Phil Jackson, the winningest coach in NBA history with 11 NBA titles has always told media that this will be his final season in the NBA.

What an embarrassing way to end his Hall of Fame career though.

With his team’s season and quest for his fourth three-peat on the line,  Jackson’s LA Lakers took on the Dallas Mavericks at their home court for Game 4 of their Western Conference Semifinal series down 3-0.

While no NBA team has ever came back from that deficit to win a series, Kobe Bryant promised before the game that there will be a major turnaround this time.

It was empty though as Kobe just managed 17 points on an awful 7 of 18 shooting, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum got ejected for their needless flagrant fouls and Pau Gasol continues his softness as the Mavericks got the blowout win, 122-86.

The Mavericks tied a league playoff mark with 20 three-point shots as Jason Terry tied an NBA playoff record with nine 3-pointers.

J.J. Barea set a career playoff-best with 22 points and Peja Stojakovic added 21 points. All three of those guys come off the bench which tells a lot about this team’s depth.

Phil Jackson will retire after the first sweep and the second worst loss in his 21-year playoffs career.

Jackson’s career postseason record is sealed at 229-104, the most wins and the highest winning percentage (.688) in NBA playoff history. His .704 regular-season winning percentage is another best.

Jackson has had a winning record every year as a head coach, and currently has the highest winning percentage of any Hall of Fame coach. Along with his NBA-record eleven championships, he is the only coach to win at least ten championships in any of North America’s major professional sports.

He won six championships with Michael Jordan, three with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, and the last two (2009 and 2010) with Bryant leading the way.

Jackson is known for his use of Tex Winter’s triangle offense as well as a holistic approach to coaching that is influenced by Eastern philosophy.

Goodbye, “Zen Master”.

Please read my related posts:

1. 2011 NBA Playoffs | Mavericks vs Thunder Game 1, Dirk Nowitzki Sets NBA Playoff Record for Consecutive Free-Throws Made Dirk Nowitzki was perfect on 24 free throws, setting an NBA postseason record for most foul shots made without a miss as he scored 48 points, leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 121-112 victory in Game 1 of the Western...
2. 2011 NBA Playoffs | The Dallas Mavericks Return to the NBA Finals! With a stunning display of veteran wits and calmness under pressure, the Dallas Mavericks win Game 5 of their series with the Oklahoma City Thunder today 100-96 to make a return to the NBA Finals since they made it for...
3. 2011 NBA Playoffs Conference Finals Round | Dallas Mavericks vs Oklahoma City Thunder These two teams were coming off Eastern Conference Semifinals series wins albeit in opposite ends of the spectrum. The Dallas Mavericks dealt the LA Lakers an embarrassing 4-0 sweep. The Oklahoma City Thunder got the grueling seven-game series against the...
4. 2010 NBA Playoffs First Round | LA Lakers vs OKC Thunder Game 6 There were talks of panic. Of their backs against the wall. That the youth is being served. However, they must have forgotten that this is the LA Lakers they’re talking about. You know, the 2009 NBA champions? With that guy...
5. 2010 NBA Playoffs Conference Semifinals Round | LA Lakers vs Utah Jazz The quest for a back-to-back NBA championship is still alive for the LA Lakers. After dispatching the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 with the slimmest of margins 95-94 in their 1st Round matchup, the Lakers has moved on the...
6. 2010 NBA Playoffs Conference Finals Round | LA Lakers vs Phoenix Suns Kobe Bryant is hoping that in the third time around, the ending will be different. In the previous two meetings between the LA Lakers and the Phoenix Suns in the 2006 and 2007 playoffs (the Suns lost in 2008 to...
7. 2011 NBA Finals | Heat vs Mavericks Game 6, Dallas Wins First NBA Title! Dirk Nowitzki is the best European player in NBA history having won the MVP award in 2007 … but he has not won a championship. Jason Kidd is one of the best point guards in NBA history with the second...
8. 2011 NBA Finals: Miami Heat vs Dallas Mavericks Scores and Results The 2011 NBA Playoffs is underway. Sixteen teams will battle it out in their respective series for the ultimate prize, the NBA championship. Herein posted are the scores of all the games from all brackets starting at the First Round...
9. Here’s the Best Way to Watch 2011 NBA Playoffs Games LIVE! The 2011 NBA Playoffs is here! Watch your favorite NBA team try to survive four seven-game series from the First Round all the way to the NBA Finals to capture the ultimate goal, an NBA championship! [Check out the 2011...
10. 2010 NBA Finals Game 6 | Lakers Rout Celtics to Force Do-or-Die Game 7 With their backs against the wall, the Lakers played with a sense of urgency in blowing out the Celtics, 89-67. LA’s defense held Boston to shot a series-low 33.3% and only Utah’s infamous 54-point performance against Chicago in 1998 was...

If you want to receive my latest posts, please subscribe to my full feed RSS or have them delivered through email. Just enter your email address below and hit the Subscribe button.

Tags: 2011 NBA playoffs, kobe bryant, la lakers, phil jackson