LA Lakers: The 15 Most Illustrious Moments of Phil Jackson's Career
Narrowing down Phil Jackson's career to a mere 15 "illustrious moments" is a nearly impossible task. However, for the sake of time, I've done my best to highlight what I consider to be the various peaks throughout Jackson's career.
This is, without a doubt, Jackson's last year as a head coach in the NBA. He has made that more than clear in numerous interviews as of late, while also discussing how close he was to calling it quits after last season's title run.
Knowing that he was going to turn 65-years-old before this season began, Jackson waited until the last minute to decide to return to make what he called, "one last stand".
He said it took a phone call from both Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher to convince him to return, along with the lure of having a chance at an unprecedented fourth "Three-Peat". He also told Bryant that "11 was kind of a weird number, and 12 sounded better." Yet another typical eccentric quote from the thousands we've heard come out of his mouth over the years.
Let's take a look at where it all began to really click for Jackson, as a player with the New York Knicks, where he won his first of two titles in 1970.
15. 1970 NBA Championship as a Player with the New York Knicks
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Jackson won his first title as a player in 1970 with the New York Knicks. He was drafted by the Knicks in the second round of the 1967 NBA Draft.
Jackson was a good all around athlete, but was not known for his offensive prowess by any means. He was more known for being an intelligent player who worked extremely hard on the defensive end and eventually became a fan favorite in New York as one of the Knicks' top reserves.
Although credited with his first title as a player in 1970, Jackson missed the entire season due to spinal fusion surgery. He would later author a book titled, "Take It All", a photo diary of the Knicks first ever championship season.
14. 1973 NBA Championship, His Second with the Knicks
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By 1973, Jackson was the best player off the bench for the Knicks, helping them win their second title in four years. He would eventually become a starter after several of the Knicks top players retired after the 1973 championship run.
Jackson earned the dubious distinction of leading the NBA in personal fouls with 330 during the 1974-75 season. He would eventually retire in 1980 after spending his last two seasons playing for the New Jersey Nets.
13. 1991, Title No.1 with the Chicago Bulls
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The 1990-91 season will forever be remembered as the beginning of the Chicago Bulls dynasty under head coach Phil Jackson.
Jackson won his first title as a head coach in the NBA in 1991, when Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen led the Chicago Bulls to a 4-1 series victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. The Bulls actually lost Game 1 of the Finals at home, before reeling off four straight wins and clinching the first NBA title for the city of Chicago.
The Lakers had beaten the Bulls in the playoffs all four times they had met (1968, 1971, 1972, 1973) prior to the Bulls ending the streak in the 1991 NBA Finals. It was a breakthrough year for Jackson's Bulls as they were finally able to beat their longtime nemesis, the Detroit Pistons, the result of a 4-0 sweep in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Michael Jordan won his first of 6 NBA Finals MVPs in 1991 and his spectacular lay-up in Game 2 where he switched hands in mid-air will long be remembered as one of the greatest plays in NBA history.
12. 1992, Title No.2 with the Chicago Bulls
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Jackson led the Bulls to their second straight NBA Title in 1992 with a 4-2 series win over Rick Adelman's Portland Trailblazers. The Bulls won a franchise record 67 games in 92 and Michael Jordan was at the height of his dominance over the rest of the league.
Jordan won his second straight MVP award, sixth straight scoring title and, of course, his second straight NBA Finals MVP.
The 1992 NBA Finals were actually tied at 2-2 before the Bulls went on to win Games 5 and 6. The lasting image from this series was the unforgettable shoulder shrug by Jordan after making an NBA Finals record, six three-pointers in the first half of Game 1.
11. 1993, Title No.3 with the Chicago Bulls
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Jackson completed his first Three-Peat with the Bulls in 1993, beating the Charles Barkley-led Phoenix Suns 4 games to 2. Many will remember John Paxon hitting the game winning three in a 99-98 Game 6 victory to clinch the series for the Bulls.
Michael Jordan averaged an NBA Finals record 41 points per game in the series en route to his record breaking third straight NBA Finals MVP award. One month later, Jordan would announce his retirement from basketball following the murder of his father.
10. 1996 NBA Coach of the Year
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I guess it's kind of ironic that the greatest coach in NBA history has only won the NBA Coach of the Year Award ONE TIME isn't it? Well, they had to give it to him in 1996, considering the Bulls won an NBA record 72 games, while losing only 10.
This was also a period of time where the ever-increasing tension between Jackson and Bulls GM Jerry Krause began to boil over—an ominous sign for what lie ahead.
9. Top 10 Coaches in NBA History
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Also in 1996, the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History were announced alongside the 50 Greatest Players. Jackson was among four coaches who were active at the time.
8. 1996, Title No.4 with the Chicago Bulls (72 Wins)
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Phil Jackson won his fourth title in 1996 as the Bulls defeated the George Karl-led Seattle Supersonics 4 games to 2. The Sonics were led by their two All-Stars, point guard Gary Payton and their high flying forward, Shawn "The Rainman" Kemp.
It was also the first full year back for Michael Jordan who came out of a brief retirement at the end of the 1995 season. Many believe this to be the best team in NBA history, since the Bulls won an NBA record 72 games.
During the offseason, the Bulls traded Will Perdue to the San Antonio Spurs for Dennis Rodman, the NBA's rebounding champion of the previous four seasons. The starting lineup consisted of Ron Harper, Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Rodman and Luc Longley. The Bulls also had the NBA's best bench, led by Toni Kukoc and Steve Kerr.
