If you watched The Last Dance, the seismic documentary about the six-time champion Chicago Bulls, you might remember the parts about head coach Phil Jackson. Specifically, the incredible impact he made on Michael Jordan, both from an X’s and O’s perspective, as well as on his approach to the game (more on that in a second).
Back when Jordan was coached by previous head coach Doug Collins, he was the most feared player in the league and he was completely unstoppable. It was Jordan’s athletic gifts on display, every game. Collins even joked once after the famous shot against Cleveland in the playoffs that the play he drew up was “everybody get the f**ck out of the way and let Jordan score” (paraphrasing).