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I highly doubt the Bulls made it to the WCFs tbh.
If I recall right he coached the Bulls in 89 and 90 with two WCF's exits. The second one went to 7 games, though.
I highly doubt the Bulls made it to the WCFs tbh.
ok smart guy.. who does it then with a one star player? enlighten me please.
Collins coached them in '88-89, and was fired after the season. Phil was promoted from assistant to head coach for '89-90, when they indeed took the eventual-champion Pistons to 7 games.
Do the zero-star 2004 Pistons count?
I'm pretty sure almost any NBA coach would win multiple les with prime Kobe and Shaq/unstoppable 7-foot, 350 lb athletic coordinated offensive and defensive dominating monster. And Jordan and Pippen vs. watered down NBA. You can't take away Jackson's accomplishments, but you can't say they're very impressive given the cir stances.
Shaq in his prime was one of the most dominant athletes ever, it's very rare to have a guy so tall, large, strong, athletic, and on top of that very coordinated, relatively.
Kobe at the time was also the best perimeter player in the league. If you have the best big man and the best wing player in the league and you don't win, it's not just underachieving..it's a big failure.
Not to mention big shot Bob.
Which makes the achievements of guys like Pop and Larry Brown even more amazing.
Pop took a squad that had a beasting Duncan but a retiring Robinson, a young Parker, a rookie Ginobili, young Jackson, and a bunch of ring-chasing vets to the top. Then Larry Brown took a squad whose players won't be appearing on shoe ads to the top, beating a superteam of Shaq/Kobe with vets in Malone and Payton.
Shaq & Kobe likely wouldn't 3peat with any other coach in the league. Phil knew how to juggle egos, utilize a player like Kobe, run the triangle for Shaq and many people overlook how well he managed role players.
Heck, he's the only coach that Kobe would listen to (most of the time). The man was a genius when coaching high profile players.
Exactly. He's not as amazing with Xs and Os as Pop is (shifting from "give Timmy the ball" to "give Tony the ball then pass to the open man in the corner" is an adjustment most coaches wouldn't do) but he's the best at managing egos.
Pop is the guy who doesn't treat his stars like stars, so he would get run out of town in places like LA.
There are many other coaches that could have won with Jordan-Pippen in a weak era, but I disagree about the Lakers teams..Shaq and Kobe absolutely detested each other, they are 2 of the most immature players of all-time..it took a special coach to keep them in line under tumultuous cir stances..
I'd be very surprised if the 2002 Lakers win under a different coach, or if the 2004 Lakers make the Finals under a different coach..
In addition to managing egos, Kobe has proven that he is not the same caliber of player in a non-triangle system..his shooting %s take a notable hit and his turnovers increase..Lakers don't win in 2010 without Jackson..they may still win in 2009, due to terrible compe ion..
Phil does the Xs & Os in the 4th quarter, his philosophy has always been let the players play for 3 quarters. Which is basically why he loved being stingy with timeouts. His track record in close games is very good. so it's not entirely correct to say he's not amazing at that.
LAL under Jackson is famous for breaking down even the greatest defensive teams in the league at the times he coached. He's average when coaching defense, but hands down the best offensive coach in NBA history. Coupled with his ability to handle the biggest egos, command respect, encourage players and put rosters together on the court like puzzle pieces, he makes an extremely strong case for best coach in NBA history.
Riley and Pop also make strong arguments, it just goes down to which teams/eras you like better.
It's easy to let players play the game for 3 quarters when they're elite of course, but point taken.
Phil was clearly a good man manager and that's why you can't take away the credit he deserves, but from a pure basketball standpoint it isn't very impressive. Phil's previous championships with MJ & Co likely helped him in this regard too, it was probably working in his favor when managing Kobe and Shaq. Knowing what the man already accomplished with the Bulls, Kobe and Shaq didn't have many better options if they wanted immediate rings than to shut up and play together under Phil. And that reputation/previous success is derived from something done in the past, which makes managing Kobe and Shaq somewhat easier.
All I'm saying is the act of winning les with the early 2000 Lakers wasn't impressive.
It's not like he's twiddling his thumbs while it happens. Phil gauges where his team is at for the 1st 3 quarters to devise his strategy for the 4th. You have to give credit to a coach who can give free reign to players and grab the steering wheel any time he wants.
You're missing the point: He had to make hero-ball players fit into the plays he ran. It's not only managing egos, it's utilizing high talent players perfectly. The Lakers struggled against good defense when Phil let them play by themselves, but suddenly when he steps in the opponents defense breaks down within minutes.
He was an extremely good coach on the drawing board and teams didn't pick him because he rode on the coattails of talented players. He took a few talented players and coached them to play championship TEAM ball, Kobe was a good team player for 2000 and 2001. Jordan was a good team player and he was selfish as before the 90s. Shaq, same story. He not only made players get along, he drew plays and gave them places in the team that made them content.
There is a lot more to coaching that Xs and Os, Phil covered everything while under astronomical pressure to succeed.
never watched a Laker game if disagrees
So Mike K is a phenom for winning the gold. Chuck Daily even more so for managing all those stars. How did he manage that and the gold?
The question has been answered then.
pop> jackson
Phil could've won more Championships with the Spurs, than POP tbh....
lol
Phil would never accept a coaching job for a team that's not the most dominant team, on paper.
Pop would have gotten the 2013 Lakers to the WCF.
Phil would have encouraged a feud between Robinson and Duncan like he did Shaq and Kobe, culminating with Robinson losing it and telling Duncan that he loved Tim slightly less than Jesus said he should and Tim shrugging extremely aggressively. It would have shredded the locker room.
Phil is a great defensive coach (he was the assistant in charge of the D before becoming head coach)
On offense, well, we all know he didnt invent the triangle offense, but he is someone players will listen to (well, except Kobe, who was closer to Tex)
He convinced MJ to play in that system, so he is good at convincing players and managing egos; Phil's philosophy was : the Stars of the team have to make the role players better, not vice-versa
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