Perhaps it’s symptomatic of an inferiority complex, but plenty of hockey fans love it when showtime members of the other major sports give hockey its due props.
Turns out Charles Barkley isn’t the only basketball icon paying close attention to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
New York Knicks president Phil Jackson, he of the 11 NBA championship rings, took to Twitter Thursday night while watching Game 5 of the Chicago Blackhawks-Nashville Predators series:
The former Chicago Bulls coach then offered some commentary on the speed of the NBA’s game by contrast:
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This isn’t the first time Jackson, 69, has expressed his preference for clicking over to the NHL come spring.
“Watching the NBA — not that easy for me,” Jackson said back in a 2012 interview with HBO’s Real Sports. “There’s very little passing offence that goes on in the NBA anymore. Everything is off the dribble, on a screen roll, through the screen roll, so the innovation is very limited as far as what’s going on. I find myself watching hockey playoffs before watching basketball playoff games.”
“You’d watch the NHL playoffs over the NBA playoff games?” interviewer Andrea Kremer asked.
“Less commercials, more fun, much more action. Yeah.”
Gotta See It (Throwback): Phil Jackson and the 2010 L.A. Lakers reacts to Team USA’s preliminary-round victory over Team Canada at the Vancouver Games
