LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Professorial in demeanour  and as laidback as a Californian surfer in his approach, Los  Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson has always instilled a great  sense of calmness and confidence in his teams.

When the going gets tough, as it inevitably does in the NBA  playoffs, the ice-cool Jackson can be relied on to keep a level  head when players struggle to maintain poise and purpose.      The 64-year-old has won a record 10 NBA Championship rings,  first with the Chicago Bulls and then with the Lakers, and has  long been regarded as one of the greatest coaches of all time.    All-Star guard Kobe Bryant, the leading player on a Lakers  team vying for the 2010 NBA title against the Boston Celtics,  has no hesitation citing Jackson’s best attribute as a coach.

“I think it’s his ability to bring people together,” said  Bryant. “He continues to coach the group, continues to coach  unity and chemistry and togetherness. When you’re together, you  can withstand adversity. If you’re not, you can easily break  apart and become a team of individuals.”

Born to evangelical minister parents, Jackson is renowned  for his “Zen” philosophy and triangle offense, a complicated  but highly successful strategy that relies upon unselfish and  committed team work.  With the triangle or triple-post offense, he transformed a  Chicago team built around the brilliant individual talent of  Michael Jordan into six-time champions between 1991 and 1998.

He also adapted the strategy around a dominant center,  Shaquille O’Neal, to help the Lakers win three consecutive NBA  titles from 2000-2002.

Intricate system

“The system is far too intricate to be mastered in a short  period of time which is why repetition is essential,” Jackson  wrote in his 2004 book The Last Season.

Credit:Reuters/Lucy Nicholson