NBA

Girlfriend says Knicks job would bring Jackson ‘full circle’

If Lakers coach Phil Jackson goes through with his promise that this will be his last season as an NBA coach, last night’s 113-96 triumph over the Knicks marked his last appearance at the Garden.

However, nobody knows for sure if Jackson would stay retired. Coaching the Knicks used to be his dream — to follow in the footsteps of his coaching mentor, Red Holzman.

Jeanie Buss, the Lakers executive and Jackson’s longtime girlfriend, gave at least some wiggle room Jackson could make yet another comeback. He already has won an NBA title in the country’s three biggest cities: New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Jackson, who has won an NBA record 11 coaching titles, interviewed with Isiah Thomas for the for the Knicks job before passing and joining the Lakers. Last month, Jackson said he’s done after this season.

“I can tell you he was open to going to the Knicks in 2005, then the Laker job opened up,” Buss wrote in an e-mail yesterday. “The Knicks job would bring him full circle and I wouldn’t stop him. I am in New York several days every month for business. That being said, the Knicks have a very good coach [Mike D’Antoni] and are doing very well. So it shouldn’t matter.”

D’Antoni has one year left on his contract. It’s not crazy to imagine if the Knicks ever teamed up Amar’e Stoudemire with Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul, Jackson would sit out a year and return, though his hip woes are the root of his decision to retire.

“I was aware that this might be his last time here,” Kobe Bryant said. “We always talk about stories about the building. I can tell it means a lot to him, but he will never say it, he will never show it.”

Jackson, on whether he had thoughts about this being his last trip to the Garden, said, “I’m not prone to that. Just riding in the elevator makes you think, I don’t want to do this anymore.”

Jackson said his only thought when riding the elevator yesterday was “It doesn’t smell like elephants. I was thinking the playoff games with the Bulls, and that is the time the elephant smell is in the building.”