
The NBA sent a release less than an hour before tipoff of Game 4 in the Lakers-Mavericks series on Sunday saying Jackson was being punished for statements made Saturday. He complained about officials allowing defenders to lift their legs and use their knees to shove big man Pau Gasol out of position.
On Saturday, Jackson commended the “exceptional” help-side defense Gasol displayed in Game 3 and blamed some of his offensive woes on the officiating.
“I’ve resisted [saying] this the whole playoffs, but the NBA used to call a ‘knee up the a–,’ that’s what they called it,” Jackson said. “You couldn’t lift a knee off the floor to run a guy off the post — they’ve been doing that every time [against Gasol]. They’re taking him out of the post and he can’t get a tight post spot. We didn’t complain about it against New Orleans, but the Mavs are doing the same damn thing and until the league goes back to the rules that they have about playing post play, Pau’s got to move out and face the basket.”
Los Angeles went into the game down 0-3 in the series, facing elimination. Jackson has said he’s retiring after this postseason.
Information from ESPNLosAngeles.com‘s Dave McMenamin and The Associated Press was used in this report.
