NBA WEST Jackson returns to lead Lakers

The Los Angeles coach underwent an angioplasty on Saturday.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Phil Jackson got a new outlook on life in Los Angeles over the weekend, and so did his Lakers.
The coach and his team are happy and back together again in San Antonio for Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinal series against the Spurs tonight.
"We're back in the hunt in the playoffs with a team that's rejuvenated," said Jackson, 57, who underwent an angioplasty Saturday to open a nearly blocked heart artery. "The biggest thing is moving forward from here."
The Lakers won Games 3 and 4 at home -- the first an early blowout and the second coming down to the final minute -- to even the series at two games each.
Spurs defense falters
The Spurs were betrayed by their defense in both games in Los Angeles, and said their chances in the series depend heavily on how well they contain the three-time defending champion Lakers.
"Our defense let us down in the second half [of Game 4]," coach Gregg Popovich said. "It was below par, and against world champions, you can't be below par defensively, and especially if you expect to win at their place.
"We've got to really focus on that [tonight]," he continued. "I've got to have five people on the court thinking that way for 48 minutes. It's a heck of a team we're playing and we should have to play very well to beat them."
San Antonio played its brand of relentless, rotating defense at home and won the first two games.
But in Sunday's 99-95 loss, those same defenders seemed to be a step slower. They grabbed and groped at Kobe Bryant -- who scored 35 points -- as he drove past them, and they waved harmlessly at jump shots by Devean George and Derek Fisher, who together scored 26 points and went 5-for-8 on 3-pointers.
"We understand that we had a good opportunity to get a victory in Game 4," said San Antonio forward Bruce Bowen, whose job is to guard Bryant. "We didn't execute the way we should have, and after looking at film, everybody is on the same page as far as understanding we could have done a lot of things better."
Foul trouble costly
Both Tim Duncan and David Robinson got into foul trouble going up against Los Angeles center Shaquille O'Neal (29 points, 17 rebounds) and had to sit down, leaving San Antonio vulnerable inside late in the second half.
"With both me and Tim on the bench, it was really tough," said Robinson, who didn't score and had only three rebounds before fouling out with more than seven minutes to play. "We were a lot smaller and we weren't effective at defending them."
Bryant, who scored 39 points in Game 3, said the Spurs went up against a Lakers attack that was far more energized than the one they saw in San Antonio.
"What I have been doing here is moving without the basketball," he said. "Everybody's active on the offensive end. We relish challenges. We get more focused when challenges arise. It's on them to defend their home court. It's on us to go there and get one."