Phil Jackson

The main example used in the story was none other then the Zen Master himself, Phil Jackson of the World Champion Los Angeles Lakers.  The story claims that Phil is a bad winner because we wore a hat with X, the Roman numeral 10, once the Lakers beat the Orlando Magic in the finals last month. The X stands for his unprecedented tenth title as a head coach, exceeding the great Red Auerbach.  So why is the hat showing bad sportsmanship? Every time Michael Jordan won a title, he always held up the fingers of the championship, 1 through 6. Nike made a special shirt for Kobe Bryant’s fourth championship that he wore at the Lakers victory parade. Therefore by default, MJ and Kobe are bad sports too?  Why should Phil, or any athlete for that matter, have to mask what they have accomplished? It’s not like he ran around the court refusing to shake the other teams’ hands, yelling he is the best. The hat was not just a way for Phil to show off, but a gift to him. It wasn’t a gift from Nike or any other sponsor, but rather a gift from his children. He wore a gift showing off his accomplishment from the people that matter the most to him. That’s a bad sport if I’ve ever seen one! 

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'Neal, with many people believing an arrogant and selfish Bryant drove O'Neal out of town and coach Phil Jackson into retirement in 2004.

The outburst in the summer of 2007 when Laker general manager Mitch Kupchak wouldn't trade Andrew Bynum to Indiana for Jermaine O'Neal.

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hey can stay intact -- by re-signing Trevor Ariza, Lamar Odom, Shannon Brown and retaining Zen Yoda Phil Jackson. Hopefully, their run to the '09 title taught them the toughness and blueprint required for another championship.

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re consistently big time support throughout the playoffs and finals.

The championship gives coach Phil Jackson a record 10 rings; 6 with Chicago, 4 with Los Angeles.

This is a team in an excellent position to continue to rumble from the top of the mountain for years to come.

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ss to the Houston Rockets, putting them down 1-0 in the series, is to me, enough cause for concern. Phil Jackson needs to sit down Kobe and tell him the same thing he told Jordan: trust your teammates more.

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He'd fallen back into Phil Jackson's doghouse of late, and my guess is that The Zenmaster was entirely fed up with the player he often called a "Space Cadet."

That's too bad, though, because Radmanovic should have been a very useful player for the Lakers, providing floor space for Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, and bringing high-percentage shooting from downtown as well as the free throw stripe. If Luke Walton, Trevor Ariza, and Radmanovic were considered Los Angeles' trio of small forwards, I'd rank Radmanovic either first or second out of the set. Ariza's probably a better all-around player, but I'd definitely take Radmanovic over Walton, who oddly enough, is the one who gets the bulk of the minutes.

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The Celtics are the only team with even the slighest chance to contain Phil Jackson's prolific offense.

When it comes down to it, I like the Lakers this time around. But I can't be as sure of that prediction as I am of the prediction that puts both teams in the finals again. I'll say Lakers in seven, but who could argue with someone that says the Celtics will repeat?

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Watch out Stan Van Gundy, Mike Brown, and Phil Jackson...

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It is only fitting that the maiden voyage of this blog be the same day as a marquee matchup, the Lakers against the Cavs.  It is a homegame for the Lakeshow, but the Lakers have lost two straight.  This is a big game.  A victory will make their prior two losses meaningless, but a loss could send them into a Celtics-esque tailspin.  The Lakers lost those last two games to other top-tier teams, the Spurs and the Magic.  They were both very winnable, decided in the last minute of the game.  Those are heartbreakers.  If the Lakers hope to win, they need Pau on top of his game, Bynum to man-up (I'm having frightening visions of LeBron slicing through the lane like a knife through butter), and someone else (Fish, Trevor, Sasha, Lamar, i.e.) has to step up.  For God's sake, Trevor, stop walking with the ball!  I love you dearly, Trevor, but your excessive travelling is hurting the team! 

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ike Pau Gasol contributing for a full year this team is going to be tough to beat.

Coach Phil Jackson has experimented with bringing Lamar Odom off the bench, as the preseason has gone on, this looks more like a permanent move for Odom. This strengthens the bench and gives them another playmaker coming off the sideline. Backup point guard Jordan Farmar just continues to get better, as does swingman Trevor Ariza.

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e league.

The key to beating the Celtics defense is ball movement and hitting outside shots. Phil Jackson's triangle offense seems to be the perfect approach to beating Celtics' defensive scheme because the Lakers have the most efficient and balanced offense in the league.

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Most likely, Lakers coach Phil Jackson will make the first move and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will counter.

Jackson is notorious for throwing curveballs in Game 1.

In 1998 when the Chicago Bulls faced the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals, Jackson had 6-8 forward Scottie Pippen guard 6-1 poing guard Mark Jackson in Game 1. Pippen's length and quickness bothered Jackson so much the Pacers were unable to run their normal offense the whole series. The Bulls won in seven.

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The Los Angeles Lakers are the team to beat. Well the Lakers are the team to beat in Los Angeles, not the rest of the NBA. The Lakers current climb to the top of the Western Conference has been entert

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Later, the feuds with Kobe Bryant were quite depressing. The year that the team lost both Phil Jackson and Shaquille O’Neal was one of the low points in the team’s history. I remember feeling very pessimistic about the future… Well,

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No one seems that excited about Phil Jackson anymore and the team is more of a tourist attraction now. “Real” fans have a tough time getting decent tickets to the games since they are a place for celebrities and wanna-bes to be seen as part of the fake L.A. scene.  (Fake L.A. scene as in the one that the transplants come here and try to make, not the one that really exists!) Only one of them, well actually two are real Los Angeles Lakers fans. 

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After things blew over and he started bad-mouthing Shaquille O’Neal and Phil Jackson my attitude toward him was tainted further. This is not endemic to Los Angeles either; other players have made mockeries of the teams that pay them millions. Now don’t get me wrong – I can totally appreciate trying to get the most salary from your employer. I am also a staunch proponent to speaking up when you think something is wrong. But honestly, some of these NBA divas go too far! I guess when I hear complaints about one of the best centers to ever play the game and a hall of fame caliber coach; I have to scratch my head.

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