Jackson Walks Right Back In As Success The Lakers will snap their playoff drought at one year after going 45-37, which is 11 games better than they were last season, not to mention one game better than they were at their highest point in 2005 before Rudy Tomjanovich's resignation and Lamar Odom's injury. Job well done. Maybe the measure of it is how mundane Jackson made it sound when he was asked what's been most satisfying about the past six months. -- Los Angeles Daily News Phil Will Get Playoff Reward Lakers coach Phil Jackson will get a playoff share that is voted on by the players. The shares increase as the team goes further into the playoffs. In past years, Jackson has gotten a bonus (of about $5 million) if the Lakers won the NBA championship or reached the NBA Finals. Jackson said that under the terms of his current contract, he doesn't get a bonus for reaching the playoffs. His contract pays him $10 million per season for three years. -- Riverside Press-Enterprise Jackson Coolly Has Team Hot Again He returned to the Lakers wearing a suit and sandals at his re-introductory news conference, so California cool you were waiting for him to don a pair of sunglasses and bring out the suntan lotion next. Now Phil Jackson has trudged his way through the thick sand of the NBA's regular season, nudging this team along, subtly leading it to 11 more victories than a year ago, slipping into the playoffs with a roster that at times looked as if it could have been recruited from nearby Venice Beach. -- Orange County Register
