Watch Heatcheck on Wednesday at 8pm on Sky Sports Arena followed by an NBA Retro treat: Bulls @ Lakers, Game 5 of the 1991 NBA Finals
Wednesday 13 May 2020 15:23, UK
Does winning 10 NBA championships make Phil Jackson the greatest coach in NBA history? Heatcheck's Ovie Soko and Mo Mooncey share their thoughts.
With Netflix documentary The Last Dance approaching its final two episodes, Jackson's success with the Chicago Bulls alongside Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen has been a major topic of discussion as NBA fans wait for the 2019-20 season to resume.
Jackson led the Bulls to six titles in eight years and, as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, added five more titles to his resume in the 2000s, including a 'three-peat' powered by the Hall of Fame one-two punch of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.
On the latest episode of Sky Sports Heatcheck, Ovie and Mo debated where Jackson ranks on the all-time list of NBA coaches.
Asked to name the greatest NBA coach of all time, Soko said: "It's Phil Jackson. He dealt with superstar players - Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal - who were the 'alphas' of alpha players. Two, if not three, of the greatest players ever to touch a basketball. They were not quiet guys! And that doesn't even include Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman.
"His ability to handle that level of personality and ego and to still be able to push them… it takes a great level of understanding that goes beyond coaching. He learned certain life skills that he applied to coaching.
"I don't know if you can name another coach who dealt so well with players at the highest possible level and was consistently able to win with them."
Mo offered a different take, ranking Jackson third all-time behind legendary Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach and his No 1 choice, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
"There is no denying Phil Jackson is an all-time great coach, but there is a difference between being the greatest man manager of all-time and the greatest coach of all time," Mooncey said. "Yes, he managed Jordan, Kobe and Shaq, three of the greatest players to ever touch a basketball - those guys would have won championships regardless of who was coaching them.
"I've got Jackson third on my list. There are two coaches ahead of him. The most impactful coach of all-time is Red Auerbach. This man won nine titles in 10 seasons, he pioneered the fast break which revolutionised the game of basketball and the role of the sixth man, which didn't exist until he came along. He was also the first NBA coach to put talent before skin colour.
"No 1 on my list is a man who has been able to adjust his game to different eras, Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs. In the 1990s with David Robinson, he ran a post-up heavy offense, then he saw the game speed up in the 2000s and went with heavy pick-and-roll with Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. As those players got older, he shifted into the motion offense to utilise their experience.
"Popovich developed players, too. Manu Ginobili was picked in the second round of the draft. Tony Parker was unheard of until he got to the NBA. Kawhi Leonard was never projected to become a Finals MVP. Pop developed all of those guys and made sure they achieved success over a 20-year period. Over the last two decades, the Spurs are over .500 on the road! There is no one else who has done that.
"Having Duncan was a blessing but, in Parker and Ginobili, he turned two players who no one had heard of into Hall of Famers. He turned Kawhi Leonard from a good defender who couldn't shoot into a Finals MVP.
"Phil Jackson had Jordan, the greatest player in the world at time. Of course he was going to win. He had Kobe and Shaq, the greatest duo of all time, of course they were going to win. In 2014, Popovich, with Duncan on one leg, a 36-year-old Ginobili, a veteran Parker and role players Tiago Splitter and Boris Diaw, took down LeBron James in his prime in the NBA Finals."
Do you agree with Ovie or Mo? Have your say in our Heatcheck poll or tell us your pick for the NBA's greatest all-time coach in the comments below.
Watch Heatcheck on Wednesday at 8pm on Sky Sports Arena followed by an NBA Retro treat: Bulls @ Lakers, Game 5 of the 1991 NBA Finals
