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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009
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 OPINION 
6

Forget Red: Jackson Is NBA's Greatest

10-time champion leaves 'curmudgeon' in the dust

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(Newser) – With his 10th NBA championship win yesterday, Phil Jackson has shattered the record of Red Auerbach, a man who “loathed” Jackson and believed his nine championships as coach could never be surpassed, writes Adrian Wojnarowski on Yahoo. “Roll over Red. Phil Jackson is the greatest coach ever,” Wojnarowski asserts. Jackson knows that winning isn’t about having a Kobe or a Shaq—it’s about “humanity.”

"There are few coaches alive who could’ve commanded the respect of those players for all those years." Auerbach won his championships in a different age. “These times are far more demanding on a coach, far more difficult to dominate,” yet Jackson "didn’t live in fear of a coup, or players leaving as free agents. His icons respected him for it, and ultimately, it elevated their talent." The question now is whether Jackson will stick with coaching for another season, or if, like Auerbach, he'll “leave titles on the table and walk away.”

Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson walks from the interview room after the Lakers won the 2009 NBA basketball championship with a 99-96 win over the Orlando Magic.
Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson walks from the interview room after the Lakers won the 2009 NBA basketball championship with a 99-96 win over the Orlando Magic.   (AP Photo/John Raoux)
In this Dec. 12, 1964 file photo, Boston Celtics' Bill Russell, left, is congratulated by coach Arnold
In this Dec. 12, 1964 file photo, Boston Celtics' Bill Russell, left, is congratulated by coach Arnold "Red" Auerbach after scoring his 10,000th career point.   (AP Photo/file)
Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson is all smiles after the Lakers beat the Orlando Magic 99-86 in Game 5 of the NBA basketball finals Sunday.
Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson is all smiles after the Lakers beat the Orlando Magic 99-86 in Game 5 of the NBA basketball finals Sunday.   (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
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Red loved that record, and he sure loathed this coach. - Adrian Wojnarowski

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6 comments
VIEWING:
 
mindgammon
Jun 15, 09 2:16 PM CDT
Jordan gave him half of those rings Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
mindgammon
Jun 15, 09 2:17 PM CDT
I mean almost half....lol
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+1
Doctor_Zaius
Jun 15, 09 2:19 PM CDT
I would say that Jackson gave Jordan his rings, remember before Phil the Bulls couldn't win crap. Reply
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Boobalinga
Jun 15, 09 2:19 PM CDT
You mean just over half of those rings 6/10 = 60%. Reply
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0
Forderon
Jun 15, 09 2:21 PM CDT
Tactics in coaching are overrated by most people who love to assign direct cause and effect to coaching and winning. Coaching is more about the ability to elevate stars into superstars, juggling egos, motivating athletes and developing team chemistry, self-improving so that you can have credibility when you advise others on self-improvement, studying motivation and team-building techniques etc. The technical things like doing hours upon hours of work detailing an offense, breaking down game tape, 40 years of hoarding plays so that you know exactly what to call in a pinch, working endlessly on game preparation so that you can boil that knowledge down and put it across effortlessly to your team in 15 minutes during a walk-through before they lose interest, etc....all of that is moot if you can't do the first part. Phil Jackson is a master of both and that's why he's the best coach ever. Reply
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+3

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