TNT Sports
Jackson back for Game 5
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Published 13/05/2003 at 15:23 GMT+1
Just three days after undergoing angioplasty to unclog a blocked artery, Laker head coach Phil Jackson will courtside again when Los Angeles visit San Antonio in game five of its NBA western conference semi-final series on Tuesday. The Lakers bounced back
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Jackson, 57, experienced a week's worth of moderate chest pain before consulting doctors last Friday. Tests revealed a 90-percent blockage in his left anterior artery, and Jackson was admitted for an emergency heart plumbing on Saturday.
Jackson watched the Lakers 99-95 win over the San Antonio Spurs from his hospital bed Saturday night, handing over the team's direction duties to assistant coach Jim Cleamons.
"I kept writing strategies on Phil's pad... but obviously my pen does not work as well as his does," Cleamons said on the NBA's official web site.
"Cleamons did a wonderful job," Lakers all-star centre Shaquille O'Neal told nba.com. "He told everybody to stay involved and I think we did just that. He did a good job."
After a regular season in which the three-time defending champions suffered because of Shaq's long injury lay-offs and entered the series with the Spurs as underdogs.
"We have encountered so many different challenges this year," added Kobe Bryant, who nailed a free throw with less than a minute left to secure the Lakers win on Saturday. "We just have to look at [Jackon's] absence as another obstacle. We thrive in these types of situations."
Jackson will receive follow-up treatment for at least the next few months, but doctors have given him the all-clear to rejoin the Lakers for Tuesday's game in Texas.
In his 13-year coaching career, Jackson has racked up a post-season record of 159-58, an NBA best. His nine career championships ties the mark set by coaching legend Red Auerbach, and the Lakers are now looking to win a fourth straight title under Jackson's tutelage.
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