HOUSTON -- Coach Phil Jackson said he deserved the reprimand
he got from the NBA on Wednesday for making a sexual reference in a
comment following the Los Angeles Lakers' loss in San Antonio.
The Spurs made 13 3-pointers in their 107-92 victory on Tuesday
night, and Jackson was asked if too much penetration was leading to
open outside shooters.
"We call this a 'Brokeback Mountain' game, because there's so
much penetration and kickouts," Jackson said. "It was one of
those games."
The 2005 film, which won three Oscars, depicts two cowboys who
conceal their homosexual affair.
"But in retrospect, it wasn't really funny," Jackson said
before the Lakers played Houston on Wednesday night. "When you
take it out of context, it wasn't funny. It was a poor attempt at
humor and I deserved to be reprimanded by the NBA."
Still, Jackson couldn't resist making another joke as he
apologized.
"If I've offended any horses, Texans, cowboys or gays, I
apologize," Jackson said.
Jackson thanked beat writers and other journalists who covered
Tuesday's game for dismissing the comment as an innocent joke. He
said several of them laughed when he said it.
The NBA did not.
NBA spokesman Brian McIntyre said: "The remarks are in poor
taste, and the Lakers have assured us such remarks will not occur
in the future."
Jackson admitted he should've known better -- that coaches can't
get away with the jokes that Jay Leno and David Letterman do for a
living on their late-night talk shows.
"It's societal right now," he said. "Some people can do it.
Some people can't. That's something that's appropriate for certain
categories."
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) president Neil
G. Giuliano issued a statement saying: "Phil Jackson's been
coaching long enough that he should be able to talk about the
Lakers' performance without resorting to cheap gay jokes."