As he dialed a pay phone inside the American Legion Hall in Lima, Ohio, the young general manager of the Albany Patroons prayed Phil Jackson had changed his mind about coaching basketball. Jim Coyne had desperately tried to get him to take the Albany Patroons job months before, believing that an old New York Knicks star would sell tickets in upstate New York.

"He was fed up with basketball and didn't want anything to do with it," Coyne says now. So he hired Dean Meminger, watched him struggle to 15 losses in 23 games to start the 1982-83 season, and soon Coyne was calling back to Montana, begging Jackson to reconsider his stand on coaching. Just finish the season out, and see what you think of the coaching, Coyne told Jackson. Beyond that, there would be no commitments.

"Call me back in an hour," Jackson said.

When Coyne did, Jackson said "Yes," packed his bags, moved to Woodstock, about 50 miles south of Albany, and started that long, strange hippie trip to Springfield, Mass., for the Naismith Hall of Fame enshrinement on Friday. Twenty-four years ago, Jackson started work in the Continental Basketball Association on the rehabilitation project that Red Auerbach insisted that he never dared try. For those six years in the 1980s, Jackson loved to drive the vans to Toronto and Bangor in the CBA because there was more leg room in the driver's seat. Jackson always gave himself, and his players, space to operate in a sport where coaches' grips grow tighter.

Within weeks in '83, Jackson had the last-place Patroons beating the CBA All-Stars in a game.

Within a year, he won the league championship.

What worked in the Washington Street Armory in upstate New York would work in Chicago and Los Angeles for him.

"He brought a different vibe, an air of confidence," says a guard on those Patroons, Phil Seymore, now the women's coach at Providence College. "He made the game really simple; his instructions, they were simple.

"You know, once, we drove the van to Maine, got dressed right there on it, went out on the court and they were killing us. I'm thinking, 'Call a timeout man,' but he would never call it. Afterwards, he'd explain, 'I want you guys to figure it out on the court, instead of me doing it for you.' He did that a lot, and you grew to understand the value of it."

As did Jordan and Pippen, Shaq and Kobe. Jackson was forever a student of the simplicity that his Red, the Knicks' Red Holzman, taught him on those great champions in the early 1970's. As history goes, the debate about the greatest of all time will rage between Auerbach and Jackson. Despite Kobe Bryant's summer of discontent, the Los Angeles Lakers are no closer to getting Jackson his 10th title to pass Auerbach. Jackson will probably stay at nine titles, and that tie will energize the debate forever.

As it turns out, these Lakers have turned into the NBA rebuilding job that Red Auerbach insisted he never had; only Jackson the coach doesn't have Auerbach the GM on his side. Best coach ever? Jackson and Auerbach come out of different NBAs, different circumstances. They sure coached basketball a different way: Auerbach used fear and intimidation, and Jackson has always appealed to a ballplayer's sensibilities and intellect. Auerbach challenged his players' manhood, the way that Jackson challenged their minds.

Yes, Jackson can be arrogant, even pompous, but that air of aristocracy added to his aura. Of course, nothing Jackson ever did was as insulting as lighting a cigar on the bench of a basketball game to rub an opponent's face in a loss.

Five years ago, Jackson was on his way to tying Auerbach with his ninth NBA title, and Auerbach, legendary curmudgeon, was hardly blanketing himself with grace. Whatever the record books said, Auerbach wanted everyone to believe that he was still history's greatest coach. He had reminded everyone that Jackson had found ready-made dynasties, that he had walked into Chicago with the Jordan-Pippen Bulls, and Los Angeles for the Kobe-Shaq Lakers. Auerbach was determined to give Jerry Krause and Jerry West responsibility for constructing those dynasties, because it diminished Jackson's impact.

After Jackson told a room of reporters that a third party had reached out to him in 2002, told him that Red wanted him to know that he was misquoted, that he never really meant those words, I made a call to Auerbach to check on it.

"So what did Phil say," Red grumbled. "That I said I was misquoted? About what?"

When told, Auerbach said "Well, what I said is true. What isn't criticism - it's true. He's done a fantastic job with the teams he's had - either Chicago or Los Angeles. All I said is that he never tried it the other way. He's never tried building a team and teaching the fundamentals ... When he's gone in there, they've been ready made for him. It's just a matter of putting his system in there. They don't worry about developing players if they're not good enough. They just go get someone else.

"But hey, when the guy has won as many close games as he has, he has got to be pretty damn good."

He goes into Springfield now shoulder to shoulder with Auerbach, an old hippie who made the commute between Woodstock and Albany before Krause ever brought him to Chicago, and West to the Lakers. Coyne, the old Patroons GM, still thinks about that telephone call from the American Legion Hall in Lima, Ohio.

"Had I not made it, who knows where his path would've taken him?" he said.

Now, it takes him to the Hall of Fame, where every coaching bust must measure itself with that of Phil Jackson. Red will roll over in his grave, but Jackson stands shoulder to shoulder with him into basketball's forever.

Lithuania limited Tony Parker to 11 points and defeated three-time champion France 88-73 on Monday to remain one of two unbeaten teams at the European Basketball Championship.

Sarunas Jasikevicius had 14 points and seven assists and set up Ramunas Siskauskas and Darius Songaila for key baskets.

