Phil Jackson, as Expected, Pokes Fun at Red Auerbach’s Mystique
One of the major story lines from the Finals - which, finally and mercifully, begin tomorrow night - will be Phil Jackson’s attempt to break the record for most titles won by a head coach, a record he shares with the legendary Red Auerbach.
Phil and Red didn’t exactly have the warmest relationship when Auerbach was still alive, and now with a glorious opportunity to leapfrog him in the history books, Jackson can’t resist the urge to poke fun at the myth surrounding the Celtic great.
“The ghost of Red Auerbach is present,” [Jackson] says. “It’s very present.”
“Danny Ainge and Kevin McHale, don’t you think they collaborated on all this?” says Jackson. “Red’s ghost swayed McHale to make the Kevin Garnett trade with Boston last year, rather than with someone else.”
Careful, Phil. Keep up these types of comments, and you guys might not even have any running water in your locker room during your stay in Boston.
67 Responses to “Phil Jackson, as Expected, Pokes Fun at Red Auerbach’s Mystique”
Jun.4 at 1:05 pm
Frodo says:
Lakers gonna win.
Jun.4 at 1:05 pm
monrats says:
go LA!
Jun.4 at 1:06 pm
TADOne says:
Phil’s a funny dude.
Jun.4 at 1:06 pm
Frodo says:
McHale was a fool, maybe he was scared by a ghost.
Jun.4 at 1:21 pm
DP says:
harmless humor. Phil wants this record more than anything right now.
Jun.4 at 1:25 pm
Shawn Bradley Jr. says:
The Triangle Offense is poetry and Phil Jackson is Arthur Rimbaud. That’s the reason he did Brokeback Mountain jokes, months ago.
Jun.4 at 1:26 pm
B. Long says:
If Phil doesn’t light up a huge fattie after the Lakers take this in 5, I’ll be pissed.
Jun.4 at 1:32 pm
kamran says:
lakers in 5!!!
Jun.4 at 1:33 pm
Jackie Moon says:
Insert comment about Gasol trade here.
Jun.4 at 1:35 pm
Sparker says:
rimbaud died nearly penniless at 37, having had his right leg amputated. how’s that for funny?
Jun.4 at 1:38 pm
WhaHuh says:
Phil and Red are both haters
Jun.4 at 1:41 pm
jdubbs says:
B.Long: How are the Lakers going to take this in 5? I don’t see any matchups in their favor outside of Kobe.
Garnett>>Gasol
Pierce>>Odom Rondo/House =Farmar/Fisher
Perkins>>radmonovic
Big Baby >>Snack bar. Anyway, i can’t wait for the series. I see Boston taking this in 6 or 7 games.
Jun.4 at 1:46 pm
albie1kenobi says:
jdubbs you forgot:
phil >>>>>>> doc rivers
Jun.4 at 1:48 pm
WhaHuh says:
Why do people keep responding to B.Long’s baiting? Wait ’till Friday morning
Jun.4 at 2:04 pm
Ste says:
I hope LA makes the entire Boston squad a ghost…by killin’em with their play!
Jun.4 at 2:05 pm
Shawn Bradley Jr. says:
I was talking about Rimbaud the poet, 17 to 20 years old. If you’ve studied french, maybe you know “les réparties de nina” or “les soeurs de charité. ” In fact, the triangle offense is a metaphor of a “ménage à trois”.
Jun.4 at 2:17 pm
TMT says:
They always party better in LA… TROIS it up!
Jun.4 at 2:23 pm
B. Long says:
@jdubbs: Kobe’s left nut> The Celtics
Jun.4 at 2:24 pm
B. Long says:
I can’t wait til Friday, How bout tomorrow night?
Jun.4 at 2:25 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
Is this the first time that 2 brutally lopsided trades have led to an NBA finals appearance by both teams?
Jun.4 at 2:25 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Did Red’s ghost convince the Grizzlies to give up Pau Gasol in exchange for a bucket of rusty nails? Or was it maybe one of the Playmate rejects Dr. Buss carts around in his white stretch limo? I ask because I don’t know.
Jun.4 at 2:25 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Phil’s a dick, is my point.
Jun.4 at 2:33 pm
Shawn Bradley Jr. says:
Speaking of the Celtics, the finals won’t be a tea party for them.
Jun.4 at 2:41 pm
Shawn Bradley Jr. says:
It was the same kind of trade that sent Barkley to the suns in 1992.
