When I picked the Kings to win it all I forgot a major thing. They have one of the worst playoff coaches of all time. Granted his overall w-l record isn't bad, but you have to consider what he has had to work with and the critical high stakes moments. Once or twice his totally loaded Portland had the best record in the league and two or three times had the best record in the West and couldn't back it up in the playoff. Every critical series he has been in he pretty much lost--even when he had home court advantage in some of them--against Lakers in their last hurrah season when Portland was better, against Bulls (Portland also had the better record and home court), don't remember about home court against the Pistons though I do remember Portland folded like a house of cards, etc. This guy's fundamental approach to coaching is patting his players on the rear when they make a bonehead play, letting the other team alter his normal substitutions, and his #1 activity, crying to the refs. Compare this to Phil, Sloan, Nellie (yes Nellie), Brown, Riley, and perhaps even Rudy, who get after players WHEN NEEDED and also work to dictate tempo and manage the game, and well you get the picture. Yesterday when his team was beating the Mavs with size and the inside game--he goes small and tries to beat the Mavs at their game. Dumb, dumb, dumb, make the opponents adjust to you, especially when what you are doing has gotten you a 1-0 lead and the game 2 lead. If Sac wants to win they should play big and make the Mavs adjust. Play Vlade more, play Pollard some, play Hedo more, and play No-J Bobby J much, much less (make him and Bibby solely split the 1 minutes) and Webber a little less as well. Nellie killed him in managing yesterdays game and gettign the players to play like he wants them to.
I'm no expert, but Adelman is at least smart enough to have Pete Carille (sp?) sitting next to him these days. Being outsmarted by the Dallas coaching staff is nothing to be ashamed of. They have 2 other coaches either of whom could coach elsewhere in the league (Donnie, Jr & Del Harris).
Adelman never had the best player in the league, yet managed to get to the Finals twice. It's not his fault he's got Christina Webber on his team. His Portland teams were not that great -- he had Clyde, along with Duckworth, Kersey, Porter, and an old Buck Williams -- how is that loaded?
As for your first point, Detriot didn't have "the best player in the league" for either of their 2 championships. And one of them was at Adelman's expense when Adelman had the best player on the court (Clyde) plus a terrific deep squad in many other ways similar to Detriot (Detriot probably won more due to coaching and determination on defense over anything else). Also, Buck was still pretty much in his prime with the Blazers--universally considered one of the best defensive and rebounding 4's of that time period. You also forget Danny Ainge and a young Cliff Robinson were the 6th and 7th man, they may have Petravik (sp?) some of those years too. And Kersey and Porter were bad asses then (among the top 5 in the West at those positions), and I already know what you think about Drexler. There was a reason they probably had the best record in the league over a 5 year span (like 89-94)--it was because they were loaded (deep and talented). In fact I'll bet there are not too many examples of a team that had the best record in the leaguge over a 5 year span yet didn't even win it all one of those years. I have to admit Freak I am starting to agree with you about Christina. I laughed pretty hard when Vesey said somebody at halftime must have told Webber it was an important playoff game You know it had to be especially funny for me to laugh at a Vesay joke.
They had two great years, and lost to better teams in the Finals both years. I don't see how that's bad... Adelman's first full year was '90. Portland made the Finals in '90 and '92. Phoenix had the best record in the west in '93, and Seattle in '94. The only time Portland didn't make the Finals where they were favored would've been '91. Adelman's four best years were '90-'93, where they won 59, 63, 57, and 51 games. Basically you're saying he's a terrible playoff coach because they didn't get to the Finals in '91? I still don't see how Portland was loaded either....even if we grant that they were "loaded", I don't see a lot of underachievement there. I certainly don't see any evidence to warrant calling Adelman one of the "worst playoff coaches of all-time". I think it's almost always the case that it's the players that win championships, not coaches. You don't like Vescey? I've always thought he was pretty funny. The Seattle grocery store story made me mad though.
