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Just My Type
Dan Patrick
February 28, 2011
Phil Jackson
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February 28, 2011

Just My Type

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Phil Jackson


The 11-time NBA champion as a coach—he also won two as a player—has said this will be his final season on the sideline with the Lakers.

Dan Patrick: When was the last time you had a moment like Jerry Sloan's and wanted to walk away midseason?

Phil Jackson: That mood attacks you at times as a coach. You keep beating your head against the wall and keep emphasizing the same message, and it doesn't get through. Coaching is about wills. You have to outwill players sometimes and get them to give up their selfish motives.

DP: Is there anything this Lakers team does better than the last two championship teams?

PJ: They're capable of controlling games with ball movement, size and creating a pace they want to play in.

DP: Are you having fun this year?

PJ: I'm enjoying this year. I'm kind of beholden to the guys. We have a unit that's closely tied together. They connect pretty well. At times they get disconnected. Sometimes a long road trip will do that to a team. They might get sick of each other traveling for two weeks and need a day apart. To come together now is important. Every game is a meaningful thing. You play 82 of them. Seems like a lot, but every one of them has a certain impact on the team.

DP: Your girlfriend, Jeanie Buss, said you can't be a homebody after you're done coaching the Lakers.

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