Jun.4 at 2:42 pm
marcgar says:
@B.Long: as much as i hate the lakers i enjoy your reading your comments celtics in 6
Jun.4 at 2:46 pm
Shawn Bradley Jr. says:
Barkley was traded for 2 guard Jeff Hornacek, center Andrew Lang, and sf Tim Perry. It’s obvious the sixers got screwed.
Jun.4 at 2:56 pm
Silky Slim says:
Slow your roll Big Chief Triangle. You don’t want to rattle the cage of the Celtics.
Jun.4 at 3:14 pm
B. Long says:
@Ryan: You’d be riding the Zen Master’s Peyote Pipe if he was coaching Lebron.
Jun.4 at 3:15 pm
B. Long says:
@Ryan: I do agree that Jerry Buss dating girls old enough to be Phil’s step-grandaughters is creepy though.
Jun.4 at 3:21 pm
Jukai says:
What idiot said that the Lakers are matched badly with the Celts? Learn their proper positions!
Fisher > Rondo
Kobe >>>> Allen
Odom > Perkins
Not to mention, I mean… the Lakers are the deepest team in the NBA while the Celtics bench is laughable.
Jun.4 at 3:22 pm
illydiva says:
What Ryan said.
Jun.4 at 3:22 pm
Jukai says:
Whoa, for some reason a lot of that disappeared and I have no idea why… the last three should be Pierce > Odom, Garnett > Half-pipe, and Gasol >>>>>>>> Perkins
Jun.4 at 3:24 pm
Jukai says:
I may be wrong, Gasol might get bullied pretty bad cause he’s a softy… but if Gasol just puts a LITTLE bit of effort into his offense, I think the Celts are in big trouble. Perkins and Davis aren’t half as fast, but what they lack in speed, they make up for fouling every 20 minutes!
Jun.4 at 3:25 pm
B. Long says:
Thanks for clearing that up Jukai, I was wondering why Odom was matched up with Perkins.
Jun.4 at 3:25 pm
Knicks! says:
Go LA! Kobe Finals MVP
Jun.4 at 3:41 pm
Jukai says:
Yeah, and to further clear that mess up, I meant every 20 seconds. Cause fouling every 20 minutes is actually a pretty good ratio. Not a good day to be coherent, I guess.
Jun.4 at 3:48 pm
Shawn Bradley Jr. says:
I truly think Gasol is underrated. He’s averaging 4.2 assists for the play-offs. A perfect fit for the triangle.
Jun.4 at 3:49 pm
The Biz says:
Actually I think Odom is going to give PP trouble because of his length It’s basically on KG’s shoulders this series
Jun.4 at 4:07 pm
Shawn Bradley Jr. says:
jacksons a fuk face. does he not think that west and kupchak were also tied in to the gasol steal
Jun.4 at 4:08 pm
B. Long says:
As much as I appreciate KG’s game and his evolution of the Power Forward position, he ain’t that dude you want to have to CARRY your team. And yes I’d say the same thing if he was a Laker.
Jun.4 at 4:20 pm
vtrobot says:
C’s bench ain’t laughable. They were part of that best record in the L. Plus, the Old Three gotta be getting tired soon. I think the fact that Ray and KG are both somewhat mentally ill is the thing keep them going. It was only a matter of time before Phil started talking like a pr*ck. Piece is going throw signs at him. I surprised Stern allows Pierce to do that dice roll during intros. That it straight gangsta.
Jun.4 at 4:38 pm
P.Slight says:
Posey, Big Baby, Powe and Cassell make a pretty decent bench, House is a loose cannon but not having Tony Allen hurts. He wouldve been an extra defender 2 throw at Mambaman and gave the C’s energy off the bench also.
Jun.4 at 5:32 pm
B. Long says:
The Bench Mob is the best in the L. The Celtics bench is mediocre at best.
Jun.4 at 5:46 pm
ciolkstar says:
If the lakers lose, B. Long has to agree to never post here again. Deal?
Jun.4 at 5:47 pm
Brandon Hoffman says:
THE ZENMASTER
Jun.4 at 6:29 pm
AC says:
It’s too bad Jax has to open his yap…
Jun.4 at 6:32 pm
AC says:
Note to “KP43″… first rejected spalding needs some inspiration… Send it to Phil.
