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Jackson's positive attitude has helped O'Neal's confidence. "He's a top coach who makes the right moves," says O'Neal. Truth be told, Shaq's not really that much better at the line--his .502 free-throw percentage is down slightly from last season. But lately he's been shooting better, especially in big games.
This means that Jackson doesn't have to yank Shaq late in the game before opponents can foul him deliberately to get him to the line. In a recent match against Portland, the Lakers' likely rival for the Western Conference title, O'Neal made nine of 13 from the line. If he ever gets his free-throw act together, he'll be...actually, it's too frightening to think about. In a game just last week, he scored 61 points and grabbed 23 rebounds. O.K., it was against the L.A. Clippers--Christina Aguilera could probably put up 40 points and 10 boards against them--but it was still impressive.
In games Jackson is not a big screamer; he usually sits coolly by the sidelines, reserving his comments for the right moments. In practices he treats players respectfully--but he can get loud if someone isn't living up to his high standards. Slack off and Jackson, who is 6-ft. 8-in. tall, beam-shouldered and deep-voiced, can be intimidating.
He is constantly urging players to sacrifice their individual games for the sake of the team. His subtext is persuasive: Hey, Jordan gave up some of his individual stats to help the Bulls win six. Why can't you suck it up for the team too? "He's definite about things," says his longtime assistant coach Tex Winters. "He doesn't let things slip. He's not afraid to go face to face with Kobe or Shaq or anybody."
Which leads us to Nietzsche.
Jackson isn't into hype, but he isn't above mind games. He likes to assign his players books to read--novels, collections of poetry, works of philosophy. The players don't always read them, but the coach feels it's important to give them the opportunity to grow intellectually. "It's a chance for you to get outside of yourself," says Jackson. "A lot of times when you're as egocentric as we are, so thoroughly bound to our own perspectives in this world, it's important to get another viewpoint. TV is great, won't complain about it, but it's great to turn off the TV and have a book as a companion when you're alone on the road."
So, earlier this season, Jackson handed out some reading. He gave several of the players books by mystery novelist Walter Mosley. He gave Harper Toni Morrison's Jazz. And he gave O'Neal a copy of Nietzsche's Ecce Homo (How One Becomes What One Is). "It is all my art and aim," Nietzsche writes, "to compose into one and bring together what is fragment and riddle and dreadful chance." Maybe that's what Jackson does: he brings together disparate players--fragments and riddles--and makes them one. Then, again, we are talking basketball here, and maybe all Jackson is trying to do is create an air of mystery around his coaching methods and his team in order to give his players a mental edge. "I thought about Shaq's attitude toward life," says Jackson, "and I thought he could respond to Nietzsche."