Phil Jackson or Red Auerbach

[fish7718]

Who's the better coach? I'm interested to see peoples take on this.

[magicbalala245]

Phil Jackson hands down. Only one coach can contain all those ego's like Phil. In Chicago he had to contain MJ, Pippen, & Rodman. In LA he had to contain Kobe & Shaq. Now he has to contain still Kobe and Pau. Now let's see how the Artest thing ends up. I'm pretty sure it will end up in another title for LA this year. when Phil wins he REPEATS.

[EastCoastNiner]

Phil Jackson hands down. Only one coach can contain all those ego's like Phil. In Chicago he had to contain MJ, Pippen, & Rodman. In LA he had to contain Kobe & Shaq. Now he has to contain still Kobe and Pau. Now let's see how the Artest thing ends up. I'm pretty sure it will end up in another title for LA this year. when Phil wins he REPEATS.

 

Do you realize what you just said? .

 

You're infering that Red Aurbach doesn't repeat. .

[DWhiTex34]

Do you realize what you just said? .

 

You're infering that Red Aurbach doesn't repeat. .

 

LOL!.... E A S I L Y Red.

 

Players from all around the league respected Red when he was alive.

 

Phil is not really that respected by many other players around the league, at least I don't hear anything.......

Edited September 23, 2009 by DWhiTex34

[Heir Rose]

Do you realize what you just said? .

 

You're infering that Red Aurbach doesn't repeat. .

 

I'm pretty sure he used "when Phil wins, he repeats" to support his claim that the Lakers will win this upcoming season's title.

 

I know very little about either coach, but when Auerbach was coaching didn't he have far less teams to compete with than the 29 others L.A. plays? I remember reading that somewhere, and if that's the case I'm going with Jackson.

[EastCoastNiner]

I'm pretty sure he used "when Phil wins, he repeats" to support his claim that the Lakers will win this upcoming season's title.

 

I know very little about either coach, but when Auerbach was coaching didn't he have far less teams to compete with than the 29 others L.A. plays? I remember reading that somewhere, and if that's the case I'm going with Jackson.

 

No, he was just dumb and made absolutely no sense.

 

There is no way you can take what he said any other way.

Edited September 24, 2009 by EastCoastNiner

[Diesel]

Phil Jackson hands down. Only one coach can contain all those ego's like Phil. In Chicago he had to contain MJ, Pippen, & Rodman. In LA he had to contain Kobe & Shaq. Now he has to contain still Kobe and Pau. Now let's see how the Artest thing ends up. I'm pretty sure it will end up in another title for LA this year. when Phil wins he REPEATS.

 

LMAO

 

lets see Phil Jackson REPEAT about 8 times in a row

[GamerGuy]

Keep in mind that it was only after the Celtics had drafted Bill Russell, and that Auerbach changed the Celtics game from a high-scoring team to a defensive juggernaut, that Auerbach started winning titles.

 

To be honest, its difficult to say who is better, but I like how Jackson has won throughout the years with different groups of players. As of now, its close...but if Phil can repeat this year, and possibly earn another title after that...he'll be without question the greatest NBA coach of all time.

[Real Deal]

Phil Jackson would have twenty rings if he only had to play 8-10 teams a season.

[YugoRocketsFan]

This will always be one of the dumbest comparisons of all time, you cant compare them, 2 different eras, 2 different outcomes, both had talented, both have many rings, etc. if Phil does win a ring or 2, then yeah of course he will be the best but you cant say whos better, nobody has seen Auerbach coach.

[EastCoastNiner]

Phil Jackson would have twenty rings if he only had to play 8-10 teams a season.

 

And, Red Aurbach would have won 30 Championships if he had Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaq, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and other great players on his team.

 

If the league was watered down with expansion when the Boston Celtics won the majority of their Championships, maybe they would have won more if the league competition was as weak as it was in the late 1980's and 1990's due to expansion and just not very many great players, although I know you'll try and spin this argument in your favor.

[Real Deal]

And, Red Aurbach would have won 30 Championships if he had Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaq, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and other great players on his team.

 

If the league was watered down with expansion when the Boston Celtics won the majority of their Championships, maybe they would have won more if the league competition was as weak as it was in the late 1980's and 1990's due to expansion and just not very many great players, although I know you'll try and spin this argument in your favor.

No Boston team would've beaten the 90's Bulls...and the late 80's teams you're talking about include Bird's Celtics (in his prime), Magic's Lakers (in his prime), the Detroit Bad Boys, and some extremely talented teams.

 

I'd rather play eight teams to win a title.

[Poe]

And, Red Aurbach would have won 30 Championships if he had Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaq, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and other great players on his team.

....and how many titles did they get without Phil? Hmmm.... dumb argument. Red had plenty of talent on his team, too, so what's your point.

Edited September 24, 2009 by Poe

[YugoRocketsFan]

....and how many titles did they get without Phil? Hmmm.... dumb argument. Red had plenty of talent on his team, too, so what's your point.

 

Hes twisting Real Deal's word around to make him look ignorant.

[kingfish]

When Red left the Celtics won 2 more championships without him. Just sayin.

[Big Penny]

LOL!.... E A S I L Y Red.

 

Players from all around the league respected Red when he was alive.

