How Gregg Popovich's Coaching Resume Stacks Up Against Legendary Phil Jackson's
When talking about successful NBA coaches, the name Phil Jackson rightfully should be the first out of anyone's mouth.
While it's very easy to consider Jackson the greatest coach in NBA history, one man in particular is hot on his trail, as the resume of the San Antonio Spurs' Gregg Popovich stacks up very favorably against Jackson's.
Looking at Jackson's Hall of Fame career, he never had a losing season in 20 years on the bench. His worst year as a head coach came with the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2006-07 season, when that team finished 42-20.
As the coach of the Chicago Bulls and the Lakers, Jackson compiled a 1155-485 career regular-season record. His .704 winning percentage is the highest in NBA history. In addition, Jackson's 229 postseason wins and 11 championships are also the most in league history.
With that resume, it's quite amazing that Jackson won the Coach of the Year award only one time (1996) during his legendary career.
Very few NBA head coaches can stack up to that body of work, but Popovich is certainly one of them.
Let's start with his regular-season record of 847-399.
His .680 winning percentage ranks him third all-time, and if the Spurs can turn another season or two like the 50-16 mark they put up this year, it's possible he can jump ahead of Billy Cunningham (.698) for the No. 2 spot.
But consider the fact that he's coached four fewer seasons than Jackson, so by the time he coaches his 20th year in the NBA, Popovich could get awfully close. He would have to average 77 wins over the next four years to tie Jackson, which won't happen, but he can get in the neighborhood.
Popovich also has an impressive postseason mark, winning 113 playoff games and four championships.
He's currently third on the all-time list for postseason wins, and unless something strange happens, Popovich should jump ahead of Pat Riley for the second spot behind Jackson.
Naturally, he's way behind Jackson in championships, but if he wins his fifth this season—a real possibility looking at this Spurs team—he belongs in the conversation with Jackson.
I won't knock anything that Jackson has accomplished, but one criticism is that he never won without the best player in the game.
There were the six titles with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen that some use to make the case that any coach would have won with those players. If you're a believer in that, then a potential fifth title for Popovich should look just as impressive.
Throughout his 16-year career Popovich has routinely made players fit his system. Winning with defense isn't the popular thing to do, but players did it for Popovich.
He always had his Big Three of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili to lean on, but even so, Jackson always had more talent with the Jordan-Pippen crew and the Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O'Neal teams.
That makes the coaching job that Popovich has done throughout his career even more impressive.
When Popovich's career comes to an end, Jackson may still be considered the best coach in NBA history, but Popovich can make it a strong debate with a championship this season.
