Mark Jackson was fired by the Golden State Warriors back in 2014 and when he was ousted, Steve Kerr took over. This turned out to be horrible timing for Jackson as the Warriors went on to win three of the next five NBA Championships and turned into one of the greatest dynasties ever assembled. For years, sports analysts have made sure to mention Jackson's efforts when speaking on the success of the Warriors and how he was ultimately the architect of that team.
While speaking to Ian Begley of SNY, Jackson spoke on the credit he deserves in relation to the Dubs. As he explains, Klay Thompson and Steph Curry weren't the players they are now, when he coached them. He makes the argument that if they had been in their primes, he would have won those championships and not Kerr.
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“Steve Kerr is a heckuva basketball coach and an even better person. So he’s done a heckuva job with the Golden State Warriors. (But) I would say get the facts straight,” Jackson said. “The fact is we were a top five defense over the course of that tenure and we were a top 10 offense when it was all said and done. You have to understand – and these guys will admit it – the Steph Currys, the Klay Thompsons, the Draymond Greens: the team that I had are not the same individuals (that they were when I coached them). They look the same, and they’re the same people , but they’re not the same players that they were when I first got ahold of them."
If you're a Warriors fan, you've got to be thanking Jackson for the foundation he laid. Without him, the Warriors dynasty probably wouldn't exist.
[Via]