This year’s Western Conference Finals matches two of the leagues most successful franchises when #1 seed LA Lakers meet the #3 seed San Antonio Spurs. These two teams have won seven of the last nine NBA championships since 1999. Their stars, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan, have combined for three league MVPs, seven championships and 21 All-NBA selections.
The most amazing statistic, however, might be that the coaches, Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich, have combined to win 13 of the last 17 championships since 1991 when Phil, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant and the rest of the Chicago Bulls burst onto the championship scene. These two coaches, with distinct styles, might go down as the best in NBA history. They are also no strangers to each other, having met five times in the playoff between 1999 and 2004 (Jackson’s Lakers are 3-2). NBA fans will be treated to great basketball and superior coaching in this the most competitive season in NBA and Western Conference history.
Who said coaching does not matter?
1 comment:
I am not a fan of Pop's small lineup with Finley or Udoka at the PF. He used it in game 1, and San Antonio had little offensive rebounding (other than Duncan), and on defense SA had a huge mismatch with Odom and defending Gasol on the screen roll rotation. He used this same philosophy in 2006 with Dallas in the Conference Finals (losing in a close Game 7), and unless the undersized guys are shooting lights out the strategy can backfire.
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