Thursday, January 20th, 2011 at 9:00 am  |  78 responses

Phil Jackson: Miami Can’t Beat Boston

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

Never one to shy away from giving his opinion, especially when it comes to matters concerning his team’s most formidable foes, Phil Jackson is at it once again.

During an ESPN Radio interview yesterday, the Lakers‘ head coach was asked what he thought of the Miami Heat‘s title chances this season. Jackson believes the Heat have great potential, but right now, he would put his money on the team he’s battled twice in the last three NBA Finals: the Boston Celtics.

The comments came when the show’s host implied that for the first time in a long while, the NBA’s best duo is on a team other than the one Phil Jackson is currently coaching (ie. Miami).

According to Jackson, however, all of that talent doesn’t guarantee shiny hardware in June:

“I personally don’t think they can get by Boston,” Jackson said. “I think Boston is too good a team. I think a team is still going to win. But there’s a chance that [the Heat] … can maybe round themselves into a team by that time and [win].

“Boston is older and they have to go through the rest of the schedule without having some kind of breakdown of players. [Ray] Allen and [Kendrick] Perkins, etc., they are just really a good team. But there’s nothing like the great athletic skill and dynamism that [James and Wade] have and [Chris] Bosh is a terrific player in his own right. There’s no doubt about their individual skills.”

Phil Jackson goes on to heap praise on the sheer brilliance of both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, but the message is unmistakable: his greatest concern remains Boston.

At the moment, it’s tough to say that Phil Jackson is wrong.

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  • http://slamonline.com AllBall

    Eboy is a closet Heat fan?

  • http://www.slamonline.com THE REAL RIGGS

    @benno: closet heat fan? pretty sure theres nothing closeted about eboy and the miami heat. stfu.

  • http://360special.blogspot.com/ dev0

    You just had to do it, didn’t you Phil…

  • http://sdfjklf.com Jukai

    I gotta say, I believe Benno was joking.

  • http://www.adrianbondmemphis.blogspot.com Adrian Bond

    Phil Jackson is probably correct, but why add his Two cents into the equation. Now Miami has Bulletin Board Material everytime they play you…Oh well…

    Adrian Bond Memphis Fan

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    benno has a crush on me. He’s said things like this before. He’s not joking.

  • http://Philosophervision@blogspot.com The Philosopher

    Phil Jackson is the G.O.A.T.

  • http://www.need4sheed.com Tarzan Cooper

    ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

  • flipnoyce

    @the philosopher, all Phil has to do now is grow his facial hair and a set of horn and keep eating Jeanie Buss’s grass, he’ll definitely be that goat!!!

  • http://Philosophervision@blogspot.com The Philosopher

    ^lolol

  • Chris_Griff_3

    Of course Eboy’s a douche. He’s a lawyer. Has nobody here watched Community? Lawyers are douches.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    I thought it was douchebag? It so hard to keep up with the insult list around here.

  • ClydeSays

    This is Phil’s reverse psychology at work. He tries to get MIA fired up so he won’t have to face the Celts again in the Finals.

    Still too early to count on Finals appearances though. Spurs look great, Kobe is playing on one leg, the Magic might catch fire in the Playoffs, Celts haven’t had their starting five (or even starting four) for many games this year and who knows what the Heat will do in the playoffs once defense ratchets up… Long way to go…

  • Michael

    just his opinion, which is an opinion shared by a lot of people on slam aswell. Personally I think they have a shot at taking Boston but it would require LBJ and Dwade to really play at there best. Oh and Posh as well…

  • http://www.slamonline.com/ The Promise

    Phil stated the obvious, but the only thing he left out of that those Celtics are gonna beat his Lakers.

  • http://twitter.com/BeezKneezy LA Huey

    @Tarzan, thx

  • Stylez G.Write

    This is news?MIAMI will tell you that Miami will not beat the Celts in a seven game series this year,at least.

  • http://n/a Rnz

    Come on, he’s trying to pit the celts and the heat together…itll be a battle between those two teams trying to prove themselves. Hopefully theyll get too tired when its time for them to take on the Lakers..

  • http://nba-point-forward.si.com/ datkid

    He’s just saying what everybody already knew…but IMO Eboy’s probably right it’s all mindgames bc in a series the heat might murk the lakers

  • BostonBaller

    As always this was Phil being Phil while at the same time always having a bit of truth in his ramblings. Either way it’s too early to pop corks on any team. The only idiots would be the ones who blindly think their team is unbeatable in a series…

  • http://www.triplejunearthed.com/dacre Dacre

    Sorry Eboy….and others, but Phil is right today, tomorrow and in May/June.

  • Justin

    Did anyone but a handful of people actually read the story, or did they just read the (once again) misleading headline and then head down to the comments? Phil was ASKED a question and he ANSWERED THE QUESTION as to what he thought? How is that so difficult to understand? With all of these dumbass comments, how can anyone call Eboy an idiot or douchebag without first looking in the mirror?

  • http://slam FLIGHT 9

    any team but the heat….. If healthy the can’t beat a team like the boston or lakers in a 7 game series. Maybe the bulls or orlando… I’m a bulls fan though!!! go DERRICK ROSE!!!

  • tRay

    Although I think Phil is gay, a boytoy, and senile he is right and people should realize that he was asked a question and he answered it just like Justin said in his comment at 9:09. But honestly Phil’s “Zen Master” BS is total crap he’s just an old man that likes to talk trash lol he should just focus on the Lakers 3peating and worry about the Heat/Boston in June(if it comes to that)

  • DemiGod

    Shut ur face-a$$-B!ches !!!!!

  • Wierdo

    Phil is just plain right! The HEAT aren”t good at all

  • KH

    You know what this means: Phil would rather see the Heat in The Finals than the Celtics. His comments are always calculated chess-moves. Now he’s just trying to egg the Heat to do the dirty-work the Lakers don’t want to.

    tRay, your name-calling is childish. People would take the quality insight you have to offer more seriously if you would cut crap like that out.

  • Luke Sicari

    Massive thing to say. But he made be right because the Celts have beaten the Heat at home and away this season and Boston have played longer and the most important fact..BOSTON HAS A PG

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