Phil Jackson didn’t want to talk about his coaching future, only the present and past, saying he has a vibe the city is expecting great things from the current Knicks.
Jackson, the Knicks former backup power forward who went on to become the most-decorated head coach of all time, returned to the Garden Friday night for the 40th anniversary celebration of the 1972-73 championship team held at halftime of the Knicks game with the Bucks.
During a 45-minute media availability before the Knicks picked up their 11th straight victory with a 101-83 win over the Bucks, Jackson — after telling the Knicks he wouldn’t show because he didn’t want to cause a commotion — popped in for the last four minutes with his fiancee, Jeanie Buss, a Lakers executive. It was the first time Jackson had been at the Garden not as a coach since 1986 when he came as a fan for a playoff game.
“I think they’ve come a long way in the last 2 1/2 weeks, put together games, put together a run,’’ said Jackson, who sat on celebrity row with Buss in the first half and was cheered by the Garden crowd when he was introduced during the halftime ceremony. “It’s the right time of year to get healthy. They got some injuries but survived them. They’re going to be challenging. There’s hope in this town maybe they can surprise some people and win this year.’’
Jackson was not contacted by Knicks officials this offseason to gauge his interest as owner James Dolan instead promoted coach Mike Woodson from interim status. Asked about his coaching future, Jackson, who has 11 titles with the Bulls and Lakers, said, “I’m not going to talk about that. It’s not a good time to talk about it.”
Jackson didn’t expect a hostile reaction from the Garden fans last night like he used to receive as Bulls coach. Many fans wanted Jackson hired last May.
“The first time I was booed here I was surprised,’’ Jackson said. “But I should’ve known that would’ve happened, coaching the Bulls. One of those Bulls series, when the floor was moving up and down and I was standing on the floor waiting during the timeout to talk to my team, I realized I how special this place is. What a magnificent arena and how much magic there was in this building.’’
Asked what he expected Friday night, Jackson, a Knick for seven seasons, said, “I think it will be quietly muted. I don’t think there’ll be boos as in the past.’’
Jackson was more comfortable talking about the 1972-73 club. He was on injured reserve during the first championship in 1969-70.
“We had veteran ballplayers,’’ Jackson said. “We had lost in 1971-72 team to the historic Lakers team that won 33 in a row. We were disappointed in our performance. Willis [Reed] was not with us that year. Even when he came back, he was limited. We felt strong who we were as a team. Our veteran players were filled with Hall of Fame players now. We knew we were a unique team, strong, quick, good ball handlers.’’
The players all had a dinner Thursday night in Manhattan and did Bill Bradley’s radio show yesterday. Jerry Lucas was Jackson’s roommate that season and never saw a coaching career coming.
“I had no idea he was interested in coaching,’’ Lucas said. “He wasn’t either at that time. That came along later. But obviously he became the greatest coach in history. He’s very intelligent, perceptive, understood the game and knew what needed to happen to win. He learned a lot from this crew. This may have been the most intelligent team to ever play the game – from a knowledge of the game standpoint. We understood the game like no other team I have ever seen. And Phil understands people and how to understand people as well. ‘’
Earl Monroe said he had a part in Jackson’s coaching career, too, in 1984 when he took a group of retired All-Stars to China and had Jackson coach them. At the time, Jackson was coaching the Albany Patroons of the CBA.
“I was handling superstars for the first time,’’ Jackson recalled. “Pete Maravich, [Bob] Dandridge, Earl. Cazzie [Russell]. It was a team loaded with great players and they named me to coach them.’’