Mutt

i think you have to give it to the man, he's won everywhere he's gone, people forget Phil Jackson started out coaching in the old CBA.

as for Auerbach vs Jackson - the NBA is much tougher now, a 1 in 30 chance to win a championship each season vs 1 in 8-10 in Auerbach's day. As for MikeSmoke's argument that the teams Auerbach competed against were tougher because there were only 100 players in the entire 9 team league - that's offset by the fact that basketball is now a global game and there are outstanding non-Americans on every team. No Yao Mings and Dirk Nowitzki's back then.

Also, another edge to Jackson, free agency - Celtics built a powerhouse and kept it together year after year after year. Jackson every season has to fit together a puzzle from a few core stars and then the supporting class that his GM's throw at him. He's pretty masterful at that.

then there's the people skills that are necessary today - today's players are multi millionaires who are mostly 'me' guys, many are downright idiots and thugs and spoiled brats. Jackson is fantastic at dealing with different personalities.

As far as x's and o's - there are lots of coaches from then and now who were the equal strategically of Auerbach's and Jackson's. Basketball isn't football, especially with the NBA, teams all run the same plays. The trick is putting the right players out there, at the end of the game usually and massaging egos and knowing how to deal with 12 different personalities so the team sticks together.

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