Jackson Knew It Couldn’t Last

OAKLAND — Phil Jackson, who won three titles as Dennis Rodman’s coach in Chicago, said he was disappointed but not shocked that Rodman’s tenure in Dallas lasted only 13 games and ended so abruptly.

Rodman, who lasted 23 games with the Lakers last season, was released Wednesday after bashing the Maverick franchise and owner Mark Cuban.

“Well, it was fraught with potential that this might happen,” Jackson said Thursday. “It wasn’t competitive enough perhaps for him. There wasn’t enough of the drama that Dennis likes or the showcase perhaps that he likes.”

And Jackson sadly suggested that this was the end of Rodman’s quixotic NBA career.

“‘I’m unhappy that he’s exiting the game in the way that he’s had to exit from the game,” Jackson said, “because I kind of look at him as . . . a player of mine, have a certain sense of possessiveness toward his game and the way he’s played.”

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Several Laker players gathered around a TV in their locker room to watch the end of Portland’s overtime loss in Indiana.

With that loss, the Lakers, who only took the lead on Feb. 29 when they beat Portland, jumped to a 4 1/2-game lead over Portland in the race for the Western Conference’s best record.

Portland has lost three out of four since that Feb. 29 game.

“It happened to us, the same thing happened to us--big game, a lot of momentum, a lot of energy in the game,” Jackson said of the Trail Blazers’ slump. “We lost a very close game to them down the stretch [on Jan. 22] and I thought it might happen to them, but not as dramatically as it has.”

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TRIPLE PLAYS / The Big 3

Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Glen Rice have been the driving force behind the Lakers’ success. How they fared:

O’NEAL

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Thu. Season 29 Points 28.2 13 Rebounds 14.3 1 Assists 3.8

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BRYANT

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Thu. Season 30 Points 22.3 4 Rebound 5.8 4 Assists 4.5

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RICE

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Thu. Season 10 Points 16.1 4 Rebounds 4.0 2 Assists 2.1

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The Top 3

Best records in the NBA:

LAKERS

Record 51-11

Thur. d. GS, 109-92

Sun. vs. Sacramento

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PORTLAND

Record 46-15

Thu. l. Ind., 127-119 OT

Sat. at Detroit

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INDIANA

Record 42-19

Thu. d. Port., 127-119 OT

Tonight at Cleveland

LAKERS 109, WARRIORS 92

LAKERS