Jesus harry. You aren't that dumb.

Just because you continue to polish Saint Phil's knob doesn't mean Van Gundy can't coach. You keep propping up this Game 3 observation that the Lakers were in it DESPITE those gaudy shooting numbers. Every game except Game 1 has come down to the wire and it hasn't always been because of crazy shooting percentages.

Fact is, Van Gundy took over a shitty Heat team FROM Pat Riley and made them into one of the dominant teams in the East in a few years only to have Riley swoop in and cash in with a Championships.

He's taken Orlando from a bottom feeder to the 2nd round and now the Finals in 2 years. I'm not saying he's the best or anything, and I don't want to discount the talent he's had, but the guy is a proven winner and I'd take him in Atanta with our young talent in a heartbeat.


Also, I'd like to say about your Saint Phil that while he will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest ever, I'd argue that he was equally lucky and smart.

Lucky in that when he was hired on as an assistant for Chicago there was a kid named Michael Jordan already on the team.

Smart in that he went after the Lakers job that already had Kobe and Shaq on it.

Without them, he's nothing but Jerry Sloan.

Conversely, without Phil, MJ is nothing but Karl Malone.

Pretty much agree with all of this. Never said Van Gundy wasn't a good coach, just that some of the schemes (especially defense) that St. Phil has come up with have resulted in a 3-1 lead.

One game til a parade.

Orlando just wasn't ready to take on an experienced team like the Lakers. Their lack in clutch shooting has shown that, Hedo is the only one who has performed very well in this postseason. Also, the Lakers have not been playing well as a whole in the finals. Kobe has struggled the last two games and our perimeter shooting has been really off. Pau has played exceptional when he has the ball, but by far this is not the Lakers at their best.

Jameer Nelson is such a liability.

He only plays well in stretches, and has trouble controlling the pace of the game, which is pretty much the only thing a point guard needs to do.

jameer is an American hero and i'll knife fight anyone who disagrees

put... the... mouthpiece.... backinyourmouth... you freak

DINGDINGDINGDINGDING!

You're right other than Shaq and Kobe might not have any rings if Jerry Sloan had been their coach and Karl Malone and John Stockton might have a few.

You two both seem to forget that Shaq and Kobe won their rings after Jackson appeared on the scene.

Also: Lakers' season when Jackson retired 34-48
Lakers' season when Jackson unretired 45-37

Don't try to tell me that turnaround was the addition of Kwame Brown and Smush Parker.

You obviously need great players to win championships but Jackson is still the best coach I've ever seen.

This is not even a question and anyone who doesn't acknowledge it is either a jaded hater or knows nothing about sports in general or basketball in particular.

One Dwight Howard free throw (or Hedo making more than one of his last four FT's) & one Courtney Lee layup away from being UP 3 games to 1, and Orlando hasn't played well?

I'll admit that the Lakers are the better team, but to say that Orlando wasn't ready or isn't good enough to play with the Lakers is ridiculous.

File me under jaded hater.

John Wooden was lucky? What' s your standard, what's your analysis? How can PJ be 9 hours away from the all-time finals winning NBA coaching champ...different teams, different eras... and ... what, be mediocre?

Few things are as beautiful as Kobe stopping and ELEVATING:

Look, I hate Phil for making the asterisk comment after the Spurs won the '99 title, OK? Wooden has eons more class than Jackson's faux zen arrogance.

plus, phil comes off as a douche.

The Tony La Russa of the hardwood.

In your face Tyrun Lue

I am thinking we can get at least two more of these out of this team. And again, the defensive scheme pretty much shut down the Magic in the second quarter... that was Phil's scheme, Phil's design...

the police have been chasing the same gang of like 50 dudes all over downtown LA for hours now. It's actually quite hilarious TV.

even better, is that the guy in the helicopter noticed another, smaller brigade of people that for a little while at least were going around and putting out the fires started by the other group of people.

im ok with shots fired to any malicious celebrators... other than that... once again champions. Hands down the best team.

Im going to a parade on Thursday!

Congrats to BG, Sanchez and harry: In the Association of the blind, the one eyed team is king.

I always thought Kobe's jumper looked a little forced; mechanical. Not as fluid as Jordan's. Kobe isn't half as creative or expressive with his game as Jordan was. But that's what is so good about it. Kobe is forced. He is mechanical. Everything is meditated and executed.

And to anyone questioning Phil Jackson's greatness as a coach: tell us something, anything, other than the irrelevant hypothetical "BUT HE WAS LUCKY TO HAVE GOOD PLAYERS!!!" Go on, point out something specific about his coaching style, or something he has done or does that is deficient and basketball-related. I'm talking about facts, not imaginary scenarios. Facts, like how he, under the tutelage of Tex Winter, has run the most complex yet freely flowing offense in the history of the game, to the tune of ten rings. No one else has ever been able to run that offense in the NBA. No one.

There is no one in the history of the game that can hold a candle to his management of great teams with massive, fragile egos, and he is terribly underrated as a defensive mind. Few players have career nights against Jackson-led teams.

While to be honest I thought he was out-coached by Doc and Tom Thibodeau last year, he really didn't have the cattle to get a ring with that squad against that ridiculously good Boston team (who I doubt themselves would have picked up a ring this year without Posey and PJ Brown, KG or none, and doubt they ever will again). Ariza was the big difference this year.

And the thing that no one points out as often as they should is not the ten rings, but that he has three-peated. THREE FUCKING TIMES. Do you realise how hard that is?

Ten rings. The only man who has more (and only one more) just so happens to be the greatest basketball mind of all time.

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Thank God this is over

I didn't even watch game four or five...

he lost a home playoff game with kobe and shaq to allen iverson and a bunch of injured hobos off the street.