"They were stronger than us, that's it," said Parker, who was held 14 points below his tournament average.

Also in Group F, Marco Belinelli scored six of his 17 points in overtime to help Italy eliminate Turkey 84-75.

Toronto Raptors center Andrea Bargnani had five of his 12 points in the extra period, as Italy overcame an early 15-point deficit.

"All of the game the team was waiting for Bargnani, and in overtime he showed he knows how to score and Turkey froze," Italy coach Carlo Recalcati said.

Turkey was led by 34 points from Hidayet Turkoglu.

Like Lithuania, Slovenia is 5-0 after routing Germany 77-47 -- a result that qualified France for the quarterfinals.

Lithuania plays Slovenia on Wednesday for the top spot in Group F. France, which already defeated Germany, plays last-place Turkey in its final game. The winner between Italy and Germany will clinch the group's final quarterfinals berth.

Jasikevicius hit a key 3-pointer in the fourth quarter to push Lithuania's lead back to double digits when France threatened.

With Lithuania denying the ball to Parker, the French looked lost. They forced passes and often were left with poor opportunities as the shot clock expired -- particularly in the final two minutes.

"They played us very well and very aggressive. They pressed Tony Parker well and stopped him from finding his spots," France coach Claude Bergeaud said. "We were not ready to play tonight. We couldn't get into our offense like we did against Germany."

Though Parker played 30 minutes, the San Antonio Spurs star said he never felt comfortable.

"I wanted to shoot more often, believe me, the problem was trying to get them off," he said. "They didn't give me many looks."

In the first half, Lithuania went on a 24-4 run to open up a 20-point lead. France answered with an 8-0 spurt to start the third quarter, with Florent Pietrus scoring five straight points.

France soon closed within five, but Jasikevicius set up Simas Jasaitis for a three-point play then found Siskauskas in the lane, as Lithuania stretched its lead to 68-56 late in the third.

"You see how difficult it is to win here -- I just hope at the right time we can come through with our form and win," Jasikevicius said. "Whoever makes it to the quarters can beat anyone."

Belinelli made two free throws to put Italy ahead 76-75 in overtime before Bargnani's 3-pointer stretched the lead to four. Bargnani later made two free throws with 1:09 left.

With the score tied 68-68 with 20 seconds remaining in regulation, Turkoglu made two free throws. Massimo Bulleri then evened the score with two more free throws, and Ibrahim Kutluay's last-second 3-point attempt was short.

"We lacked execution. We lacked the big moment, especially when it came to hitting the 3-pointer," Turkey coach Bogdan Tanjevic said.

Only two German players scored in the first quarter as Slovenia took control, 30-9. Dirk Nowitzki, the reigning NBA MVP, finished with a tournament-low 16 points.

A two-handed dunk from 6-foot-2 guard Goran Dragic, playing with a transparent face mask to protect a broken nose, punctuated Slovenia's dominance with 7:24 to play. By then, his team held an untouchable 69-37 lead.

Forward Matjaz Smodis led Slovenia with 22 points.

On Tuesday, defending champion Greece can claim one of the two remaining quarterfinal places from Group E with a win over Portugal. Croatia can do the same by beating Russia, while Israel plays Spain.

Dirk Nowitzki had 15 points and 10 rebounds Wednesday to lead Germany over Italy 67-58 and into the quarterfinals of the European Basketball Championship.

Nowitzki hit a 3-pointer with 4:49 to play in the fourth to extend Germany's lead to seven. The Dallas Mavericks star then made two free throws with 33 seconds to play.

Johannes Herber also scored 15 for Germany, including a key 3-pointer down the stretch.

Marco Belinelli, who limped off with an ankle injury midway through the second period but returned to play, led Italy with 25 points. Toronto Raptors center Andrea Bargnani added 10 points.

Germany will face world champion Spain in the quarters on Thursday.

Ramunas Siskauskas scored 21 points to help Lithuania beat Slovenia 80-61. Forward Darius Songaila of the Washington Wizards added 17 as the 2003 champions kept their unbeaten streak at the tournament.

Jaka Lakovic led Slovenia with 15 points and three steals.

Lithuania plays Croatia and Slovenia takes on defending champion Greece on Friday. Lithuania, Slovenia and France have already reached the quarterfinals, along with Russia, Greece and Croatia.

France beat winless Turkey 85-64 in a meaningless Group F game.

Boris Diaw led France with 18 points and Tariq Kirksay added 15. Tony Parker, France's best player, played only 21 minutes and scored six points.

"I don't know if you want to say it was a practice game, but we wanted to work on some stuff. And we wanted to win and we got some players some confidence," Kirksay said. "And now we have to be ready for tomorrow."

Kaya Peker led Turkey with 19 points.

"I hope this doesn't do immense damage to Turkish basketball," guard Engin Atsur said. "If you look at it, we have great talent, but we just couldn't make it as a team this year."

Nowitzki finished the third quarter on the bench, and Germany stretched its lead to 46-37 without him. The NBA MVP had eight points in the fourth.

Italy started fast. Belinelli, drafted in the first round by the Golden State Warriors, went 4-of-5 from the field in the first quarter to help Italy build an 18-12 lead.

Stefano Mancinelli scored Italy's only field goal of the second quarter with a layup with 14 seconds to go, but the game was tied at 27 at halftime.