Fired Mark Jackson Says Pressure Now on the Warriors to Win a Championship

The Golden State Warriors fired head coach Mark Jackson on Tuesday, this despite overwhelming support from his own players and a winning record. Jackson clearly didn’t get along with Warriors’ front-office nor other members of the organization, and says the Dubs are now dealing with the pressures of being an NBA title contender. Per the Mercury News:

“I want to thank the Warriors organization for giving me a chance and thank the incredible fans in the area. And thank my players who I love and appreciate.

We accomplished a lot in three years and we should be proud. I wish them nothing but the best.

But to me, now the pressure’s on for them to get a championship. It’s not the time for them to be patient any more. This is a championship-caliber team. We were in the playoffs without David last year, and we were without Bogut this year.

When this team is healthy, it is a legit contender. That’s something that we’re all looking at going forward.”

Q: Did you expect to get fired when you came into the meeting (Tuesday)?

“Well, it works both ways. This was a season that was taxing and draining… Maybe where there’s smoke there’s fire, there was enough that was going on out there. But I didn’t pay any attention to it.

I had a team to coach.. I don’t want anything to take away from what has taken place for three years now. It’s been incredible to see. I’m extremely grateful.

And I’m not going to be flipping tables and acting the fool. It was respectful and I’m fine with that. I’m absolutely fine with that.”