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1. Phil Jackson
Chicago Bulls (1989-1998) Los Angeles Lakers (1999-2004, 2005-2011) Regular Season- 1155-485, .704 Playoffs- 229-104, .688 Titles- 11, Chicago Bulls (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998), Los Angeles Lakers (2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010) People might disagree with this ranking, saying anyone could coach the talent he had. But, managing big egos is challenging and getting them to coexist is even more difficult. He helped get his teams to the summit of the league eleven times, a staggering record in the modern NBA. |
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2. Pat Riley
Los Angeles Lakers (1981-1990) New York Knicks (1991-1995) Miami Heat (1995-2003, 2005-2008) Regular Season- 1210-694, .636 Playoffs- 171-111, .606 Titles- 5, Los Angeles Lakers (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988), Miami Heat (2006) Riles went from Showtime in LA to grind it out in New York and Miami. His ability to motivate is legendary. He also was the architect of Miami's big three, starting a ripple effect that the NBA is still feeling. |
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3. Gregg Popovich
San Antonio Spurs (1996-present) Regular Season- 1197-541, .689 Playoffs- 167-110, .603 Titles- 5, San Antonio Spurs (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014) Pop is the best coach in today's game and his mix of longevity, winning and adaptability lands him at this spot. He, along with Tim Duncan, won titles 15 years apart with the same franchise, which an incredible achievement. |
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4. Red Auerbach
Washington Capitols (1946-1949) Tri-Cities Blackhawks (1949-1950) Boston Celtics (1950-1966) Regular Season- 938-479, .662 Playoffs- 99-69, .589 Titles- 9, Boston Celtics (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966) Red is an absolute icon in coaching circles. He embraced the black athlete and modern game more than his peers of that time, to the tune of nine championships. His legendary cigar was a symbol of his confidence and arrogance that rubbed some the wrong way, but worked perfectly for his guys. |
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5. Chuck Daly
Cleveland Cavaliers (1982) Detroit Pistons (1983-1992) New Jersey Nets (1992-1994) Orlando Magic (1997-1999) Regular Season- 638-437, .593 Playoffs- 75-51, .595 Titles- 2, Detroit Pistons (1989, 1990) Aside from having immaculate suits and hair, Chuck Daly was a helluva coach. His ranking is bolstered by his three straight Finals appearances during a loaded period of NBA history. He also gets a couple bonus points for "coaching" the Dream Team. |
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6. Larry Brown
Carolina Cougars (1972-1974) Denver Nuggets (1974-1979) New Jersey Nets (1981-1983) San Antonio Spurs (1988-1992) Los Angeles Clippers (1992-1993) Indiana Pacers (1993-1997) Philadelphia 76ers (1997-2003) Detroit Pistons (2003-2005) New York Knicks (2005-2006) Charlotte Bobcats (2008-2010) Regular Season- 1327-1011, .568 Playoffs- 120-115, .511 Titles- 1, Detroit Pistons (2004) Brown coached all over the place and is still the only man to coach both an NCAA and NBA team to their respective championships. |
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7. Red Holzman
Miwaukee/St. Louis Hawks (1953-1957) New York Knicks (1968-1982) Regular Season- 696-604, .535 Playoffs- 58-47, .552 Titles- 2, New York Knicks (1970, 1973) Holzman was the man behind the much loved (and often written about) 1970's Knicks. He was the perfect coach for that eclectic cast of characters. |
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8. Lenny Wilkens
Seattle SuperSonics (1969-1972, 1977-1985) Portland Trail Blazers (1974-1976) Cleveland Cavaliers (1986-1993) Atlanta Hawks (1993-2000) Toronto Raptors (2000-2003) New York Knicks (2004-2005) Regular Season- 1332-1155, .536 Playoffs- 80-98, .449 Titles- 1, Seattle SuperSonics (1979) Wilkens took the Sonics to back-to-back Finals in '78 and '79, winning the title at the second attempt. He also had memorable stints with Cleveland and Atlanta and retired as the winningest coach in league history. |
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9. Jerry Sloan
Chicago Bulls (1979-1982) Utah Jazz (1988-2011) Regular Season- 1221-803, .603 Playoffs- 98-104, .485 Although Sloan never won a title, his consistency and longevity are remarkable. His nonsense attitude meshed perfectly with the Jazz franchise he helmed for more than two decades. |
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10. John Kundla
Minneapolis Lakers (1948-1959) Regular Season- 423-302, .583 Playoffs- 60-35, .632 Titles- 5, Minneapolis Lakers (1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954) Kundla was a little bit difficult to rank. The five titles are obviously really impressive, but they came in an era that is difficult to place into context. In the end, this spot felt right. |
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11. Don Nelson
Milwaukee Bucks (1976-1987) Golden State Warriors (1988-1995, 2006-2010) New York Knicks (1995-1996) Dallas Mavericks (1997-2005) Regular Season- 1335-1063, .557 Playoffs- 75-91, .452 Nellie's teams always played a fun brand of basketball. He has the most regular season wins in pro basketball history, but this ranking would absolutely be higher had he gotten one of his teams to make a really deep playoff run. |