Mind Games

They don’t call Phil Jackson the ‘Zen Master’ for nothing.  Jackson is a genius in using mind games to tilt the balance of fate in his favour, whether that be via criticizing his own players, the officials or opponents.  So it was no surprise that Jackson came out with this ditty before the Lakers-Suns playoff series even tipped off (from The Associated Press):

Jackson had grinned when asked on Friday if it’s tough for the Lakers to prepare to face Nash, the reigning NBA skills champion, because of the Suns guard’s frenetic style.

“Yeah, because you can’t carry the ball like he does in practice,” Jackson said, making a gesture of palming the basketball. “You can’t pick that ball up and run with it.”

This is a mental/verbal ploy that Jackson has used numerous times in the past and it usually works to his advantage.  Whether it be to get inside his opponent’s heads, to hold sway over the officials or to take the pressure off of his team and instead direct it at himself, it has always served Jackson well in the past.  It appears this time, however, that it is not going to work, at least not in flustering the Suns.  Steve Nash and Coach Alvin Gentry came back with witty quips of their own (also from the AP):

Nash even had a subtle retort worthy of Jackson himself.

“It’s news to me. I’m fortunate. I don’t know if I’ve been called for a carry yet,” he said after the Suns practiced Saturday, then he added straight-faced: “I’ve never heard anyone accuse me of carrying it. I mean, the best coach in the league Gregg Popovich (of San Antonio) didn’t have a problem with it last week.”

But the Phoenix coach added a jab at the Lakers when he was asked jokingly if the team worked on ball handling skills.

“We spent the day ducking elbows on post-ups, to see if we could duck elbows on post-ups, ” Gentry said, a not-to-thinly veiled nod to the Lakers’ style. “So it all works out, it all works out.”

Now that is how you correctly handle Jackson’s mind games – you show that it doesn’t concern you in the least and by wittily sending the barbs back his way, you show that you are confident and won’t be intimidated.  So, at least in the mental game build up to this series, advantage Suns.  Now if they can only come up with a couple of quality 7-footers to add to their roster before Monday, as well as a “Kobe Stopper”, they’d be in business.