It looks like the Los Angeles Lakers, up 3-1 in the series vs. the Orlando Magic, will come up with the title before the series is over. Maybe the Magic will win game 5 and send it back to LA, but it will likely end in game 6. The Lakers have the best player, Kobe Bryant, and the best coach, Phil Jackson. Jackson will end up with 10 NBA titles as head coach. That is a number that's hard to believe. Years back Pat Riley was the hot coach, when Kareem and Magic Johnson were in their prime. You have to have great players to be a winning coach. And, a great coach finds a way to keep his great players playing at the highest level. Jackson benefitted from coaching Jordan and Pippen and the rest of the Bulls, not to forget, Dennis Rodman. He was able to get Rodman to play his best, and that was not an easy thing to do.
Jackson won 6 titles with the Bulls. Six is a lot of titles. They won three in a row. Took a year off, and came back to win another 3 in a row. The stamina, consistency, and patience, to do that is noteworthy. It's no so easy when every night, someone looks to knock off "the champs." But the Bulls and Jordan were ready to play.
Then Jackson goes west and gets Shaq and Kobe. They won again. Now, Kobe is left and trying to earn 3rd or 4th ring. Jackson has been there. He got elected to the Hall of Fame. You can't knock Red Auerbach, the Celtics coach, and you have to give Phil Jackson a lot of kudos. He can coach.
