When will Phil Jackson finally get his due?
Boston’s Red Auerbach is the god of basketball coaches. He receives nothing but praise and is considered the best coach in the history of the NBA. There doesn’t seem to be any discussion about it. It is almost as if it were blasphemy to suggest otherwise. Well, I think it’s time to start a debate. And if you live anywhere in the world outside of Boston, this debate is long overdue.
The reason Phil Jackson has never gotten his due is because some people think he has jumped on the coattails of Jordan, Pippen, Kobe and Shaq. A sweeper from Boston could have coached Michael Jordan to 6 championships. Being a huge Jordan fan, I have to say (to be logically consistent), fair enough. However, Auerbach had Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, Sam Jones, Bill Sharman, and Tom Heinsohn. Perhaps you have heard of them.
Now, let me throw some stats your way:
-NBA titles: 9 each (unless the Lakes win the NBA Finals, then Jackson, 10);
-NBA regular season winning percentage: Jackson .700, Auerbach .659;
-NBA playoff winning percentage: Jackson .702, Auerbach .603;
-NBA regular season wins: Jackson 976, Auerbach 823;
-NBA playoff wins: Jackson 191, Auerbach 91;
-NBA Finals record, series, won-loss: Jackson 9-1, Auerbach 9-1;
-Number of teams in the NBA (when their championships were won): Jackson 28.3, Auerbach 8;
-NBA Coach of the Year Honors: 1 each.
No matter how you slice it, Jackson comes out on top or is tied with Auerbach in every major training stat I can think of. I am too young (I am 48 years old) to have witnessed Auerbach’s brilliance as a coach, however I certainly do not doubt it. I have witnessed Jackson’s training and he has been, well, brilliant. All in all, I’m not sure who the brightest coach is, however, he is much closer than most people think.
Sorry, Boston, a Celtic (Russell, Bird) is no longer the greatest basketball player of all time, and maybe, just maybe, Auerbach isn’t the greatest NBA coach of all time. What blasphemy! (Well, at least you still have Bill Belichick, who in the past year has earned a reputation as the most dishonest and unethical coach in sports history. But don’t feel too bad, Boston: Your teams win championships.) and I live in Philly Nuff said.)