 

Phil is not really that respected by many other players around the league, at least I don't hear anything.......

10 titles > 9 titles.

 

since when does respect have anything to do with how good someone is?

 

E A S I L Y Phil.

[EastCoastNiner]

No Boston team would've beaten the 90's Bulls...and the late 80's teams you're talking about include Bird's Celtics (in his prime), Magic's Lakers (in his prime), the Detroit Bad Boys, and some extremely talented teams.

 

I'd rather play eight teams to win a title.

 

I know that none of the Boston Celtics teams would have beaten any of the teams you just mentioned, but hte league was watered down when Phil Jackson won his Championships with the Chicago Bulls, and had some of the best players in NBA history on his teams.

 

 

You can say that there were only eight teams when Red Aurbach coached, and I'll keep saying that Phil Jackson had Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaq, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and other very good players.

 

I could have won a Championship if I coached the Chicago Bulls in the 1990's, considering he didn't really even coach, and Michael Jordan just hogged the ball and scored.

[Real Deal]

I could have won a Championship if I coached the Chicago Bulls in the 1990's, considering he didn't really even coach, and Michael Jordan just hogged the ball and scored.

Jordan hogged the ball less than he did in previous seasons...and you must be forgetting that they beat a 58-win Lakers team that had a prime Magic, Worthy and Scott, also beating a 50-win Pistons team with Zeke, Dumars, Rodman and Coach Daly, both to win that first title.

 

It's the same Bulls team that nearly upset the 59-win Bad Boy Pistons a season earlier, in the ECF, losing in seven games...the same Pistons that won the championship that year for a second consecutive time.

 

Fact is, Chicago didn't win a ring until Phil's second season with the team. That would be Jordan and Pippen's fourth season together, second with Phil Jackson.

 

And the Kobe/Shaq duo didn't win a ring until Phil's first season with them, Kobe and Shaq's fourth season together, first with Phil Jackson.

 

Technically, three dynasties (three three-peats) in a league of more than three times the amount of teams present when the Celtics and Red won theirs.

 

But to go even further, when Phil left the Lakers in 2004-05, they landed 34 wins in an injury-plagued season, mainly because nobody but Bryant was playing the game. After trading arguably their second best player in Caron Butler (you would argue third) and getting Kwame Brown, for some reason, the Lakers make the playoffs and nearly beat out the Phoenix Suns, 4-3, in 2006.

 

Tex Winter's triangle offense, and the way Phil Jackson applies it to his superstar players and manages their egos, has won him ten championships as a coach.

 

Saying that Red Auerbach didn't have that much talent? Well, he didn't have Jordan, but he had Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Sam Jones, and Tom Heinsohn...all excellent players, all available for the first five of Red's championships until 1963, when John Havlicek joined them, won another with those four, then Cousy was finished.

 

What happened then? Heinsohn left in 1965, and the amazing trio of Russel, Havlicek and Jones won 54 games and beat a 45-win Lakers squad to win the NBA championship.

 

That was Red's last season.

 

A 68-win Sixers team (with Wilt) knocked them out in 1967, with Bill Russell coaching and winning 60 games that season, tied for the second best record in franchise history. No Red Auerbach.

 

The following season, the Celtics managed to beat the Sixers after Greer choked, then took out a 52-win Lakers team on their way to a championship with Russell coaching.

 

Russell's second as a coach? A 48-win season, with Havlicek, Russell, Jones and Bailey Howell, who was actually a pretty good 20 PPG scorer and second pick in the draft. How did they do that? By beating the Lakers again. Another title without Red.

 

The players won those championships as much as Red did. If you want to argue that Jordan, Kobe, Shaq and Pippen were big factors, you might want to consider that they were all failing before Phil Jackson, and in the end, Red had as much help as Phil.

 

So, judging by their championships, I guess the answer is crystal clear.

[kingfish]

Haha pretty funny, Kobe and Shaq had 4 years together, and won nothing until Phil got there. MJ and Pippen won nothing together, until Phil got there.

 

Red leaves the Celtics, and they win 2 championships without him lol.

[Phightins]

The Lakers fans are taking Jackson and the Celtics fans are taking Auerbach. Shocking.

 

I agree with Slaven, this is a very difficult comparison to make.

[TheNextBestThing]

To tell the truth, Auerbach was a better GM than he was coach. His strategy worked because he put together exactly what he needed to win in his system.

 

 

I'll stand by this: Jackson would have won with Auebach's teams, and Auerbach would have won with Jackson's teams.

[Celtics3420]

To tell the truth, Auerbach was a better GM than he was coach. His strategy worked because he put together exactly what he needed to win in his system.

 

 

I'll stand by this: Jackson would have won with Auebach's teams, and Auerbach would have won with Jackson's teams.

 

This.

 

Phil is a better Coach. Auerbach is easily the GOAT GM, but you can't really argue that Phil isnt the better Coach. Red was great, dont get me wrong, but in the end, Red is remembered more for his moves as a GM(GM/Coach back in the russell days) than he will as a coach. Im as loyal a fan as there is, but people seem to take into account Red's GM'ing into a coaching arguement more or less. Not taking anthing away from Red, but Phil is better, but not by much.