L.A. Times: When told that Lakers Coach Phil Jackson praised members of the team’s “Bench Mob,” Lamar Odom rolled his eyes. “He what?” Odom cracked.
When the statement was repeated, that Jackson praised Odom, Sasha Vujacic and Trevor Ariza for breaking the game open in the second quarter, Odom paused again. “Did he?” Odom said. Odom smiled and laughed.
It was his turn to take a shot at his coach, a coach who likes to chide his players even when they play well. But this time, Jackson didn’t hesitate. “The bench was what broke the game open for us, actually,” Jackson said. “Sasha, Trevor, Lamar.”
That threesome was in the game in the second quarter along with Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher when the Lakers turned a seven-point lead into a 25-point gap at the half.
Odom had five of his 16 points in the second quarter. Ariza had all 10 of his points in the second and Vujacic had six of his 13.
“Naw, we came in and played [defense],” Odom said. “Me and Trevor were able to get some rebounds and make some long passes and find some people. . . . So we were able to put our stamp on the game pretty early today.”
Continue reading ”Bench Mob’ gets credit for breaking it open for Lakers’
Recent Comments