Playing Like Dogs Works For the Lakers

To hear Phil Jackson describe his team before Game 4, you'd think the Lakers were in desperate need of Cesar Millan.
In a long response to a question about his young team, Jackson likened it to raising dogs, comparing backup point guard Jordan Farmar to a poodle and describing perpetually injured reserve center Chris Mihm as a Saint Bernard. Kobe Bryant, of course, is "top dog." (If you're wondering where Jackson learned his dog training skills, he made a cameo appearance when girlfriend Jeanie Buss called in the Dog Whisperer to straighten out her pooch.)
I've always thought of Odom as a big puppy. He makes a lot of mistakes but has such a pity-inducing face that it's hard to stay mad at him. Odom needed some time in the crate after Game 3, when he missed nine of 11 shots. He wasn't much better in the first half of Game 4, missing all four attempts.
But in the fourth quarter, when the Spurs kept pushing and pushing, it was Odom who kept coming up with answers. The Spurs refused to let Bryant beat them sliding defenders at Kobe to supplement Bruce Bowen's outstanding coverage. Someone else was going to have to beat San Antonio, and Odom didn't let his previous woes keep him from applying for the job.
"I just stayed tough, told myself it's a long game," Odom said. "At the four-minute mark I saw them collapsing on Kobe and I knew it was my time to make a play."
Actually it was with four and a half minutes left that Odom made his best play, making a rare drive to the right before extending his long left arm for a scoop shot as he drew a foul on Fabricio Oberto. The three-point play gave the Lakers a seven-point lead that grew to nine when Bryant stole a ball for a breakaway dunk. But the Lakers gave most of it back before surviving by two points. Odom had half of his 16 points and two of his nine rebounds in the fourth quarter.
"It's going to have to take other guys, whether it's defense, offense, loose balls or something for us to get the 'W,'" Odom said.
This time the guy was Odom. Call him the Labrador retriever.