DAVE WIGGINS

Curses, foiled again! That's what Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant and coach Phil Jackson both had to be thinking after LA fell to the Boston Celtics in the NBA finals.

Each was once more denied a much-desired personal accomplishment - even if neither will admit to his lusting publicly.

Bryant has been trying for the last four seasons - unsuccessfully - to prove he is a Jordanesque superstar, i.e. - able to carry a team to a title without an ultra-talented centre.

Jackson, meanwhile, has endeavored to break a tie with legendary ex-Celt coach Red Auerbach for most NBA championships as a coach by winning his tenth title.

But Kobe came up short in his first finals without Shaquille O'Neal, from whose enormous shadow he would love to escape. And Jackson failed for the second time in The Finals to notch number 10 - he also whiffed in 2004 when he had Shaq and Kobe.

So what does this do to their respective legacies? Not a blessed thing, either way.

Bryant is still a superstar who simply didn't have Michael Jordan's help. Neither Pau Gasol nor Lamar Odom, as hard as each tried, had the right complimentary stuff to be the Scottie Pippen-type accomplice Kobe needed.

Similarly, Jackson remains a great coach because when, like Auerbach, he was blessed with great talent, he didn't screw it up.

Phil just didn't have title talent this go 'round. His one superstar, Kobe, was trumped by the Celts' three stars - Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen (though one can argue that Pierce is now on the cusp of superstardom).

Jackson needn't feel bad. In the 1950s, Auerbach's Celtics were perennial also-rans until they had the good fortune to draft center Bill Russell, coming off two straight NCAA titles at the U of San Francisco.

Only when Boston added Big Russ to ballhandling wizard Bob Cousy, sharpshooting guard Bill Sharman and frontcourt sniper Tommy Heinsohn did Auerbach morph into a multiple title-winner and Hall of Fame coach.

This season marked the first time in Jackson's post-Shaq tenure that the Lakers were even able to make a serious run at a title. And LA didn't make their move until they pilfered Gasol from Memphis - further proof NBA success starts with good players.

There is no smoke and mirrors involved - or in the case of Jackson, Zen and Native American hocus-pocus.

If you don't believe me, just look at the team doing the celebrating.

Doc Rivers won 24 regular season games coaching Boston last campaign. Add Kevin Garnett to the mix and he wins 66 in 2007-08.

But to listen to folks, Rivers is suddenly Knute Rockne reincarnate. He is credited with reinventing the pep talk and spurring Boston to their first NBA title in 22 years.

Does Doc Rock or much-needed big man Garnett play a bigger role in effecting that league-record 42-win swing and ending Boston's title drought?

Only a hopeless Notre Dame fan buys into the former rah-rah speech premise.

Rivers, a veteran NBA coach who had never made it out of the first round of the play-offs, was given a star trio to work with this time. To his everlasting credit, like Phil and Red, he didn't muck it up.

Rivers' got his big three to sacrifice for the good of the team and his whole ballclub to play fantastic team defense. Every time Kobe drove to the hoop, five guys would smother him and still manage to cover Bryant's mates as well.

Rivers also got much more out of his bench in The Finals than Jackson did - everybody he stuck in there sizzled.

Very impressive. But make no mistake, Doc didn't make chicken salad out of chicken sh, um, feathers.

No matter what the pro sport, great players make great coaches - not vice-versa.

If the Lakers commit to better team D and Gasol somehow evolves into a fierce, Pippen-type partner for Kobe, perhaps the Lakers can go on to win Phil's coveted 10th title and move Bryant into Mr Jordan's neighborhood.

But even if the pair should eventually achieve their hearts' desire, only their status will change, nothing else.

Neither will be a better player or coach - only more fortunate.

Dave Wiggins can be reached at davwigg@gmail.com