Former Golden State coach Mark Jackson took the Warriors to the playoffs in two of his three seasons with the team and was within moments of advancing past the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of this year's playoffs.
After Jackson's dismissal Tuesday, Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News wrote the next Warriors coach will enter a pressure cooker.
"Mark Jackson had just been dismissed, but he's the one who put the whole situation in the clearest, sharpest, most immediately pressurized terms," Kawakami wrote. "There is no wiggle room for the Golden State Warriors now. There is no turning back or fall-back excuse.
"Now that Warriors management has moved on from Jackson's vibrant three-season tenure, everything rides on the next decision, and particularly on co-owner Joe Lacob and General Manager Bob Myers.
"Either the Warriors hire a probably better coach, and they win at the highest level, or they will be leaguewide embarrassments.
" 'Now the pressure's on for them to get a championship,' Jackson told the Mercury News in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon. 'It's not the time for them to be patient any more. This is a championship-caliber team. We were in the playoffs without David [Lee] last year, and we were without [Andrew] Bogut this year.
" 'When this team is healthy, it is a legit contender. That's something that we're all looking at going forward.'
"Even Lacob and Myers basically acknowledged the gamble themselves on Tuesday, before Jackson's comments.
"The Warriors' brass is wagering that it was a bigger part of the franchise turnaround than Jackson was.
"Now they have to find the right guy for the next stage -- whether that's Steve Kerr, Fred Hoiberg, Kevin Ollie, Stan Van Gundy or whoever else.
"Lacob and Myers said the process hasn't yet officially begun, but they know what they want: Somebody who gets along with his bosses and his associates and somebody who runs an offense better than Mark Jackson.
"That's the next step, or perhaps the great fall."
Nothing to it
The Burlington Bees, the Class A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels, held a 17-1 lead over the Clinton LumberKings, the Class A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, after five innings in their game Wednesday night.
The LumberKings scored six runs in the sixth inning, added five in the eighth, and scored another five in the ninth to tie the game at 17-17.
Designated hitter Justin Seager, the younger brother of Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager, drove in the LumberKings' go-ahead run in the 12th inning. Second baseman Lonnie Kappuila followed with a two-run single to give the LumberKings a 20-17 victory.
Those insurance runs would be important for Kappuila, who was called on to pitch in the bottom of the 12th inning. He retired the Bees in order in his first pitching appearance since high school to earn a save.
"Being up by one and knowing I was going to have to pitch when I haven't pitched in five years, I really wanted to get us some extra runs," Kappuila told MiLB.com. "I was really glad that I was able to get that hit."
Sports quiz
How many teams did Mark Jackson play for in his NBA career?
Answer
Seven: The New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets.
Sports on 05/09/2014