Faith and the Triangle Offense

Let's go back in time to the year 1989. The Exxon Valdez spills oil all over the coast. Many Chinese risk their lives protesting in Tiananmen Square. "Batman" and "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" rule the box office, and the NBA Chicago Bulls fired their coach Doug Collins and replaced him with the relatively unknown Phil Jackson. Coach Jackson had never been a coach in the NBA before, and in fact had only been an assistant for two years. The Chicago Bulls at the time had been struggling for quite a few years. Despite having Michael Jordan, they had averaged only 37 wins a year for the previous ten years. (For the uninitiated, the NBA plays a 82 game season, so the Bulls' average record over the ten year span was 37-45--more losses than wins.)

In addition to having a new coach, the Bulls' were expected to learn a totally new offensive system--the triangle offense, a scheme designed by Coach Jackson's assistant Tex Winter. Let's imagine the scene when Coach Jackson addressed the team for the first time...

"I'm your coach now, " he might have said, "so I expect you to do what I say. I want you to forget everything you've learned previously about playing basketball and I'm going to teach you guys MY system of basketball, and I promise you...if you do what I say and learn what I have to teach you, you're going to win."

Now what do you suppose the players were thinking at that moment? Here was a new guy who hadn't coached in the NBA before, and was implementing a system that no one had used before, and their new coach was promising them that if they did what they were told, they (a team that hadn't previously been able to win even half of their games) were going to 'win'. Do you suppose there was some doubts? ("Is this guy for real? Is this new system really going to work?")

Now let's consider what options the players had. They didn't know for sure if the new system was going to work, but they also didn't know for sure it wouldn't work. Was there a way to 'prove' this new triangle offense would equal more victories? Actually, there was...but it required some faith.

The Savior said "If any man will do [God's] will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." (John 7:17). What does this mean? It means if you want 'proof' of some doctrine or commandment, you actually have to follow it--then, and only then, will you gain a testimony of why the doctrine or commandment exists and what benefits believing and following it can bring.

So, back to the Chicago Bulls' quandary, there was one way and one way only to 'prove' that this new triangle offense was going to help them win games; they were going to have to play the games and see. So, what happened?

Halfway through their first season with Jackson as coach, the Bulls stood 28-19; not amazingly good, but a big improvement over previous seasons. What do you suppose the players were thinking at that point? ("Hmmm...we've won quite a few games. Maybe there is something to this 'triangle' thing...") Would you imagine the players' 'testimony' of this new system was strengthened? Most certainly. As a matter of fact, the Bulls improved even more in the second half of the year, going 27-8 to finish with a record of 55-27 before losing in the playoffs to the eventual champion Detroit Pistons--a major improvement from their struggles during the previous years. Even though they didn't win the title that year, the Bulls now knew that they could win under this new system, and this knowledge gave them the incentive to try harder next year. What happened?

1990-1991 season: 61-21 and won the NBA title.

1991-1992 season: 67-15 and won the NBA title again.

1992-1993 season: 57-25 and won the NBA title for the third time in Jackson's four years as coach.

In 1994, a funny thing happened: Michael Jordan left to go play baseball for two years. The Bulls didn't entirely go into the toilet (55 and 47 wins the two years), but no titles. In 1995, Jordan came back and the Bulls continued on their way:

1995-1996 season: 72-10, NBA Title

1996-1997 season: 69-13, NBA Title

1997-1998 season: 62-20, NBA Title (sorry, Jazz fans)

By the time Phil Jackson left the bulls after the 1998 season, the previously unknown coach had won six titles in nine years with the team, and owned the highest winning percentage for a coach in NBA history.

What can the experience of Phil Jackson teach us? In Alma 32 we read:

28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves-It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.

30 But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow.

31 And now, behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own likeness.

32 Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away.

