Throwback Image: Phil Jackson Guarding Pat Riley in 1972

The irony, some 40 years later, contained within this image from Sports Illustrated’s vault is more than words. Phil Jackson of the New York Knicks guarding the lethal Pat Riley of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1972. There is foreshadowing in the fact that Pat Riley later coached both the Lakers and the Knicks, and Phil Jackson ended up winning championships as coach of the Lakers. Regardless, both players turned into larger than life coaches, in two of the biggest markets in sports.