Jackson vs. Riley

Sporting News, The, May 1, 2000 by Sean Stewart

Success in sports is difficult to achieve. Long-term success is harder--like finding a mason to go see a new Kevin Costner flick. So it is in the NBA, where the coaching carnage (see Don "It's just a matter of time" Casey)--and the subsequent recycling (welcome back, Dave Cowens) has begun.

Phil Jackson and Pat Riley, who rank behind only Red Auerbach as the best NBA coaches ever, are exceptions.

But who is the better coach?

Riley has continued to succeed with the third team of his 18-year career. The evolution of Riley and his teams has been telling. With the Lakers, he prospered with Showtime, led by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, as devastating an offensive force as has graced the hardwoods. In Gotham, Riley's Knicks and their struggle to score was only surpassed by the defensive intensity--and at times, thuggery. Riley relied on a another big fella, Patrick Ewing, the cornerstone of three division rifles and an appearance in The Finals.

Riley has brought the defense of the Knicks to South Beach and found Alonzo Mourning, but hasn't figured out the formula for scoring points and getting out of the first round, save '97. No matter the personnel, Riley has won: 16 division titles, eight Finals berths, four titles and 999 wins.

But what about the Zen Master, he of the six titles? Some say Jackson, who benefitted greatly from the presence of Michael Jordan, was the luckiest coach since Auerbach traded for Bill Russell. But those folks are wrong.

While the best Jackson could manage while Jordan flirted with a baseball career was two conference semifinals berths, MJ never reached The Finals until Jackson became the Bulls' head coach. Meshing the eclectic mix of the NBA's greatest player (Jordan), a moody superstar in training (Scottie Pippen), solid role players and Dennis Rodman, and getting them to play together and be wildly successful, makes Jackson the only coach of recent memory whose motivational skills surpass those of Riley.

That, with his masterful transformation of the Lakers, gives Jackson the edge, by the width of a meditation pamphlet, over Riley as the NBA's best coach.

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WESTERN CONFERENCE

Don Nelson says he's done with coaching after 22 years and 926 victories (sixth highest win total in NBA history), so now he returns to Maul to tap a keg and work on choosing a successor. But is it really over? Dallas owner Mark Cuban, smitten with Nellie after a 16-5 finish, says he will ask him to return for another year if they can't find the right guy.... Why did Scott Skiles delay signing his new Phoenix contract (five years, about $12.5 million plus incentives)? Probably because he was waiting for some signals about what Indiana might do with Larry Bird's job. Skiles, of course, is a legend in Indy and has two sons living there.... The runaway winner for injury of the year goes to Phoenix C Luc Longley, who was stung twice by a scorpion while sitting on the floor at his home sorting through his CD collection--once on the foot, once on the buttocks. "If I was unable to play," Longley said, "I'll be the first player ever to have `DNP-(posterior) bite' on the box score." ... Rod Higgins, rebuffed in his attempt to break free from Golden State in January, now seems destined to join Michael Jordan in Washington (as head coach or assistant G.M., perhaps), now that Dave Cowens has been given the Warriors' top spot.... F Scottie Pippen gives a rousing endorsement to Mike Dunleavy, whose job reportedly could be in jeopardy should Portland make an early exit from the postseason: "We know we let some games slip away, but I think Mike has done a great job," Pippen said. "In the games we didn't come out and play well, it wasn't Mike's fault. It was more our fault." ... The Timberwolves cracked the 50-win barrier for the first time in their 11-year history, and F Kevin Garnett could not help but be moved: "Same team that had Luc Longley, J.R. Rider, Doug West," Garnett said. "Same organization that took a chance on me. Same team that brought Steph (Marbury) in, Googs from Gugliotta). Same organization that has been through so much adversity. So 50 is like icing on the cake with extra sugar, with 50 candles on it, and when you blow it, they don't ever blow out." ... Phil Jackson won't back off on the asterisk business, still maintaining that the Spurs' championship season wasn't exactly the real deal: "Everybody knows what kind of year it was here in the NBA last year--it was a 50-game season," Jackson said. "Roger Marls had an asterisk season: He played 162 instead of 154. It's the same. Asterisk seasons are not the same, that's all. So there's a difference. There is a difference."

Sean Stewart is an associate editor for THE SPORTING NEWS.