Posted on 06/03/2004 11:38:15 PM PDT by diamond6
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- It's the NBA Finals, and that means Phil Jackson digs into his personal jewelry box for a championship ring to inspire his players.
Jackson sported the 2001 ring won by the Los Angeles Lakers on his right pinkie Thursday. A bit gaudy perhaps, but the 58-year-old coach with nine titles to his credit is following a personal tradition.
"The stuff has just snowballed. I can't stop to absorb it all," he said of the staggering success he's experienced as an NBA coach.
Jackson has been called lucky to have coached the likes of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in Chicago and Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant with the Lakers. Considering the four superstars didn't win a championship before playing for Jackson, maybe they're the lucky ones.
A Jackson-coached team won its first title 13 years ago when the Bulls beat the Lakers, clinching the title at the Forum in nearby Inglewood.
Just a few miles away at the Lakers' training facility, Jackson recalled feeling he had reached the pinnacle of his profession at that time.
He was only just beginning.
The Bulls won five more titles including three straight from 1996-98 before Jackson, Jordan and Pippen all left.
After taking a year off, Jackson signed a five-year, $30 million contract to coach the underachieving Lakers, who immediately won three straight championships, giving their coach six straight and nine overall, tied with former Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach.
The Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs by San Antonio last May -- five days after Jackson underwent an angioplasty to clear a clogged heart artery.
Now, they're four wins shy of winning their fourth title in five years, and heavily favored to do so against the Detroit Pistons.
"That would be a real feat, I think," Jackson acknowledged of winning a 10th title in his 14th season as a head coach.
Jackson has been known as the "Zen Master" because of his involvement with meditation.
"In everybody's mind, the perception of Zen and meditation is calm and quiet. He strives for that because he's so opposite," said Jackson's girlfriend, Jeanie Buss, daughter of Lakers owner Jerry Buss and a team executive as well.
"He doesn't sit around all day with his legs crossed meditating," Buss said. "He does spend time meditating to get away from it all. Meditation is about clearing the mind. For me, it's pretty easy to clear my mind. He's got to practice it -- it's like working out."
Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis called Jackson "a very normal guy."
"He's very approachable, very intelligent, very passionate about his job," Rambis said. "He was a very demanding coach when he first got here -- very strict, really pushed the guys. As he's evolved here, as his team has evolved, he's gotten a lot more accommodating."
Jackson's contract expires after the season, and the Lakers broke off negotiations on an extension in February. While Jackson has been noncommittal about his future, Rambis believes his boss still wants to coach.
Jackson enters the finals with an NBA postseason-record 174 victories.
"He'll probably be either the greatest coach or one of the greatest coaches, according to me," O'Neal said regarding Jackson's status should the Lakers win the title. "I don't know what Red Auerbach would say about that. I'd put him right up there."
Buss said Jackson works 20 hours a day during the season.
"He's constantly plotting, especially during the playoffs," she said. "There are many nights we're at dinner where there's silence.
"He's not the perfect person. It's not like that. Is he the most adult man I've ever had a relationship with? Yes, by far. The most complex? Yes."
And, Buss pointed out, very human.
"He loves to watch baseball on TV and have a beer," she said.
What coattails was he using? How many championships did Jordan, Pippen, Shaq, and Kobe have before Phil coached them? Did you know it took Jordan 7 years to win his first championship!
Thanks!
I suppose the fact that Michael retires for a season and a half between the 2 sets of three-peats is just an odd coincidence?
Just think of who Rodman might have become without Phil as his leader...good thing for all of us that Phil was there as a guiding influence...
GO PISTONS!!!!!
Was it just a wild coincidence that the first year Phil coached Jordan the Bulls reached the finals, and won the finals the next year? I guess that was just happenstance.
I think you have the year wrong. Remember 1988? The Pistons lost in 7. This time they'll lose in 6. The current Pistons have no comparable playoff experience to the Lakers.
The Pistons knocked them out in the conference finals in both 89 and 90, and were knocked out by them in 91, when the Bulls beat the Lakers.
The Lakers could probably win without Shaq.
Not happenstance. Every Phil-coached bulls team won an nba title (when mike was there all year long)...
I stand corrected. You are right. My point is, however, that Phil took very little time (2 seasons) to make them a champion, and in his first season he brought a championship to L.A.
I despised the pistons back in the day. I used to watch the NBA (during the playoffs) and I enjoyed those years. After years of shaq being 'the dominate player in the league', 'one of the best 50 ever' (but never winning a title), they have changed the game so much. He pushes people so hard, and they push right back.
On the other hand, even the hapless Warriors would be instant contenders if Shaq was on their team.
Shaq doesn't push. He moves forward, and people get out of the way. Furthermore, it's pretty hard to push, when you're hanging onto the big fella's biceps, as he making a slam dunk!
Right. On that note, I am out. Thanks for the discussion.
Whose coattails?
Jordan, Pippen, Bryant, Oneal. Any of those ring a bell? Oh, and add future Hall of Famers Malone and Payton for this year.
Everyone used to worship Pat Riley when he coached the Lakers too. Then Pat went to NY and then to Miami where, for some reason he didn't win a championship every year. Wonder why that is? Psst. Its the players, not the coaches who win the games.
Jordan finally won because he got his 'supporting cast' and he finally learned he had to make others around him better. Maybe PJ had a hand in that, but MJ banged his head on the wall for long enough to learn it on his own.
I would have loved to see Coach Coattails coach the Golden State Warriors but for some reason he didn't want that job.
Who are the Warriors?
I obviously can't help you with your ignorance. None of the players you mentioned ever won a championship without Phil. The last two you mentioned, Malone and Payton, only proves my point. Both went to the championship and both failed to win a championship.
Furthermore, the teams Phil coached did NOTHING of any significance until he coached them.
Riley did an excellent job in taking the lackluster Knicks to the brink of a championship and making the Heat competitive. Both are franchises that have done poor jobs of drafting players.
Exactly. I rest my case.
Oh, now I get it. "Subterfuge". Red you can stop taking potshots at your rival now. He is much better than you could ever dream of being.
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