There are many superstars in NBA history, Jordan, Kobe, James, Curry and others are all thunderous existences, and behind them, there are also a group of very great head coaches. In many cases, the coach is no less than a superstar, he can bring out the best in his players, create the perfect system and put up first-class tactics when it matters most. Popovich and Zen Master, the representatives of the great coaches, once competed for the title of the best coach in history.
However, such discussions, after Duncan's retirement, have not been repeated. Popovich has an illustrious coaching resume, having been in the NBA for 28 years and has been the league's most expensive head coach in recent years. At the beginning of '96, Bobo made a classic decision, that is, the Spurs got a 17-47 bottom record that year, and finally luckily got the top pick and picked Duncan.
How strong is Duncan? Rookie season is the best team + best defense superstar, leading the team to 56 wins. In his sophomore year, Duncan led the Spurs to a championship and was crowned FMVP. It was also from that time that the Spurs reached their peak. With the formation of the GDP portfolio, the Spurs successfully won the championship in '03, '05, and '07. By the time of '14, the Spurs had once again reached the top, and Popovich had become the head coach of the five-time championship.
But after Duncan's decline, the Spurs were no longer competitive, and even with Leonard, Aldridge and DeRozan, they failed to perform. Popovich's current record is 28 years in the coaching and 22 playoff appearances. He led the team to play 2,153 games, with a win rate of 63.6%. Entered the finals 6 times, won the championship 5 times, and was elected the best head coach 3 times.
Unfortunately, after Duncan's retirement, Popovich has missed the playoffs for 5 consecutive years, which shows that Duncan has made Popovich.
Compared with Zen master Phil Jackson, his coaching career is a little shorter, a total of 20 years, and he has coached two teams, namely the Bulls and the Lakers. Let's directly compare the results to know how exaggerated the Zen master is. Bobo has been in charge for 28 years and has made the playoffs 22 times. The Zen master has been coaching for 20 years, and all 20 years have been in the playoffs. Popovich has a regular season win rate of 63.6%, an absolute winning general, and a Zen master has a regular season win rate of 70.4%, a monster-like existence.
Bobo has a playoff win rate of 59.9%, which is great enough, and Zen Master has a playoff win rate of 68.8%. Bobo led the team to the finals 6 times and won 5 championships. The Zen master is the existence of the crushing level, he led the team to the finals 13 times, and won 11 championships. It can be seen that the honor and achievements of the Zen master almost crushed Popovich, and the Zen master's subordinates have also brought out 3 triple championships and 1 double championship, such dominance can only be described as terrifying.