JVG and Jackson always had something between them ever since their NYC-Chicago days. JVG dubbed the phrase "Big Chief Triangle" that stuck.
Yeah, Phil is so lucky, he always have the best players when he's coached. without these players, he's nothing.
The World of Warcraft analogy I would make is the Lakers fans are the Flavor Of The Month class whiners right after they get the nerf bat. Phil is the FOTM class denial guy(oh we'll be fine) trying to keep all the FOTM folks from going to another class.
Adelman owns one of PJ's rings! Same topic in Laker forum: http://forums.lakersground.net/viewtopic.php?t=87376
You know I have been thinking about this for the last 2 years at least. I am glad that you articulated it so well. EXCELLENT POST!
IS PJ's contract up this year or next? because this series will determine his future. PJ is a known champion coach with the best player in NBA, a top center, and a very good bench and starters. RA, got a very good above average team without the two best players and still manage to win and take the best team in the west to game 7. I don't think the nuggets can do that. We got everything on our side. we just need to be patient and we will win game 7. if we do, no one, i mean not even the cavs can stop us.
It may be a small point in critiquing Phil Jackson, but dude, when your team is getting drilled immediately from the tip like that, you have to call a timeout. IMO, you just don't let your players "play through" a run like that to start a game.
I wouldn't go as far as saying RA is better than PJ. But both are great coaches with different styles. I've said many times, that PJ isn't as sharp as before. After those 9 rings, and he started pursuing "Zen" thing or banging the daughter of his boss, he has been fully motivated. Even if you are a genius, if you don't work hard enough, you can't stay on the top forever. This Lakers game live and die with Kobe. Pau is very good. Odom is very good. But other than that, the rest are just serviceable role players. Bynum is just garbage with a huge contract. It's funny how people rode his nuts after a few games of 20 points in last year. Shane can slow down Kobe a little bit, it shows even more when the series goes on. Hayes can make it harder for Pau in offense, and Scola can attack Pau and wear him at the other end. Odom isn't 100%. AB/Lowry combination is certainly exposing their slowness in back court. It was a great great team win, including the coach, and Rockets won over tons of basketball fans last night. But still, our effort and talent, helped us with this convincing win. I am very hopeful for game 7. But I wouldn't say RA is better than PJ though.
Adelman > Jackson? That would be like saying scissors > rock, Cincinnati Reds > Roy Oswalt, or Bowser > Mario. Huh? Another Game 7 and a (slight) chance for Adelman to avenge his previous woes on PJ. Will he be screwed over by the refs yet again? One of the major story lines of this series.
Yes, this is a team win, and this team is coached by Adelman. They are playing Adelman's basketball! From history, RA is not better than PJ. but, for this series, Adelman > Jackson
While it is true PJ has had the benefit of great players on the teams he has coached, you also have to be a good coach to get those players to buy into a system and to continue to perform at a high level. He has also been successful with teams that didn't have a whole lot of talent beyond the one star. I also think he has made good moves and counter moves in this series. Similarily, Adelman has shown an almost unparalleled ability to balance playing time across teams with talent and getting players to buy into a system. While PJ has taken an aura of being a zen-master; Adelman has taken more of a humble, aw shucks, its the players approach. That said, there are things that annoy me about PJ. The zen thing gets overplayed. The soul patch he used to sport. And while I know he has had hip problems, the high stool he needs to sit on is annoying... as if he needs to sit above everyone else. Annoying. While I am over analyszing PJ, it sure seems to me PJ wore those black plastic framed glasses twice in this series... game 1 (surprise loss) and game 6 (surprise loss). ANd the metal framed glasses in the rest of the series. I bet he goes nack to the metal framed glasses in game 7 (I know... I need a life)...
One more point about Adelman... while he has had an amazingly successful career at POR, SAC, and here in HOU, he bombed in GSW (and folks there combine Adelman with then GM (and former POR teammate I believe) Dave Twardzik (derided with the name "Twardelman"). SInce GSW had many probs before and after, it seems fair to pass over that blot on an otherwise highly successful career. But I also recall that after Adelman left POR (after failing to win a champioship) folks there used to criticize Adelman as "never has a coach done less with more."
Seriously, I've always had a great belief in ROX team offensively ever since coach Adelman stepped in but never thought we could be this mentally strong. It's really a big accomplishment by Rick as well as the players!
Did I remember correctly? I think JVG said something about Phil Jackson back when he was our coach. Was it JVG or someone else? I've always thought JVG despises Phil Jackson. BTW, my Lakers fan friends was screaming at Jackson for leaving Fisher on the floor and not playing Farmar more. I kind of agreed. Fisher has been completely ineffective in this series. Why is he still playing so much?
