Джон Ричард Мотта: Американдық баскетбол жаттықтырушысының өмірбаяны

American former basketball coach (born 1931)

John Richard Motta (born September 3, 1931) is an American former basketball coach whose career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) spanned 25 years. Motta coached the Washington Bullets to the 1978 NBA Championship, and he won the 1971 NBA Coach of the Year Award with the Chicago Bulls. Motta is eighth all time with 1,952 games as coach, while ranking 13th in wins and fourth in losses; he has the most wins of eligible coaches not currently inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 25 seasons as a coach, he reached the postseason fourteen times. Known as a strict disciplinarian with high expectations for his players, Motta developed a reputation for putting together well conditioned, tough, physical teams. He was known for his eccentric personality and fiery temper, which included infamously throwing his jacket at a referee, kicking a basketball into the stands and throwing a dollar bill onto the court and demanding it to play after a GM traded one of his players for cash considerations. He retired from coaching in 1997 and ran a bed and breakfast with his wife in Bear Lake, Idaho.

John Richard Motta was born on September 3, 1931, in Midvale, Utah. He attended Jordan High School in Sandy, Utah, where he excelled in basketball.

Motta attended Utah State University in Logan, Utah.

Motta started coaching at Grace High School in Grace, Idaho, where he taught seventh grade and coached for two years before being drafted in the armed services, then returned. He once said in an interview that winning the state championship (AA) at Grace in 1959 was his greatest thrill as a coach, even topping the NBA championship he won two decades later.

From 1960 to 1968, Motta was the head basketball coach at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. Under the direction of Motta and assistant coach Phil Johnson, Weber State won three Big Sky Conference championships (1965, 1966, 1968).

Motta was hired as head coach of the Chicago Bulls in 1968 after a six year stint at Weber State. He replaced Johnny Kerr, who had led the team to two playoff appearances despite subpar records of 33 48 and 29 53, respectively. Motta coached the team for eight seasons, coaching 656 games. From 1970 to 1974 he led the Bulls to four consecutive 50 win seasons, winning the NBA Coach of the Year Award in 1971. It did not translate to playoff success, as the Bulls won just one playoff series (1974) in that span. However, they advanced to the Western Conference Finals in the 1974 75 season, beating the Kansas City Kings to play the Golden State Warriors, which they lost in seven games. The team went an NBA worst 24–58 in 1975–76. He was eventually replaced by Ed Badger on August 25, 1976.

Motta had two years left on his contract with the Bulls who allowed him to negotiate with the Washington Bullets. He left the Bulls to succeed K. C. Jones in a similar capacity with the Bullets on May 28, 1976.

Motta was the first head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, hired by the team on July 16, 1980. His first team went 15 67, dead last in the league. They did not lose as many games again until 1992 when they lost 60 games. Motta's Mavericks gradually rose up in prominence, rising in finishes in the Midwest Division from 6th in the first season to 4th by the third year. His fourth season (1983 84) was the start of something big for the team, as they went 43 39 while qualifying for the playoffs for the first time. They defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in the First Round to advance to the Semifinals, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. The following year, the Mavs went to the playoffs once again after a 44 38 season, although they lost to the Portland Trail Blazers in the First Round. They went to the Semifinals the following year after a 44 38 year and defeating the Utah Jazz in the First Round, although it ended with another loss to the Lakers. The next season was Motta's last, and it was his best with the team as they went 55 27 and finished 2nd in the Western Conference, winning their first Midwest Division title (the Mavericks did not win a division title again for twenty seasons). However, they lost to the SuperSonics in the First Round in four games. Motta resigned on May 20.

On January 4, 1990, Motta was hired by the Sacramento Kings in the middle of the season, replacing Jerry Reynolds, who had led the team to a 7 21 record. Motta coached the Kings to a 16 38 record, finishing with a 23 59. The next season, the Kings went 25 57 while finishing dead last in the Pacific Division. After a 7 18 start, Motta was fired on Christmas Eve in 1991. During his tenure as coach, the Kings went 8 76 in road games, including 43 straight losses on the road.

On May 17, 1994, Dallas hired Motta back as coach of the team, replacing Quinn Buckner, who went 13 69. Motta led the team to a 23 game improvement with a 36 46 record. His second and final season was less successful as they went 26 56. He was reassigned from his head coach role on May 1, 1996.

The Denver Nuggets hired Motta on November 26, 1996, replacing Bernie Bickerstaff, who had gotten off to a 4 9 start. The Nuggets went into a tailspin, going 17 52 while losing 26 of their final 30 games to finish 21 61 and 12th in the Western Conference. Motta was fired on April 21, 1997.

After being fired by the Denver Nuggets, Motta retired from coaching. He returned to his native Utah, where he and his wife Jan opened a bed and breakfast, The Bluebird Inn, at Bear Lake on the border of Utah and Idaho.