The Knicks stayed even at Boston through four quarters, but it was overtime that likely gave Brown the realization that his 64-year-old self was going to be tested by this year's team. After a Marbury running jumper pulled the Knicks within 98-96 with 3:48 left in overtime, New York's possessions were as follows: Curry missing a 6-foot hook; Crawford bad pass; Marbury bad pass; Crawford layup blocked by Raef LaFrentz; Marbury missing a 23-footer; Marbury hitting one of two free throws; Barnes missing the tip-in on Marbury's miss. It added up to a 14-1 Boston run for a 112-97 lead.

Brown said at his introductory news conference: "Basketball for me started in this city, and I want to be here when It's finally time for me to stop because I love it and want to be a part of it." A 14-point overtime loss in your first game? Love hurts.

Later, at Denver, Jackson was finding out what it was like to coach Michael Jordan in the Stan Albeck era.

The post-2004 purge by owner Jerry Buss tossed out Jackson and Shaquille O'Neal in favor of Kobe Bryant, who promptly led the Lakers from the Finals to the lottery the next season. This, as O'Neal badmouthed his old teammate from Miami, and as Jackson was writing in his book "The Last Season" that Bryant was "uncoachable" and "a callous gun for hire."

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Jackson appeared to enjoy retirement, and Buss appeared to enjoy him being retired, but Jeanie Buss appeared to believe otherwise. Certainly, Jeanie Buss, a noted promotional whiz, realized the Lakers had little box-office juice with a team whose second-in-command to Bryant, at least as a leftover from the championship years, was Devean George.

So Jackson and Bryant made nice, and the ol' Zen Master got to bring the triangle back with Bryant and the likes of Chris Mihm and Washington Wizards flameout Kwame Brown to be at the center of it, instead of Shaq.

Don't be fooled by the opening-night victory at Denver — these Lakers are going to have trouble. What does it say about the lack of respect for the Lakers' interior defense that 5-foot-5 Earl Boykins was regularly slashing through the inside?

There will be nights like Wednesday when Bryant, taking 28 out of the Lakers' 82 shots and scoring 33 out of their 99 points, including the game-winning jumper, can single-handedly overcome the team's weaknesses.

But most nights, Jackson is going to be faced with unenviable (for him) options like putting 18-year-old center Andrew Bynum on the floor (Jackson's not a big fan of younger players) and hoping they come through.

Perhaps love is going to strong enough to get Jackson through the tough times with the Lakers, and Brown though the worst of the Knicks. But though love may be blind, it's not going to stop these accomplished coaches from seeing that their teams aren't the quality they've become accustomed to. And though Flip Saunders did not speak of love when he took the Pistons job, he's got to be loving his situation right about now.