POPOVICH-VS-JACKSON-MOST INTERESTING MATCH-UP OF THE SERIES

In the series which pits dynasty #1-vs-dynasty #2 there are interesting match-ups all over the floor. At the point guard position, will Tony Longoria-Parker be able to assault the basket against the cagey veteran Derek Fisher? Can Tim Duncan continue to rebound while trying to rebound from an average offense series against New Orleans? Who on San Antonio will be able to match-up with against Lamar Odom? How are the Spurs going to deal with the BLACK MAMBA wearing purple and gold, the league’s best player and MVP Kobe Bryant? Finding answers to these questions will be critical and the one who does will more than likely be playing in the NBA finals.

Another match-up that bears intense watching will be taking place on the sidelines. With a combined 13 championships between them, Los Angeles Lakers Coach Phil Jackson and San Antonio Spurs coach Greg Popovich have distance themselves from their coaching brethren. Each has a system and style to fit the strengths of their teams. They have designated the roles of each player to masterfully blend into a cohesive unit.

The Spurs rely on a suffocating defense and a meticulous offense led by the inside dominance of Tim Duncan, the aggressive attacks of the Sarunas Marciulionis of our time, Manu Ginobili, and the one man fast break of Tony Parker.

The Lakers are led by the most talented and complete basketball player since Michael Jordan in Kobe Bryant. But for the first time in the post-Shaq era, the Lakers have surrounded Bryant with weapons which he is now using.

Popovich and Jackson have gone different roads with their Hall of Fame, legendary superstars. Jackson and Bryant have had their public squabbles. When the Lakers were winning three championships and Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal were feuding like two children in the sandbox, Jackson tended to give his allegiance to O’Neal while dissing Bryant in the process. Kind of hard to say you’re in Kobe’s corner when you basically trash him in a book.

One could say both Jackson and Bryant needed a sabbatical from each other after the 2003-04 season to realize that (A) Jackson didn’t want to ride off into the sunset just yet and (B) Bryant realized that Frank Hamblen and Rudy Tom janovich were no Phil Jackson. In other words, they both needed each other.

The relationship between Popovich and his superstar have been the exact opposite. A relationship that rivals Red Auerbach and Bill Russell in terms of trusting each other and mutual respect and personal gratitude. Both coach and player understand there greatness emanates from working together and that bond translates to the rest of the team.

Phil has had the blessing of coaching great talents like Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Shaq and Kobe, and many critics will say with those players Jackson should have won all those championships. But if that’s the case Doug Collins, Stan Albeck, Kurt Rambis and Del Harris must be the worst coaches to ever grace a NBA sideline. As Popovich has pointed out several times, you don’t win championships without talent. And dealing with multiple superstars and getting them to play as one is a skill very few coaches have.

On the other side is the coach I would love to play for if I was a NBA player. Greg Popovich is the John Stockton of NBA coaches when it comes to calling attention to himself or yearning for recognition. He has no use for it, doesn’t need it, doesn’t want it, and doesn’t care for it. He will go out of his way to avoid any kind of accolades and seems sincere in his resistance to accept an enormous amount of praise. But one should not underrate his fabulous game to game strategies, his ability to draw up plays for great looks at the basket, and his in game adjustments. They are as good as any coach who has coach in the last 12 years.