Jun.4 at 6:40 pm
Kamran says:
I think lakers should start vujajic instead of radnovimic Vujajic-Rondo
Fisher-Allen
Mamba aka King Kobe-Peirce
Odom-Perkins
Gasol-Garnett
Jun.4 at 6:56 pm
Chukaz says:
People need to stop saying that Phil won his championships because of Jordan & Pippen and Shaq & Kobe. Red never won without Bill Russel.
Jun.4 at 7:13 pm
Mark Z says:
Uh, Phil conviniently forgets things. Like the fact that Memphis gift wrapped Gasol & sent him to LA. Or, during his recent anti flopping tirade, that he has three FIBA schooled floppers on his team…
Jun.4 at 7:44 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Three things: 1) Great coaches earn the right to pick their spots. Pat Riley went to Miami and New York, not Vancouver and Atlanta. 2) Find me a coach that’s won a championship without great players. 3) Had Phil stayed out of L.A. after he quit and taken, say, the Phoenix job, and won a title with Nash, Amare and Marion, people would have said, “Well, yeah, he had three All-Stars and the best point guard in the League, anyone could have won a title with that roster.” Mm-hm. Who’s to say the Bulls would have won six titles with a different coach? Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Jun.4 at 8:11 pm
Jackie Moon says:
Phil Jackson won in the freakin CBA!!! I suppose he had the superduperstar of the CBA on that title team, too.
Jun.4 at 8:15 pm
Jackie Moon says:
More on that CBA title team: Phil Jackson took over the team mid-season. At the time, their record was 8-15. The dude is a money coach in any league.
Jun.4 at 9:44 pm
Dacre says:
amen. PHIL JACKSON will strangle the ghost of any celtic emo you can poke a shrimp at.
Jun.4 at 9:52 pm
Dacre says:
GO LAKERS.
Jun.4 at 11:17 pm
j melo says:
did the ghost of george mikan get jerry west to agree for the gasol trade?
Jun.4 at 11:21 pm
B. Long says:
@coilkstar: The Spurs bench just buzzed you to come down and empty the bedpans. They said that they’re sorry they’re so full but they are excited because its bingo night! Yea!
Jun.4 at 11:24 pm
tealish says:
I think the Zen Master has a certain mystique about him himself.
Jun.5 at 5:27 am
Shawn Bradley Jr. says:
Someone stole my name. I’m gonna change it.
Jun.5 at 10:55 am
Knick says:
Red pulled ancient kabbalistic tricks on ignorant “we just playing BBall” fools for some 50 years, but these 2008 Celtics are free from that curse (Bias, Lewis had to pay the price). Popovich used his intelligence weapons while Jordan and Kobe obviously sold their souls to Satan. But there is light, there is hope: Jesus and Garnett will exorcise Red’s curse and Kobe’s black magic in 6 games!!!
Jun.5 at 1:52 pm
neo says:
there he goes again.. phil just loves playin mind games.
buggin his opponents when he has a good hand of cards? com’on celtis, shut his big mouth for god sakes !
Jun.5 at 2:27 pm
kamran says:
jerry west did the pau trade cuz he knew they were going to go to the finals against the celtics
Jun.5 at 2:30 pm
44-32-24 says:
This is gonna be a great series. Some great offense against some great defense. Defense always wins in football and wins more often than not in basketball too. That’s why I’m hoping that the Celtics go thru some scoring droughts like the Spurs did. Lakers in 6.
Jun.5 at 4:17 pm
youngmuggsy says:
Having seen how crazy pau gasol acts after just about every possesion in which a foul is called on him, or not called on an opponent, during the regular season. I’m pretty sure he’ll have killed someone by game 3.
Jun.5 at 4:38 pm
Genenene says:
B. Long > coilkstar
GO LAKERS!!
Jun.6 at 12:40 am
Jeter says:
I don’t think the CEltics are getting the respect that they deserve in these Finals. They have dominated the regular season for a reason. Because they are a good and deep team who is anchored by one of the intense players to ever lace-up, Kevin Garnett. They are good. They are deep. and this series will be close. The lakers might not run away with the title as we are all made to believe. But they will be “The Only One” by Game 6.
Jun.6 at 12:42 am
Jeter says:
I respect the history of the game and the Lakers-Celtics rivalry. But all that hoopla of the mystique means nothing if the heart of the players are weak. This is here and now. What happened in the past can’t bring you what you want to happen now.