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Lakers suck, LA riots.
It's more than a championship, it's an opportunity.
Whoddathunkit?
Sure, Jackson's the best today
Buck Harvey
If Red Auerbach were still around, he'd say something. He always did.
But he would have been limited this time. Phil Jackson not only has more championships than Auerbach now, he has also eliminated Auerbach's past criticism.
Then, Auerbach said Jackson had never built a team, that all of his rosters were ready-made for him. That wasn't true this time, when Jackson remade the Lakers to win No. 10.
Still, Auerbach would come up with something. Again, he always did. And this time, he would likely make a crack about a general manager's poll taken as this season began.
How could Jackson be the best ever when his peers didn't even think he was the best in the league last fall?
Nothing Auerbach could have said would have taken away from what Jackson has ac ulated over the years. He wouldn't have won 10 championships or maybe even one had he spent his career in Atlanta or Minnesota. But he also blended talent as few can.
San Antonio doesn't want to hear that, thanks to the asterisk talk. But the Spurs' coaching staff has always seen him as a special coach who incorporated the Triangle with a sense that he had all three sides covered.
His players have rarely said anything negative about him, and some, such as Steve Kerr, loved the guy. If Jackson limps away now on top, it's unlikely anyone will ever challenge his championship total.
So when a national columnist wrote Monday, Roll over Red, Phil Jackson is the greatest coach ever it's a valid opinion.
Still, these are the in-the-moment proclamations that drive talk shows. The latest image becomes the best image, and a Los Angeles Times columnist made fun of that this month. Before the playoffs began, he wrote this was the pecking order:
1. Michael Jordan. Six les and five MVPs speak for themselves.
2. LeBron James. His time is at hand.
3. Kobe Bryant. Still great for an old guy.
By the middle of the conference finals, he wrote there had been adjustments:
1. James (tie). Game-winning three in Game 2 is stuff of legend.
1. Jordan (tie). His big shot against Cleveland was only a two-pointer.
3. Bryant. Lakers locked in battle with trendy pick Denver, after debacle vs. post-Yao Ming Rockets.
Then, as the Finals neared the end, he wrote:
1. Bryant. Finally getting his due.
2. Jordan. What's he done lately?
That's funny, and the Spurs have felt both sides of this. The same Tim Duncan who is barely mentioned now as writers feverishly raise Bryant on their greatest-ever list is the same one who was deified in 2007.
So Auerbach could make fun of the Around-the-Horn era. He could also wonder how the media most of whom never saw him coach could begin to judge him.
Still, Auerbach's best fodder would come from something recent. Every year, NBA.com conducts an annual survey of the league's GMs, and last fall was no different.
Auerbach could begin by saying the general managers were smart prognosticators. After all, they predicted the Lakers would win the le this season.
They weren't as visionary when it came to the next in line. In order, they liked the Celtics, Hornets and Spurs and Rockets, who tied for fourth.
No mention of the Magic, or even the Cavaliers and their best-in-the-league record.
Then there was the voting for the best coach. Some GMs voted for Jackson and Jerry Sloan. But most went with someone who they also cited as the one who makes the best in-game adjustments, who is the best in the last two minutes of close games, and who has the best defensive schemes.
Gregg Popovich?
If Auerbach were still around, he would love that.
Lakers suck, LA riots.
It's more than a championship, it's an opportunity.
Whoddathunkit?
The fact that there are riots is very very embarrassing and dumb. Those who do that arent even laker fans, they are just criminals using this as an excuse to get free .
As far as Red goes... Its funny that Jackson doesnt stoop to Red's level and note that Red won agaisnt 7 other teams... I repeat, there were 8 teams in the league. There was no free agency, much less " to do" for players to get in trouble and basically once drafted, the team OWNED you.
Sure, Celtics did something that will never be touched w/ the concentration of rings/years, but it is much easier to be at the top when there are 7 other teams and your roster doesnt turn over year after year after year. At least most players agree that records are made to be broken... For some reason, Red never thought that way. He can rest easy now, knowing his record wont have to be broken... it already is.
Technically, the only thing that matters is during Red's Run he beat 3 teams from 4 cities. He beat The Saint Louis Hawks, The San Francisco Warriors, and The Lakers from Minneapolis and Los Angeles.As far as Red goes... Its funny that Jackson doesnt stoop to Red's level and note that Red won agaisnt 7 other teams... I repeat, there were 8 teams in the league.
He had 9 les total and 8 of those were beatdowns of the Lakers.
That's called domination.
Uh, the fact that there were only 8 teams doesn't make it easier. Say that rosters were 15, for argument's sake. That makes 120 players in the NBA. Now take the best 120 players in the league today, and split them amongst only 8 teams, and play round robin for the next 11 years. I'll bet you Phil doesn't get 10 les against that elite, no-scrubs league. I'll bet he doesn't get 3.
Phil's whole shtick is that he HAS to have the talent gap to win. Both the Bulls and the first run Lakers had already been to the Conference Finals before he coached them, and he was gifted Gasol this time around, without which they don't win.
Red would've said "over my dead body" and sure enough...
I still think Auerbach is the greatest ever.
Phil is still only the second best coach in LA.
Really?!the one who makes the best in-game adjustments
Great point. Put Jackson in Cleveland and I bet they don't even get to the Leastern Conference Finals!
Pop cant even get out of the 1st round with the best power forward to ever play and the 2007 Finals MVP at 1 spot.
You're right, although it's hard to play 2 on 5.
Has Pop ever missed the Playoffs?
If you count the year he took over for Bob Hill, yes. Full seasons, no.
While I dislike Phil Jackson as much as anyone, you have acknowledge the fact that he is a tremendous coach. I am not going to say he is the best ever, because I would actually go with Chuck Daly (God bless his soul), but Phil Jackson did lead a Bulls team minus Jordan to within one game of the ECFs. He actually lost Jordan to "retirement", and the team won 2 less games the following year. That is mighty impressive.
Auerbach had the greatest talent disparity any coach has ever had, so he should STFU about Jackson's loaded teams.
Jackson has managed to get the best out of the great players he has coached. Kobe would not be Kobe without Phil Jackson. Shaq would not have had the best years of his career without Jackson. Jordan wouldn't have been Jordan. Scottie Pippen wouldn't have been an MVP candidate. He's made a top 5 forward out of Pau ing Gasol.
He's also consistently been able to get the most out of the supporting casts around his superstars. Paxson, Grant, Rice, Fox, Fisher, Ariza... After ten Championships, it's time to quit talking about how fortunate he's been with the players he's coached and start talking about how fortunate those players have been to be coached by Phil Jackson.
I want to see Jackson coach a team without Kobe or MJ on it and then we'll see how great of a coach he is. Frankly, we already have the best coach in basketball.
Do you want to see how great a coach he is without Tim Duncan?
I'm not saying Phil isn't a good coach. He is. He just probably isn't in the top 10 in the league now as an Xs and Os guy. He's been smart enough to keep Tex Winter on his payroll for a lot of years, although that will apparently change next year.
I'm not a big Jackson fan, but give credit where credit is due, no matter what the argument, for or against, one thing won't change, Phil Jackson now has 10 les to his name.
exactly, he focuses on the players and like others said manages to get good contributions out of them, and he has a good staff for the other stuff. i still think both him and red are assholes, and not in the good asshole pop kind of way
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