PHIL JACKSON

Phil Jackson arrived in Los Angeles in 1999 with a reputation for having modernized the triangle offense in Chicago, where he won six championships, and for being able to handle notoriously difficult players such as Dennis Rodman. He used his skills to good effect with the talented by troubled Lakers.

To create a sideline triangle, Jackson positions the center at the low post, a forward at the wing, and a guard at the corner. The other guard is stationed at the top of the key with the second forward at the weak-side high post. This arrangement provides for good spacing among the players and permits each of them to pass to any of his four teammates. The approach allows for maximum offensive flexibility by permitting a team to press its attack along the line of least resistance by its opponent.

In Los Angeles, the impact of the triangle offense was immediate. It helped to coordinate the play of the feuding Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant and it also maximized the effectiveness of their teammates. It led to NBA championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002, the only time the Lakers have won three titles in a row.

Bryant, with whom Jackson has had a contentious relationship, once characterized the triangle offense as ‘boring’ compared to strategies that permit greater scope for individual heroics. Although Jackson certainly recognizes the importance of individual effort, he views it in the larger context of teamwork. He observes: “Basketball, unlike football with its prescribed routes, is an improvisational game, similar to jazz. If someone drops a note, someone else must step into the vacuum and drive the beat that sustains the team.”