Once the Spurs win the finals, will Pop surpass (or at least tie) Phil Jackson?

[DARKSEID]

Right, because losing to the Heat in the Finals once somehow means you're lacking in greatness...

finals arent over yet homes

they might lose twice.

[Khalid X]

I have to give Pop more credit because he's done it in San Antonio which never had the buying power of LA. The Spurs draft their players and foster them into greats from the beginning. I don't know enough about Jackson to know if he did the same.

Don't get me wrong, its not all Pop. The stars alligned in San Antonio and they were blessed with both a coach and players that truly trust and respect each other. There is no other team in sports that I can see this sort of bond and we are going to miss it when its gone. What is going on there is special and it seems like the old guys have planted a seed that I hope will sprout into a lasting Spurs culture on players and coaches beginning and ending their career there. It may have started with David Robinson.

smh @stars aligning

No offense but anyone saying that doesn't know a thing about what the spurs have done over the past decade or so.

They have one of the best front offices.....not just in basketball, but in sports in general. Just look at the moves they have made. It's not like they were getting high draft picks (outside of Duncan) or where spending a lot of money.

Being smart enough to draft Parker in the late first round (when several teams passed him up) having a good enough scouting department to get Ginobili in the 2nd round, moving up to get Kawhi Lenoard, snatching up Boris Diaw....and the list goes on and on.

Not just smart moves, but their player development is a thing to behold. Guys like Danny Green, Patty Mills and others would be journeymen but are playing huge roles for the sport and have developed nicely.

To say that it's "stars aligning" has to be one of the most absurd comments I have seen in a while, when talking about the spurs success.

[Khalid X]

If pop is so great how come Spoelstra outcoached him last year in the finals..

When did this happen? Mental mistakes are what cost the spurs, not bad coaching.

Oh, by the way.....having the greatest player in the league (Lebron) would make any coach look like a genius. I like Spoelstra but the jury is still out on him. Let's see how good he is without Lebron, D-Wade, and Bosh.

[$tate of Mind]

Numbers don't lie. 11> 5 As good as the Spurs have been, they've also had their fair share of collapses.

[TBear]

If pop is so great how come Spoelstra outcoached him last year in the finals..

There is a difference between getting stars and winning and developing stars. Guy like the Spur's Green and Leonard were not stars. they were developed by Pops and his coaching staff.
I really doubt Spoelstra could ever out coach Popovich.

[DARKSEID]

Numbers don't lie. 11> 5 As good as the Spurs have been, they've also had their fair share of collapses.

Having MJ and Kobe on your squad doesn't lie either.

[Khalid X]

Having MJ and Kobe on your squad doesn't lie either.

Don't forget an unstoppable Shaq and HOF Scottie Pippen.

People say I'm hatin when I say this, but Phil walked into ideal situations with loaded rosters. Great coach, but let's be realistic here when talking about Phil's 11 titles.

[Sugar Adam Ali]

Phil Jackson is better.. Yes he had some great players but he maximized their talents and the talents around them..

With no superstars Phil was able to coach 2 championship CBA teams which shows that the guy can coach.
He won in the nba with a variety of huge egos and stars..

He handled he first 3 peat with pippin, Jordan etc
Then after Jordan retired, he coached great in his absence and the bulls still had a great season even though Phil had to maintain the peace between the egos of Scottie and kukoc.
Then Jordan comes back and Scottie has to be the number 2 guy again. Now throw in rodman's arrival, and you have a full fledged circus, and Phil was able to harness it and have a record 72-10 season and another three peat underway..

Then Kobe, shaq,,, we know the story of those guys, and Phil was able to get everyone on the same page.. Another 3peat..
Then post-shaq he was able to handle Kobe's ego and combine him with odom and gasol and win some more championships

Greg pop is an all time great coach, but he doesn't have half the accomplishments that Phil has..
Best regular season record 72-10, no one else has ever reached 70
11 titles, 3 3peats plus a back to back

Phil is the greater coach

[$tate of Mind]

Having MJ and Kobe on your squad doesn't lie either.

So what? Having the best players doesn't automatically mean you'll win a championship.

[DreamMerchant12]

finals arent over yet homes

they might lose twice.

You're right, it isn't over yet but it will be Sunday. I don't see the Spurs choking away the series.