With Fourth-Quarter Rally, Mavericks Push Jackson and Lakers to Brink

DALLAS — Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant share not only five Lakers championships, but also splits, make-ups, power struggles, reinventions and redemptions.
It is fitting that Jackson’s final postseason would encounter bumps, that another hurdle to be crossed awaited him, Bryant told Jackson Friday morning.
Jackson then offered a distinction. “But it’s not me crossing it,” he said before the third game of their Western Conference semifinal series against the Dallas Mavericks. “It’s the team.”
Jackson is perhaps mentally preparing for what is likely his final separation between himself and the Lakers. The Mavericks shoved Jackson one loss further toward retirement and the two-time defending champion Lakers one loss closer to playoff elimination by administering a 98-92 loss to them on Friday.
Dirk Nowitzki has proved unguardable in the series and replicated his performance from the first two games by delivering 32 points on Wednesday. His five-footer with 1 minute 23 seconds left in the fourth quarter broke a tie and cemented another Lakers collapse.
Lamar Odom, who started in place of the suspended Ron Artest, missed a jumper on the Lakers’ possession. The Dallas reserve Jason Terry, who scored 23 points, latched onto Peja Stojakovic’s miss and was fouled by the Lakers’ Derek Fisher. He went to the free-throw line and iced the win with two free throws and 18 seconds remaining.
The Lakers again played the final moments disorientated and disorganized and are now in disarray. They left 3-point shooters open and often failed to drive the lane in a game they could have won. Bryant did not seize control of the contest and finished with 17 points on 13 shots.
No N.B.A. playoff team has ever rallied from the 3-0 playoff deficit now facing the Lakers. The Mavericks can shut the door on Jackson’s coaching career — which includes six championships in Chicago — by winning Sunday’s Game 4 here and gaining the Western Conference finals.
For the Lakers, it looks like a stunning drop from the N.B.A.’s top tier. They have played in the last three N.B.A. finals. Despite wavering at times this season, many expected them to return there again, offering Jackson a proper sendoff. When Jackson decided to return last summer, he said in a statement: “It’ll be the last stand for me, and I hope a grand one.” He has not questioned that decision throughout the course of the season.
The Lakers allowed Dallas to erase an 8-point lead in the fourth quarter with two 3-point shots from Stojakovic and one from Nowitzki. Nowtizki’s free throws provided Dallas a lead for the first time in the second half, 88-87, with 2:40 left in the fourth quarter. Bryant again had miscues that cost the Lakers late by turning the ball over with 3:23 left and missing a 23-foot jumper in the Lakers’ next possession.