Zen Master Files (1): President Jackson and Reed Inspire the Knicks

Charlie Rosen, a writer with 18 basketball books, was an assistant coach during the CBA era. In jackson's first season as president of the New York Knicks, Rosen spent a day a month with Jackson, listening to him talk about the team lineup and his new role, documenting the Hall of Fame coach's true voice as he transformed into a team executive.

Date: 2 October 2014

Knicks record: 0-0

Looking at West Point, New York, this vast land is full of statues, medals, portraits, and buildings, and everywhere you are reminded that this is the location of the famous West Point Military Academy, and you will naturally think of those famous military school graduates and war heroes.

A bronze statue of George Washington straddled a horse; George Patton held up his telescope ready to fire on the enemy; Dwight Eisenhower put his hands on his hips and stared fearlessly into the infinite future.

On top of a hill sits the magnificent Hotel Seiel. Inside the hotel, one of the NBA's greatest leaders prepares for what may be called his biggest personal challenge: resurrecting one of the most prestigious sports clubs. It's just as an executive, not a head coach.

At a large round table in a private corner of the MacArthur Hotel, Phil Jackson, dressed in a New York Knicks sportswear, and Knicks legend and former teammate Willis Reed sat together, waiting for the start of a training camp that was expected to start a new era. Together, the duo helped the Knicks win a championship 40 years ago (reid, of course, more than one).

But first, they started the discussion with uncomfortable news, where a young man living in a nearby neighborhood was killed by a black bear attack. Since Jackson (a deer park in Montana) and Reed (Haike, Louisiana) both come from absolute rural areas, the conversation quickly turned to other native wildlife species. They talked a lot about legends of wolves, bobcats, and mountain lions, but they all agreed that coyotes were the smartest of these animals.

"When I go out trying to take a walk," Reed says, "or driving down country lanes, I often see coyotes running around, and they don't even care about my presence." But when I brought out a gun, they were gone. The coyotes, they all seem to know that I'm coming with a weapon, that I'm dangerous. ”

"Coyotes like to eat cats and dogs," Jackson said, "and they'll send a she-wolf in heat to lure a male dog to the bait and kill the dog." ”

The chat inevitably brought to the topic of basketball, and after discussing the popularity of artificial joints in front of the ball player and Dave De Bascher's "elephant legs", they turned the focus of the chat to the importance of the training camp, once the lively, torturous season officially began, the usual team training time is pitiful. Therefore, for the coaching staff, the most obvious purpose of the training camp is to implant the team's offensive and defensive tactics.

This approach to 4 weeks of training and preseason has another extremely important role: pointing out each player's shortcomings, improving and upgrading the technique, and developing awareness on the pitch. Game preparation is a must for any team — especially a team like the Knicks who are in rebuilding mode.

When I asked, what aspects of each player need to be strengthened to make their first season as president of Phil a success? Jackson can make accurate assessments bluntly and systematically.

Calderón, who came to the Knicks this summer from the deal that sent Chandler back to the Mavericks, is a "god-point pitcher" but he and another point guard, Prigioni, have to do "better defensively on the strong side"; Nerve Knife guard Jr is undoubtedly the most athletic player on the team, but "he has to figure out the difference between a good shot and a bad shot." Anthony, although he was in the offseason with the Bulls, Rockets, Lakers and other teams, he eventually signed a new top salary contract with the Knicks. He's an All-Star who has proven himself, but the shift to the ball in a triangle offense — Jackson's signature offensive tactic — has to be better. Jackson also likes Galloway, a rookie who is determined to play in the NBA Development League.

So, what about the Knicks rookie manager? Fisher, the guy who just finished his 20-year playing career a few months ago, what does he need to learn from training camp?

"Fisher," Jackson said, "his learning experience will be a process of continuous progress." He must learn to identify and influence the rhythm of the game, including the rhythm of the entire season. He had to figure out when to whip a player in training and when to reduce the intensity. Most importantly, Fisher must be proficient in interpersonal relationships and be at ease. The relationship here refers to his relationship with individual players, and the relationship between players and players. But this is his team and I will completely let it go. I will only help him when he needs me. ”

But in fact, long before the season officially began, Jackson had already made his mark on his club: it was his idea to set the Knicks' training camp at West Point. He understands that on this 16,000-acre site, the ubiquitous discipline, efficiency, and attention to detail will have a profound impact on the players, consciously or unconsciously.

However, for the rookie president, there are still many areas that are new.

"I want to know the due dates, deadlines for various matters," Jackson said, "such as when the deadline for the big roster is finalized, when the 10-day short-term contract can be signed, when the contract for the remaining season will be guaranteed, and so on." Then I have to know who I'm going to call in the league office if I need to get something done, and I've never had real dealings with an agent before. In order to make a deal, I also have to know the contact details of the various senior people in all other teams, and now they are all my colleagues. ”

Jackson vowed not to interfere with Fisher — he would only appear in home games, for example — and as a coach, Jackson was best known for adding spice to his scouting videos, like little clips from movies, images on youtube, and stuff from other sources. So, the opening part of his training camp was to show the Knicks a small short film with profound personal significance.

That year, Jackson was drafted by the Knicks in the draft after completing his senior season at the University of North Dakota. Red Holtzman, who was a Knicks scout at the time, trekked to Grand Forks in North Dakota with a contract to get Jackson to sign.

"He said it very bluntly," Jackson recalled, "and he said I would play against Willis Reed at the upcoming training camp." After Red left, I bought a small keg of beer and invited all my teammates at college to come and see the footage he had left for me. The game we watched was a game of October 18, 1966, in which the Knicks played against the Lakers. All we saw was a bunch of players running around on the pitch, free and loose, with only an occasional cover on the pitch. Soon, we started laughing, because in contrast, everyone was proud of the smart style of play they played from coach Bill Feige. ”

"The Lakers had top talent and completely outnumbered the Knicks in firepower, but suddenly, there was a jump ball on the court, as if the video had stopped from that moment, and the next thing we saw was Willis Reed being attacked by every Lakers player in sight, Willis was knocked to the ground, and all those players came up and surrounded him. At that moment, he seemed to have suddenly received a burst of energy, and he stood up, like a bear throwing off the raindrops on his body, and he threw everyone away. At that moment, the brawl stopped and a massacre began. Willis punched John Bullock in the nose, then Henry Finkel in the head, then knocked Rudy La Rosso straight to the ground. Several other Lakers players fled, some of them even trying to hide under the technical stand. ”

The 2014 Knicks were captivated by the scene, and they were in awe of the scene, while Reid reacted with just a smile and then shrugged his shoulders that still looked broad today.

You don't need to say much.

Reed is the fabled "captain of a team"—past, present, and forever. For the Knicks, he's a symbol of history, the embodiment of tradition, he represents the inner and outer strength of the team, and the supreme thing: the kind of passion that is needed to be a championship.

That was the opening line of the Knicks' first season under Phil Jackson. As for how it will end, we will wait and see.