Coaches Week

This week I am doing a tribute to coaches all week long, maybe two weeks, in honor of my father who, last Friday, coached his final game in Meriden on the basketball court at Maloney High School. I am going to make up posts as I go, whether it is my favorite coaches of all time, the best coaches, worst coaches, etc. Today, with the NBA All Star game going on in Phoenix here is a little something about coaches in the NBA All-Star Game. Enjoy!

Phil Jackson - Today Coach Jackson will be making his 4th appearance as a head coach of an all-star team ('92, '96, '00, '09). So far each year Jackson has coached an all star game his team whether being the Bulls or Lakers have won the NBA title that season. He is 2-1 all time in the all star game and is considered by many, including me, of being the best coach in NBA history. His 9 NBA titles is tied all time with Boston's Red Auerbach. Though, he has always coached arguably the game's best player at some point, Jackson is a genius on the court during playoff time.

Red Auerbach - The late great Coach Red has appeared and won the most all star games (7-4) all consecutively (1957-1967). He has been apart of 16 NBA titles with the Boston Celtic organization with 9 as coach (8 straight) and 7 as a general manager or team president. He was also instrumental in breaking the color barrier in the NBA by drafting the first African American player in Chuck Cooper. And constantly adding black players to his team throughout the years, namely Hall of Famer Bill Russell. The NBA Coach of the Year Award is named after Red.

Pat Riley - Coach Riley has the honor of being the losingest coach in all star game history. With a record of 3-6 (1982-1983, 1985-1990 & 1993), Riley is known for his showtime LA Laker teams of the '80s but I remember him best as being the New York Knicks coach. Riley is a 5-time NBA Champion as a coach with taking home 3 NBA Coach of the Year honors. Four consecutive trips to the Finals with the Lakers really put Riley on the map as one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game.

Billy Cunningham - The coach of some super talented Philadelphia 76er teams has a 4-0 record as coach of the NBA All-Star game. Cunningham built a great team featuring the likes of Bobby Jones, Maurice Cheeks, Moses Malone, and of course Julius Erving. He led Philadelphia to 3 Atlantic Division Titles in 1978, 1981, and 1983. He also reached the historic numbers of 200, 300, and 400 wins faster than any coach in the history of the game. You really don't here too much about Cunningham but he did win a NBA title back in the 1982-83 season with the Sixers and upon his retirement he was 12th on the all time wins list.

George Karl - Poor George, lifelong coach is 0-3 as an all star coach (1994, 1996 & 1998). Currently ranked 12th on the all time wins list, Karl has coached 5 different teams since 1984. Karl really has bad luck, if being winless wasn't enough in the all star game, Karl really has it bad when it comes to his teams in the postseason historically. Only 1 trip to the NBA Finals in a loss to the Bulls and currently hasn't gotten out of the 1st round of the playoffs in 5 straight seasons with the Bucks and Nuggets. He is the 12th coach in the history of the game to reach 800 wins something that he accomplished back in '06.