Coaching doesn't matter

Let's look at how the high profile coaches are doing:

Pat Riley: swept in the first round of a title defense.

Phil Jackson: down 3-1 with a team featuring the leading scorer in the league.

Avery Johnson: down 3-1 to a huge underdog opponent.

Sam Mitchell: down 3-1 to a small underdog, a few weeks after winning coach of the year for the first time.

Mike Dunleavy: former coach of the year missed the playoffs after leading the Clippers to their greatest season in decades, despite still having his core of Brand, Maggette, Cassell and Mobley.

George Karl: down 2-1 despite pulling off an midseason trade that was supposed to solidify the Nuggets as a contender.

On the other hand, you can say that all of these coaches were simply bested by even better coaches: up against young guns like Scott Skiles, Mike D'Antoni, Lawrence Frank and the wise old men, Don Nelson and Greg Popovich, good coaching lost to great coaching.


I've never got a straight answer to the question: how much does coaching matter in the NBA? The Warriors' success must have something to do with Don Nelson, right? Does that mean the Mavericks' failure has something to do with Avery Johnson?