After a whirlwind week of the likes he had never experienced, Laker Coach Phil Jackson could say one thing with certainty when he woke up this morning.

He was, indeed, awake.

He is, indeed, alive.

His Lakers were beaten, but his heart is beating.

Jackson learned long ago that when the sun sets on a dynasty, the same sun rises the next day. The angioplasty last week was an unnecessary reminder.