So that sucked.

It’s now two days removed from the Boston Celtics comeback in Game 4 at Staples Centre and I’m still not even in a place where I can speak about it like an adult. See, that’s the thing: I’m an adult in age only when it comes to these things.

So I was pretty much inconsolable all Wednesday night after the Lakers epic collapse and I’ve only graduated slightly from those depths.

That said, the comment on our last post provides a good discussion for today’s post in advance of Game 5 back in L.A.

So where does the Zen Master’s role in all this lay? Winning all those games and all those titles grants you some — often unneccesary — slack and shelter from the wrath. Probably isn’t right considering any other coach would have been lambasted for coaching misdeeds had they been in Phillip’s position overseeing such a monumental breakdown.

The thing folks have always said about Jackson is that he lets his guys play through the tough times rather than calling timeouts and asserting his will into the game. He would rather his players work it out on their own and he’s been doing it for years. Trust me, as a Laker fan it can be maddening to watch gigantic runs go against your team and your coach seemingly not try to do something to stop it.

That said, I’m not sure what it was Phil could have done to stop what was going on. Momentum is a funny lady, as Phil said in the third-quarter interview, and it just wasn’t coming back L.A.’s way. Why? Well for one, Kobe Bryant looked genuinely beaten down and just didn’t have that “I’m taking this thing over” look that we’re so used to seeing at those stages of games. And no one else — and I mean no one — on that Laker team seemed willing or capable to step up and make a big play when it was needed. The Lakers played like they were in panic mode for most of, if not all, of the fourth quarter, while the Celtics came out looking like they were pre-destined to stomp them out.

In hindsight should Jackson wear some blame? I can’t see why not. Could any coach have stopped what was happening? I’m not so sure. That game, I think, went beyond Xs and Os and trying to scheme to beat the other guys. At some point the players on the court just have to play and it was clear that wasn’t happening with L.A.

Just one last point: The last post wasn’t truly meant to arrogantly extol  the virtues of Jackson. Truth be told, I’ve never had a particular affinity for him, dating back to when he was with Chicago and I was one of the folks who was dead-set in the belief that he was just a fortunate coach in the right place and right time. I’m not 17 anymore, however, and I can see a little better and understand better what it is he does with the teams he coaches. As I said in the last post, to get this Laker team in the final, is nothing to scoff at. So it’s hard to make the point without coming off as the homer to your team, but let’s be real here, anyone who could ever suggest that this coaching match-up is “even” is truly off base. It’s almost not worthy of an argument.

Me being me, however, I apparently had to devote 1000 words to it and put my curse on my beloved team.

Now do you see why I don’t want to talk about these things?