The accolades in 1996 are endless, Jordan won his eighth scoring title, Jerry Krause won the Executive of the Year, Jackson was the Coach of the Year, Kuckoc won the Sixth Man of the Year, Rodman won the rebounding title, Kerr led the league in three-point shooting, Jordan won the regular season MVP, All-Star Game MVP and his fourth NBA Finals MVP. Jordan and Pippen were both named first team All-NBA and Rodman joined the duo on the All-Defensive Team, the first time in NBA history three teammates were named first team All-Defense.
7. 1997, Title No.5 with the Chicago Bulls
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The Bulls "only" won 69 games in 1997, en route to Phil Jackson's fifth NBA title, where they defeated the Utah Jazz 4 games to 2. The Jazz were led by Hall of Famers John Stockton and Karl "The Mailman" Malone.
Michael Jordan won his fifth NBA Finals MVP as the Bulls completed the second leg of their second attempt at a Three-Peat. There were many memorable moments from this series that included Jordan hitting a game winning shot in Game 1 and Steve Kerr hitting the series clincher (a la John Paxson) in Game 6.
But perhaps one of the most memorable performances in NBA history occurred in Game 5 when Jordan scored 38 points despite barely being able to play as a result of a stomach virus that left him extremely dehydrated and running a high fever.
By the end of the game, he could barely stand up and had to be helped off the floor by Pippen after nearly fainting. His final line, 38 points (13 of 27 shooting), 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 1 block.
6. 1998, Title No.6 with the Chicago Bulls
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Phil Jackson won his sixth and final title with the Bulls in 1998, defeating the Utah Jazz again, 4 games to 2. Jackson's sixth title also completed a second Three-Peat for the Bulls, and their sixth title in eight years.
Michael Jordan won an unprecedented sixth NBA Finals MVP award (in six full seasons of play) and the series itself ended up being the highest rated (18.7 Nielsen TV Rating) series in NBA Finals history.
Once again, the series will forever be remembered for Michael Jordan's Game 6, series clinching shot, giving the Bulls an 87-86 victory. Jordan scored 45 points in the game and many felt that "The Shot" would be the last shot he would ever attempt.
This was the end of the Bulls dynasty as Phil Jackson was not offered a contract extension and Jordan would announce his second of three retirements in January of 1999.
5. 2000, Title No.7 with the Los Angeles Lakers
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Jackson came out of retirement in in 1999 to take over a talented Lakers team that boasted arguably the two best players in the NBA at the time in Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.
The Lakers went 67-15 in the regular season before beating the Portland Trail Blazers in a hard fought, seven game series in the Western Conference Finals.
The Lakers eventually beat the Pacers 4 games to 2 in the 2000 NBA Finals to bring the title back to Los Angeles for the first time since 1988. Shaquille O'Neal was named the series MVP and the city of LA could sense another dynasty getting underway.
4. 2001, Title No.8 with the Los Angeles Lakers
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The 2001 Lakers team will go down as one of the best teams in NBA history. They nearly went undefeated in the playoffs, but still set an NBA record by going 15-1 en-route to Jackson's eighth title, and the second straight for LA.
It took an incredible 48 point performance by Allen Iverson in Game 1 of the NBA Finals to prevent the Lakers from a perfect postseason. The Philadelphia 76ers stunned the Lakers with a 107-101 victory in LA. The Lakers would go on to win the series 4 games to 1 as Shaquille O'Neal earned his second straight NBA Finals MVP award.
The Lakers starting five consisted of Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Rick Fox, Horace Grant and O'Neal. Robert Horry, Brian Shaw, Ron Harper, and Tyronn Lue came off the bench to form one of the deeper teams in NBA history.
3. 2002, Title No.9 with the Los Angeles Lakers
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Phil Jackson won his ninth title and completed his third Three-Peat as the Lakers swept the New Jersey Nets in the 2002 NBA Finals. Shaquille O'Neal won his third straight NBA Finals MVP as he averaged 36 points and 12 rebounds in the series.
Jackson tied Red Auerbach for the most titles of all time (nine) and surpassed Pat Riley for the most career playoff wins in the process. By this time the internal feud between Shaq and Kobe had reached it's peak, and it signaled the beginning of the end for this mini-dynasty.
Little did we know that the relationship between Bryant and Jackson was only beginning.
2. 2009, Title No.10 with the Los Angeles Lakers
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After losing in the NBA Finals in 2004 to the Pistons and again in 2008 to the Celtics, the Lakers finally broke through in 2009, thanks to the addition of Pau Gasol. Once again, Los Angeles had the best inside-outside combination in the game, as Gasol teamed with Kobe Bryant to form a lethal duo.
The Lakers beat the Orlando Magic 4 games to 1, as Phil Jackson won his 10th title and Bryant won his fourth, including his first NBA Finals MVP. Bryant averaged a Jordan-like 32 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists during the series.
1. 2010, Title No.11 with the Los Angeles Lakers
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Phil Jackson won his 11th title in 2010 as the Lakers defeated their arch-rival, the Boston Celtics, 4 games to 3 in a historic matchup. Kobe Bryant and the Lakers were seeking revenge from 2008 NBA Finals, when the Celtics defeated the Lakers 4 games to 2.
Bryant won his fifth title, and second straight Finals MVP award, averaging 28.6 points per game in the series. The series was a defensive struggle for the most part, the winning team failed to reach 100 points in the last five games. Despite shooting just 6-24 in Game 7, Bryant scored 23 points (10 in the fourth quarter) and pulled down 15 rebounds, one off his career high.
Which brings us to today, in his final season as a head coach in the NBA, Phil Jackson will seek his 12th NBA Title and his fourth Three-Peat. Kobe Bryant will be seeking his sixth NBA Title, which would break a tie with Magic Johnson for the most titles in Lakers history. Finally, the Lakers will be seeking their 17th title overall, equaling the Boston Celtics for the most titles in NBA history.
