Top 5 NBA coaches of all time

2. Red Auerbach

Red Auerbach (Image courtesy: Si.com

Honors: 9x NBA Champion, 1x Coach of the Year

Record: Regular Season 823-426 (0.659), Playoffs 91-60 (0.603)

Red Auerbach was the architect of the most dominant 10 year stretch in NBA history. He led the Celtics to 9 titles between 1956-66. He focused on more of a team-oriented approach over individual brilliance which was the norm back then. He is regarded as a pioneer of the modern NBA.

His early Celtics teams struggled in the playoffs, but that changed when they drafted Bill Russell as Auerbach had realized that defense was more important than offense. He also brought forward the importance of fast break points, something the rest of the league hadn't completely caught up to at that point. Auerbach was disliked by his opponents and his sideline antics infuriated a lot of them. He was however extremely well liked by his own players.

After the 1965-66 season, Auerbach stepped down as a coach to became the General Manager and eventually President of the team. All in all, Auerbach was involved in 16 out of the 17 titles won by the Celtics.

While many point out that he coached in an era with only 8 teams, it is important to realize that he is the reason why none of the all-time greats like Chamberlain, West, and Robertson have more than 2 titles. None of the 3 mentioned won a title while he was coaching.