did anyone hear Mr. Arrogant's comments today ?

[ERod86]

Red was the most arrogant coach ever, talked crap every chance he got...you're going to begrudge Phil some smack?

I don't mind the smack, just come up with something relevant.  We've seen 4 Super Bowls,5 AFC Championship Games, 2 World Series, 3 ALCS Series, and now the NBA Finals in the last 5 years.  Who was pitching for the Sox last time Phil came to town, Roger Clemens?

Fair enough, but when you're Phil's age 5 years is VERY recent. And to be fair, when you are taking about Celtics history, that very very recent.

[Discoflux]

[Discoflux]

-  What is the difference between being arrogant and being confident in your ability?  I see Phil as the latter.

-  Phil is unconventional.  I love that- it works for him and the team in a positive, constructive vibe way, and on the court.

-  Phil is extremely intelligent and a great communicator.  He speaks on a deeper level than what i usually hear in sports.

-  His techniques get copied, i.e. giving players books, showing movies for motivation/message, terminology and concepts about player focus and energy, little things like writing the number 16 on the whiteboard at the beginning of the playoffs....

-  Phil is an original.  He gets that twinkle in his eye.  He knows what he is doing.  He is accountable, capable, in control, well prepared, his actions are well merited, he gets great results... there is no other coach I would ever want for the Lakers.  So glad we have him.

-  He takes little shots at our team... he called Radmanovic a "space cadet" and Sasha a "6 a.m. shooter" etc... and then his players step up for him.  He's a really cool guy he would be great to have in your ring of friends.

[tenn_smoothie]

I dont know but if Sloan would have won it all this year, would he be hated as much as Mr. Jackson? We seem to hate anyone that is successful if he is not related to the celtics? How many pennants has jackson won in the last 22 years; How many have the Celtics won? If Jackson won some of them with two good players: I see that most Celtic fans in here consider Kobe and Shak overrated, same as with Lebron, then we should be a prohibitive favorite to win it this year with the BIG Three. Lakers haven had anything like our big three for 22 years. We should have absolutely no trouble beating the Lakers with our BIG 3, if the Lakers could do it with only two good but overrated players. Now, at best, Lakers have 2 good but overrated players in Kobe and Gasol, and they are very weak inside, so I read here. No problema; we will be hanging banner 17 in our home; these finals are only a league and teams money raising sham. We win, and you can take that to the bank.

i can't agree with your statement about any winning coach would be hated. Jackson is hated because of his condescending attitude towards other teams and coaches in the league - as if he coaches on an entirely seperate level from the rest of the league which to his mind, is made up of unsophisticated, simple-mind coaches who lack the keen insight that Jackson perceives a game with.

[pslakerfan]

Like him or not, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have enormous respect for the man.  He's a heckuva coach, and he'll make a worthy opponent in the two weeks to come.

-sw

Hes a good coach but it helps when you get to coach on the team that has the best player. Hes got to coach MJ, Shaq and Kobe. Must be nice...

If only Red Auerbach got to coach great players like Russell, Cousy, and Havlicek............oh wait, he did, my bad.  If only Auerbach didn't have to deal with free agency and 30 other teams...............oh wait, he didn't, my bad. 

[oneofthesedays]

I love it when Jackson riles up teams like this.  It's all mind games, the sooner you realize that Jackson is just goofing around the better your life will be.

Regarding the other parallel discussion about Jackson's coaching abilities, I would argue that you need supreme talent to win consistently in this league.  Every now and then you get a team like DET who has no superstar that wins, but it is a very rare event.  Superstars win championships, and the more you have on your team the better. 

The Lakers and Spurs have combined to win 8 of the last 10 championships.  Both teams are coached by the best coaches in this league.  Both teams have/had an abundance of superstars.

Lakers - Kobe & Prime Shaq
Spurs - David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Ginobli, Tony Parker

[Bahku]

To Phil: "It's always better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt". See ya on Thursday night, Jacko! (Don't forget to bring your Kool-Aid and your sweater ... it's apt to be a bit "cool" in that building for you and your team).

