Phil Jackson

Revisiting Pippen’s Bad Days

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Thanks to Scottie Pippen’s recent statements, we now to get to revisit the 1990s yet again.  Pippen, who apparently has a book and some other stuff to promo, told Dan Patrick and GQ that Phil Jackson’s decision to choose Toni Kukoc to take the final shot of Game 3 against the Knicks in the 1994 playoffs was “a racial move to give [Kukoc] a rise.”  At the time, Pippen refused to go back into the game and Kukoc did hit the shot for the win. Pippen and Kevin Durant also had an extended … [Read more...] about Revisiting Pippen’s Bad Days

Rick Carlisle: Can You Go Home Again?

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The Pacers recent hiring of Rick Carlisle as coach fascinates me.  By all accounts, he’s a pretty good coach and, divorced of any backstory, his hiring by the Pacers is totally rational.  He’s a seasoned professional on a team that has struggled to get the most out of relatively solid talent.  What interests me is the fact that Carlisle is a prodigal son returning to town. By way of quick backstory, Carlisle had an interesting prior reign in Indiana.  In 2003, he was hired … [Read more...] about Rick Carlisle: Can You Go Home Again?

Q&A With Jeff Pearlman on Three-Ring Circus, Kobe, Shaq, and More

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On September 22, 2020, Jeff Pearlman released “Thee-Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty.”  Jeff is a prolific sports writer who has written books on the 1986 Mets, Walter Payton, the 1990s Cowboys, Brett Favre, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens.  On the basketball side, he wrote the well-received “Showtime” in 2013 about the Magic Johnson Lakers, for which he sat down with me for a fun interview.  The book was a fascinating and detailed account of … [Read more...] about Q&A With Jeff Pearlman on Three-Ring Circus, Kobe, Shaq, and More

Wrapping Up MJ’s Last Dance

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Have we discussed Michael Jordan enough?  Subjectively, it certainly feels like a resounding “yes.”  So far, we’ve dug into a bunch of MJ issues over the years: -Sam Bowie v. MJ -The colorful, but bad, early MJ Bulls -The MJ and Isiah Feud -Doug Collins’ firing -Craig Hodges’ attempts to get MJ to be more socially active -Would MJ have won in 1993-94?  -Jordan’s time with the Wizards -MJ v. the LBJ Heat -MJ v. the Curry Warriors Still, there are a ton … [Read more...] about Wrapping Up MJ’s Last Dance

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