The Brilliance of Phil Jackson

When I was discharged from the Marines and moved to Illinois, I wasn’t really following basketball.  Then I began to see the Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan, Scotty Pippen and Dennis Rodman play that game in such a way that made it hard to turn away.  I began to learn more and more about this game and see things that I did not pay attention to earlier.  I discovered that Phil Jackson was more of a guru than anyone had ever thought.

The Chicago Bulls is not as entertaining as they once were and I have found myself searching for that one inspiring team that would hold my attention as the Bulls once did.  I thought I had found it in the Miami Heat with LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh but I can see very clearly that they are missing one very important ingredient and it is not a player on the floor.  It’s another Phil Jackson.

I, like most sport fans, tend to get overly involved with the game and try to coach from the couch.  I had always felt that Jackson’s means of letting the Bulls play through their mistakes on the court even if they seem to be getting blown out was a serious mistake but I soon learned that Phil Jackson had a method to his madness.  He would explain to the players what he wanted them to do on the court and when they would defer from those bad things would happen and instead of bailing them out by calling a time out he would just sit there and watch them flop around for a while.  After the players began to show their frustrations on the court, Phil Jackson would then call a time out, remind the players of what they needed to do to win and send them right back out there.  Players figured out that having him seeing the entire game and not be limited only to one basket at a time was instrumental to their success.

Miami Heat may not have a Phil Jackson but they do have a coach who tries to see the entire game and share his vision with the players.  I find it quite hard to believe that the Heat does not take their defender to the basket off the dribble when they can do that easily.  I find it quite hard to believe that LeBron James does not bend his wrist when he shoots free throws knowing that when it does it is a hit and not a miss.  I find it quite hard to believe that Mario Chambers and Dwayne Wade can get so distracted that they lose sight of their man and why the Heat must collapse on the ball carrier once they enter the paint.  Doing your job means to keep your man contained, once you switch you are no longer responsible for the man you switched from but the one you switched to.  There will always be Miami Heat players near the basket if there is a mismatch to provide that block but sending every player to the ball always opens up the three pointers.

It might prove beneficial for the Heat coaches to take a play out of Phil Jackson’s playbook by telling the players when a team is physical stop being so concern with fouls and referees and begin to drive the ball.  If you are driving the ball smartly, you will soon find that the opposition team members are stepping back, challenging less and getting more fouls called on them.  The Miami Heat coaches might want to tell the players what will win and when they stray, let them play.