Phil Jackson is one of the most legendary figures in the history of the NBA. There is a reason why he is called the Zen Master. Jackson enjoyed success during his playing career as well as his coaching career.
During his playing days, Phil Jackson donned the jersey of the New York Knicks for 10 seasons and won two NBA Championships. Out of those two rings, let’s focus on the 1973 NBA Championship. The New York Knicks became the champions of the league, but they used a dirty trick to get the job done.
Jackson himself admitted that in the 1991 book, ‘The Jordan Rules.’ As per Jackson, the Knicks players used to carry pins in their belts in order to deflate basketballs. Why did they do that? Well, here’s a simple answer to the question by the Zen Master.
Via The Jordan Rules:
“We used to deflate the balls because we were a short team and didn’t want long rebounds.”
This dirty tactic worked wonders for Jackson when he was a player for the New York Knicks. But the same tactic impacted the Chicago Bulls during his tenure as a head coach.
The Chicago Bulls Faced Issues With Softer Balls Against The Portland Trail Blazers
Phil Jackson established himself as one of the greatest coaches in the history of the league and winning six rings with the Chicago Bulls certainly helped him in achieving that reputation.
But Jackson’s past used to regularly haunt the Bulls when the team faced off against the Portland Trail Blazers. In the same book, it was unveiled that the Blazers used a similar tactic that the 1973 New York Knicks perfected.
“When the Bulls were in Portland, they found the balls softer. Why, since the Trail Blazers liked to run? Because they crash the boards, and soft balls will stay on the rim longer for offensive rebounds, which was an advantage over the Bulls, who liked to run.”
Despite that, Jackson’s legendary tactics helped him overcome these tactics. One of them was the ever-so-famous triangle offense. Even Michael Jordan appreciated that strategy but believed it could never work without players like himself or Kobe Bryant on the roster.
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