As a New Yorker at the time, I followed Phil on one of my favorite teams, the Knicks. He was a sixth man. Never the star, he knew his role on what was one of the smartest teams to play in the NBA. He took that and became probably the greatest NBA coach of all time, although Celtics fans will argue that Red Auerbach was. Phil showed what a great leader does. Get your people ready and then turn the reins over to them and let them go.