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957 - 2012
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More than a Game
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AS THE GAME REVEALS THE PLAYER, SO DOES THIS BOOK REVEAL THE COACH
Phil Jackson is the most celebrated coach in basketball today, earning that respect by guiding his teams in Chicago and Los Angeles to an astounding eight NBA championships. The key to his success, he thinks is his ability to understand the complexities of the players as well as the intricacies of the game. With this memorable book, Phil joins his friend Charley Rosen, a former player and coach who knows success at the game's highest levels, to bring new insight to the challenge of coaching and to honor the innate grace of basketball and its players.
Jackson and Rosen take you from the cracked blacktop courts of the inner city to the polished hardwood of the country's finest arenas, exposing the demanding reality of professional a world of glamour, glitter, and greed, in which nobility can still be found in the single-minded pursuit of athletic perfection.
From his playing days in college and with the world champion Knicks of the 1970's to his victories courtside with the Bulls and the Lakers, Jackson relates his philosophy of coaching, fondly talks about the memorable players and plays of the past, and candidly expresses his feelings about today's rules and referees. Simply a must for any fan, this book reveals the very heart of the sport, reminding us that basketball is much more than just a game.
Phil Jackson is the most celebrated coach in basketball today, earning that respect by guiding his teams in Chicago and Los Angeles to an astounding eight NBA championships. The key to his success, he thinks is his ability to understand the complexities of the players as well as the intricacies of the game. With this memorable book, Phil joins his friend Charley Rosen, a former player and coach who knows success at the game's highest levels, to bring new insight to the challenge of coaching and to honor the innate grace of basketball and its players.
Jackson and Rosen take you from the cracked blacktop courts of the inner city to the polished hardwood of the country's finest arenas, exposing the demanding reality of professional a world of glamour, glitter, and greed, in which nobility can still be found in the single-minded pursuit of athletic perfection.
From his playing days in college and with the world champion Knicks of the 1970's to his victories courtside with the Bulls and the Lakers, Jackson relates his philosophy of coaching, fondly talks about the memorable players and plays of the past, and candidly expresses his feelings about today's rules and referees. Simply a must for any fan, this book reveals the very heart of the sport, reminding us that basketball is much more than just a game.
320 pages, Paperback
First published March 1,2002
This edition
- Format
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320 pages, Paperback
- Published
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March 1, 2002 by Touchstone
- ISBN
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9780743444118
- ASIN
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0743444116
- Language
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English
About the author
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Philip Douglas Jackson is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive. A power forward, Jackson played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning championships with the New York Knicks in 1970 and 1973. Regarded as one of the greatest coaches of all time, Jackson was the head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 1989 to 1998, leading them to six NBA championships. He then coached the Los Angeles Lakers from 1999 to 2004 and again from 2005 to 2011; the team won five league titles under his leadership. Jackson's 11 NBA titles as a coach surpassed the previous record of nine set by Red Auerbach. He holds numerous other records as a coach, such as most postseason wins (229), and most NBA Conference titles (13).
Jackson is known for his use of Tex Winter's triangle offense as well as a holistic approach to coaching that was influenced by Eastern philosophy, garnering him the nickname "Zen Master". Jackson cited Robert Pirsig's book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance as one of the major guiding forces in his life. He also applied Native American spiritual practices as documented in his book Sacred Hoops. He is the author of several candid books about his teams and his basketball strategies. In 2007, Jackson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1996, as part of celebrations for the NBA's 50th anniversary, Jackson was named one of the 10 greatest coaches in league history.
Jackson retired from coaching in 2011 and joined the Knicks as an executive in March 2014. He was dismissed as the Knicks' team president in 2017.
Jackson is known for his use of Tex Winter's triangle offense as well as a holistic approach to coaching that was influenced by Eastern philosophy, garnering him the nickname "Zen Master". Jackson cited Robert Pirsig's book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance as one of the major guiding forces in his life. He also applied Native American spiritual practices as documented in his book Sacred Hoops. He is the author of several candid books about his teams and his basketball strategies. In 2007, Jackson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1996, as part of celebrations for the NBA's 50th anniversary, Jackson was named one of the 10 greatest coaches in league history.
Jackson retired from coaching in 2011 and joined the Knicks as an executive in March 2014. He was dismissed as the Knicks' team president in 2017.
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Rating(4.2 / 5.0, 39 votes)
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39 reviews All reviews
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Jackson focuses more on documenting his famed 'triangle offense' in this book compared to his other efforts. The back and forth format between Jackson and Rosen was less annoying that it appeared to be the first few chapters. The alternating entries provide journalistic insight by Rosen to complement the more direct writing style of Jackson.
