GOODBYE LARRY

Laker Coach Phil Jackson got the NBA championship trophy. Pacer Coach Larry Bird got a handshake and whispered word from Jack Nicholson.

And so ended Bird’s NBA coaching career, with a consolation prize that did nothing to erase the frustration of seeing his team come so close to playing the Lakers on even footing, yet still fall so far short of its ultimate goal after a memorable six-game championship series.

Bird said it usually takes “about a day” for the impact of a defeat to really sink in, but his devastation after the Pacers’ 116-111 loss to the Lakers Monday was etched into his face mere moments after the final buzzer set off an explosion of joy at Staples Center. Bird’s complexion, usually pale, was positively ghostly; his shoulders were slumped, although he no longer had the burden of a franchise to carry.

“I’m very proud of the way we played the last four games,” said Bird, who repeated he will not return as coach next season but left open the possibility he may take a management position. “It’s been a long season. We fought to get here. We had some great games through the playoffs and to know you’re not the best team, it’s tough. But Shaq was dominating.”

Bird and his players had reason to believe his tenure--and their season--would be extended by one more game and they would have another chance to make the best season in the franchise’s history that much more successful. The Pacers led, 56-50, at halftime and extended that to 71-63 with 5:53 left in the third quarter. But the Lakers inexorably pursued them until they could no longer hold off the remarkable force that was Shaquille O’Neal.

“I’m very proud of the way we played,” Bird said. “We moved the ball well. I knew we would have to play well and penetrate. We did an excellent job for three quarters, but when it come down to the end, we couldn’t get the stops we wanted.

“For me, it’s been a great experience. Unfortunately, it’s over, but it’s time to move on.”

For Bird, Game 6 was a microcosm of his coaching career. He experienced moments of joy and minutes of agony, but never once did he stop caring or teaching or trying to close a gap the Lakers made too tantalizingly big for the Pacers to bridge.

He adjusted his defensive scheme in mid-series, something he acknowledged the great Boston Celtic teams he played on never resorted to. He coaxed and cajoled, kicked rear ends and patted backs. He wasn’t Larry Legend, the Hall of Fame player who played 13 NBA seasons, won three championships, three consecutive most-valuable-player awards and was twice the MVP of the finals.

He wasn’t the nine-time all-NBA first-team player and 12-time All-Star. He was just another guy from Indiana, staying involved in the game he loved and conveying his knowledge to those he hoped would love the game as much as he did.

“I can’t say enough about the three years I spent here and how I developed under him,” said forward Austin Croshere, who scored 16 points Monday to close out a sensational series. “It’s been absolutely a great experience.”

Said Pacer guard Reggie Miller: “I was a kid in a candy store playing against and with a living legend. He was a big-time player and showed he’s a big-time coach.”

Knowing Monday was Bird’s finale enhanced the usual season-ending sadness the Pacers felt. Their postgame meeting, Croshere said, was extremely emotional.

“Knowing this was the last time this group is going to be together this season, and maybe forever,” Croshere said in explaining the team’s collective devastation. “And the last time we would play for Coach Bird. To be this close obviously is disappointing.”

Bird was 147-67 in three seasons and won three consecutive Central Division championships. The Pacers had the best record in the East this season--56-26--and shared that distinction last season.

When Bird accepted the coaching job, on May 8, 1997, he promised he would take the Pacers to the finals. He made good on that.

“He’s such a larger than life figure in this state, in this city, in basketball,” Pacer General Manager David Kahn said. “Sometimes I look down at the bench and I find myself saying ‘Wait a minute--that’s Larry Bird coaching our team.’ I think after he leaves, it will penetrate us finally and we’re going to look back and say, ‘My gosh, Larry Bird coached our team for three years.’

“And I think time will tell, but I think it will be three of the finest seasons the franchise will ever have seen. I’m not conceding anything yet, but I don’t think people understand it till later, what his presence meant. . . .

“There’ll be this huge aftershock somewhere down the line and you’ll say, ‘You know what? Larry Bird coached us for three years. That was pretty incredible.’ ”

Bird said he expected to miss the game immensely. Before the game, he was as nervous as he was before every game he played and every game he coached. “It’s been a great ride,” he said.

And sometimes, he acknowledged, a bumpy one. He had to win the trust of Miller and Mark Jackson, among others, but did so with his blunt manner and inherent fairness. “Reggie promised me he would play hard for me and he has,” Bird said.

“I’ve been fortunate to pick a team of guys that play hard for me. That’s the key in this league. If you get your guys to play hard, you’ll win a lot of games. If you’ve got talent, you’ll have an opportunity to play for the world championship, and that’s what these guys have done.”

They lost that chance, but they gained Bird’s gratitude and respect.

“I thanked them for the last three years,” he said. “I told them if they work as hard for the next coach as they did for me, they’ll be back [in the finals] next year.”

Before leaving, however, he offered words of praise for the Lakers and agreed their victory may signal the beginning of a dynasty.

“It is, with Shaquille O’Neal,” Bird said. “He’s the most dominating player in our league. He’s powerful, strong, able to get the ball to the hole. He’s just so dominating, they have an opportunity here to do something great for a number of years.”

That may be so. It takes a champion to know one. Even if it’s one who didn’t win the NBA title Monday.

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Bye-Bye Birdie

Larry Bird’s coaching record:

*--*

Year Regular Season Playoffs 1997-98 58-24 12-5 1998-99 33-17 9-4 1999-2000 56-26 13-10

*--*

PLAYOFFS RESULTS

* 1997-98--defeated Cleveland, 4-1, in first round; defeated New York, 4-1, in conference semifinals; lost to Chicago, 4-3, in conference finals

* 1998-99--defeated Milwaukee, 3-0, in first round; defeated Philadelphia, 4-0, in conference semifinals; lost to New York, 4-2, in conference finals

* 1999-2000--defeated Milwaukee, 3-2, in first round; defeated Philadelphia, 4-2, in conference semifinals; defeated New York, 4-2, in conference finals; lost to Lakers, 4-2, in NBA finals