The Lakers probably were not going to win 50 games, but Coach Phil Jackson made it semi-official Saturday.

Following practice, Jackson said he had told his players after a 127-99 win over Denver on Nov. 29 that they were not good enough to win 50 games.

As Jackson sees it, the first 15 games set the tone for the season, when teams get into habits that will last for the rest of the season.  The Lakers play their 20th tonight.

"We haven't really started to do some of the other structural things we want to do with the team," said Jackson. "We need to open a run again and find a way to win two or three games in a row and get some momentum."