[Reyquila]

How relevant to the Phil jackson topic is to mention how many world series and football championships have Boston team in somewhat different sports won? How does football and baseball make Phil Jackson so arrogant that we have to discuss it? How many cigars has Phil Jackson arrogantly smoked while enjoying an inminent win? Do I noe a trace of fear that the arrogant Phil Jackson may overtake Red in total pennants sometime in the future. They seem to have a pretty good team and maybe it will even gett better when Bynum returns and Kobe and Gasol and the rest of their overrated players finally learn to play together. Scary, isnt it? Just be fair - being a good fan does not obligate to be a blind fanatical fan.

[ma11l]

How relevant to the Phil jackson topic is to mention how many world series and football championships have Boston team in somewhat different sports won? How does football and baseball make Phil Jackson so arrogant that we have to discuss it? How many cigars has Phil Jackson arrogantly smoked while enjoying an inminent win? Do I noe a trace of fear that the arrogant Phil Jackson may overtake Red in total pennants sometime in the future. They seem to have a pretty good team and maybe it will even gett better when Bynum returns and Kobe and Gasol and the rest of their overrated players finally learn to play together. Scary, isnt it? Just be fair - being a good fan does not obligate to be a blind fanatical fan.

It's relevant because he talked about the Red Sox and "Beantown" in the quote.  I'm pretty sure that makes it very relevant.

[GroverTheClover]

Phil has earned the right to be arrogant. He's a Hall of Fame coach.

[nickagneta]

I not only read the comments but saw the video on ESPN and quite honestly, I thought they were pretty darn funny and entertaining. And really not all that much off the mark.

Come on people, let's not be so hateful of our oppenents that we cannot look into the mirror and see what other people see and jest at. That was funny stuff and he's right about the Red Sox removing the angst that existed in most Boston sports fans.

Good for Phil, I like when coaches can have a sense of humor about things. It's probably why I like Doc so much as a person.

[Barnabas]

mr. arrogant - phil jackson - while laughing it up with the press today, commented that "Beantown is still Beantown, At least the Red Sox have won something recently - those fans are not so, uh, bedraggled these days."

i never liked phil jackson, from his gangly days as a Knick, to his watered-down titles in chicago, to his "professor zen" years in LA where he won titles with the two best players in the league. i don't know if the guy is over-rated or not, but i want to beat him in the worst way in this series !!

But you know, the number one reason why the fans in Boston hate Phil Jackson is because he's not a Celtic and his teams have been much more successful.  No, I never hate any player or coach.  That's not the kind of fan I am.  While I would like Boston to win, I would like to see them do that in a sportsman-like way, with both teams healthy and playing their best.  That is the only true way to win.  And if LA shows themselves to be the better team, then so be it.

[GroverTheClover]

mr. arrogant - phil jackson - while laughing it up with the press today, commented that "Beantown is still Beantown, At least the Red Sox have won something recently - those fans are not so, uh, bedraggled these days."

i never liked phil jackson, from his gangly days as a Knick, to his watered-down titles in chicago, to his "professor zen" years in LA where he won titles with the two best players in the league. i don't know if the guy is over-rated or not, but i want to beat him in the worst way in this series !!

But you know, the number one reason why the fans in Boston hate Phil Jackson is because he's not a Celtic and his teams have been much more successful. No, I never hate any player or coach.  That's not the kind of fan I am.  While I would like Boston to win, I would like to see them do that in a sportsman-like way, with both teams healthy and playing their best.  That is the only true way to win.  And if LA shows themselves to be the better team, then so be it.

Well said. I think the bolded text is very true. I think alot of the hatred comes from the jabs he and Red used to sling at one another. Also, the fact that Phil has the potential to pass Red as the coach with the most rings really irks us. Objectively speaking I think Phil is a top 3 coach (with #1 being Red  ).

[tenn_smoothie]

i would say that hating your opponent is part of what being a Celtic is all about. you wanna tell me that Red didn't hate the Lakers and Phil Jackson ??

i remember a quote i read from Paul Silas back in the 70's, saying that he and his teammates "don't help opponents up off the floor because they are the enemy."

tho i'll admit, Bill Russell is probably more similar to Phil Jackson than any other Celtic.

[BadNewsBarnes]

If only Red Auerbach got to coach great players like Russell, Cousy, and Havlicek............oh wait, he did, my bad.  If only Auerbach didn't have to deal with free agency and 30 other teams...............oh wait, he didn't, my bad. 

If only Phil had to build a team through the draft and trades and then become the coach and general mananger and win 16 World Championships...Oh wait, he didn't, my bad.