33 And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.

34 And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand.

Faith doesn't have to be 'blind', and in fact, shouldn't be. Perhaps, after first planting the seed in the ground, you are 'blind' since you're removed the seed from your sight, but as soon as it's started to rise up out of the ground, your faith has started to develop. You are no longer working completely blind because you've started to see the results. Likewise, the Bulls may have been exercising blind faith in their coach at the very beginning, but after half a year, when they had a winning record, they had already started to see the results and their 'testimony' had grown. The key was being willing to use the system from the beginning. Being willing to go out and play the games, essentially. As with all of us, growing a testimony requires us to take those first key steps in the right direction, like Indiana Jones stepping off the cliff in "The Last Crusade". Once the first steps have been taken (and you've started to see the results), the next steps are much easier to take.

This 'obey first, then gain the testimony' principle can be used in any number of situations. Suppose you want to pay tithing but are struggling financially and aren't sure how to make ends meet. You know the Lord has promised to "open the windows of heaven" upon those who pay tithing, but you're still not sure. What's the only way to 'prove' that the Lord will bless those who pay tithing? You have to start paying tithing and see what happens. Once you've started paying tithing, and you (presumably) haven't starved to death, your testimony will grow and continuing to pay tithing will be that much easier. Could you have demanded that the Lord 'prove' to you that you'd be able to make ends meet before you started to pay tithing? No, because 'knowing the doctrine' requires you to 'do His will' first.

Alma specifically warns against the 'bless me first, then I'll obey' attitude:

37 And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.

38 But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.

39 Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ground is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.

40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life.

In other words, one can't plant a seed and then say, "I'll wait for it to grow a little bit and prove it's a good seed before I go to the trouble of watering it".

Let's go back to Phil Jackson for a moment. After leaving the Bulls in 1998, he 'retired' for a year, and then accepted the job as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers for the 1999-2000 season. The Lakers were in a similar situation as were the Bulls twelve years earlier; the talent they possessed wasn't translating into victories. What do you suppose Phil Jackson said to the Lakers the first time they were together? "I'm your coach now, " he might have said, "so I expect you to do what I say. I want you to forget everything you've learned previously about playing basketball and I'm going to teach you guys MY system of basketball, and I promise you...if you do what I say and learn what I have to teach you, you're going to win." Now how do you suppose the Lakers responded to these words? Differently than the Bulls did, originally?

It was markedly different, of course, because Phil Jackson wasn't an unknown coach anymore, and the triangle offense wasn't some weird scheme that no one had run before. The Lakers had seen the Bulls win six titles in nine years (in fact, played against the Bulls in one of them), and thus already 'knew' to an extent how Jackson's offense helps teams win. Was this a 'perfect knowledge'? No, because the players were different, and there was still room for doubt. ("Sure, the Bulls could do it...but we don't have Michael Jordan like they did." "Sure, maybe the triangle worked ten years ago, but the NBA has changed...") Still, you have to think that even if the Lakers had any doubts, they were willing to at least try, right? After all, six titles in nine years speaks for itself. So how did the Lakers do? Let's see:

1999-2000 season 67-15 record, won NBA title.

2000-2001 season 56-26 record, won NBA title.

2001-2002 season 58-24 record, won NBA title.

For those who are counting, that's three titles in three years with Phil Jackson as coach, and nine titles in twelve years for him total. The Lakers had an easier time exercising faith in the triangle offense because they had seen other people use it previously and win. Now, if we were to compare our life in the gospel to a basketball team, are we more like the Bulls or the Lakers?

The answer is 'Lakers', and here's why: the gospel isn't new. It's not some weird scheme that some guy in the Church thought up last week; it's been around for a LONG time. Because of that, there is no lack of 'witnesses' which can be used as reference points in our own lives; people who tried it first and 'won' with it. Of course, there is still room for doubt ("Sure that worked for Nephi back then, but times have changed..."), but seeing the gospel in action both in the scriptures and in the lives of people around us should at least make us think there's a chance it will help us, right? Shouldn't it be worth a try? We can't rely on the testimony of others as a substitute for our own, but they can at least persuade us to take those all-important first steps and help us develop our own testimony.

In a real sense, Jesus Christ has become our 'coach' from the time we were baptized. He tells us, "I am your coach now, and I expect you to do what I say. I want you to forget the previous 'system' by which you were living your lives and follow my teachings. If you do what I say, and learn what I will teach you...I promise you, you will 'win'." All that's left for us to do is to obey and grow!