State of the Lakers

This was Phil Jackson, pre-game on what he liked and didn't like about his team:

``We’re not as good a rebounding team as I’d like. Defensively, we still have some distance to go. We’ll know more about that if and when we get our players back and healthy. We have been taking care of the ball better, and that’s an exceptional value in a playoff situation where you want to get those turnovers down in around 10.

``The shooting is good, the free throw shooting can still improve. Our 3-point shooting and our offense is looking very good. Guys share the ball. Assist wise we’re at a level I’m sure must be in the top five in the league. Those things I like about this team. I think defensively we can get better.''

Interesting that thus far, the rebounding has been lacking. The Blazers -- center Joel Przybilla, in particular -- are killing the Lakers on the board, 24-16, and have seven offensive rebounds. On one sequence in the first half, they grabbed three offensive rebounds.