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fun read. looking forward to the next book.
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I enjoy basketball but am not a huge watcher. For me reading the book, it was very interesting to hear how one of the greatest coaches of all time thinks about his job and career. This book would be even more exciting for a basketball fanatic who remembers the classic games he discusses.
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This book covers up Phil Jackson's first ring with LAL. Jackson and Rosen alternate chapters, though Jackson have written many more pages than Rosen. And the more interesting ones, I'd add.
Rosen's chapters are about his basketball life as player and then as coach, as well as various anecdotes and an approach to the figure of Tex Winter, the man behind the famous 'Triangle' offense which Jackson had developed both in Bulls and Lakers. I felt his chapters like more boring than the Jackson's ones because I don't have special interest in the life of him, however I consider the figure of Phil Jackson much more attractive. Of all these chapters I only enjoyed the part devoted to Winter, a man whose importance developing the 'Triangle' was crucial to the success of Jackson and whom I scarcely knew.
So the best part of the book are Jackson's chapters. He makes a brief view of his entire basketball career until year 2000, paying special attention to the 1999-2000 season, in which he won his seventh NBA title as coach with the Los Angeles Lakers. Roughly one third of the book is about that.
I enjoyed his first chapters talking about his player years and then his beginning as coach in CBA and Puerto Rico. He offers us several stories in these leagues when he was developing his skills to lead a team, and they result interesting for a different view of a beginner, not the usually better known successes.
The last third of the book is the story of Lakers' 1999-2000 season, the first one of Jackson with this team, in the end of which they won the title. They were an outstanding team and the Jackson's willing to implement the 'Triangle' was a big challenge, finally successful. It wasn't easy to treat Kobe or Shaq's egos, but Jackson was able to cope with all of them and to achieve their main goal: the ring.
Besides Phil Jackson explains many of the concepts of the 'Triangle', there even are several graphics at the end of the book to help us understanding them. It's very interesting to know how Jackson, with Winter's contribution, of course, implemented the system and was able to develop it through the season. His doubts about this or the relationships inside the team. And also his own personal life, how after his divorce he had to learn how to be a single again and how this influenced in his day-to-day.
Rosen's chapters are about his basketball life as player and then as coach, as well as various anecdotes and an approach to the figure of Tex Winter, the man behind the famous 'Triangle' offense which Jackson had developed both in Bulls and Lakers. I felt his chapters like more boring than the Jackson's ones because I don't have special interest in the life of him, however I consider the figure of Phil Jackson much more attractive. Of all these chapters I only enjoyed the part devoted to Winter, a man whose importance developing the 'Triangle' was crucial to the success of Jackson and whom I scarcely knew.
So the best part of the book are Jackson's chapters. He makes a brief view of his entire basketball career until year 2000, paying special attention to the 1999-2000 season, in which he won his seventh NBA title as coach with the Los Angeles Lakers. Roughly one third of the book is about that.
I enjoyed his first chapters talking about his player years and then his beginning as coach in CBA and Puerto Rico. He offers us several stories in these leagues when he was developing his skills to lead a team, and they result interesting for a different view of a beginner, not the usually better known successes.
The last third of the book is the story of Lakers' 1999-2000 season, the first one of Jackson with this team, in the end of which they won the title. They were an outstanding team and the Jackson's willing to implement the 'Triangle' was a big challenge, finally successful. It wasn't easy to treat Kobe or Shaq's egos, but Jackson was able to cope with all of them and to achieve their main goal: the ring.
Besides Phil Jackson explains many of the concepts of the 'Triangle', there even are several graphics at the end of the book to help us understanding them. It's very interesting to know how Jackson, with Winter's contribution, of course, implemented the system and was able to develop it through the season. His doubts about this or the relationships inside the team. And also his own personal life, how after his divorce he had to learn how to be a single again and how this influenced in his day-to-day.
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Good read....a little long in certain parts especially for those with a much more basic understanding of the game, but overall it was really interesting. The back and forth between Charley/Phil added a lot of color to the book and worked well to reaffirm why the technical aspects of the triangle offense also can serve as a life philosophy.
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Jackson is a very compelling figure in basketball and Rosen's narrative does him justice. A great read for any hoops fan. Published before the Laker years...so you won't find any juicy Kobe smack.
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My question for Phil would be, “Tex Winter describes his time at Northwestern University where he coached good students, but not the best basketball players. His coaching record deteriorated, but he enjoyed coaching them and they ran the triangle well. Lets say you had to coach 0.500 team, that would never win a championship, but who played the triangle to perfection. Which 10 NBA players from any era, who never appeared in an all-star game or made an all-NBA first team, would you choose for your team?”
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