"He goes out and plays for her" - Phil Jackson on Dennis Rodman's relationship with Carmen Electra

Phil Jackson 's mastery of the triangle offense was one of the things that made him a great coach. The offense, which created good spacing among five players, powered the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers to multiple championships.

Apart from his knowledge of the X's and O's, Jackson's understanding of human behavior also boosted his stature as a coach. This was especially useful when Phil coached Dennis Rodman , known for his crazy antics on and off the court.

Rodman's muse

Rodman started a relationship with supermodel Carmen Electra sometime in 1998. This was a critical moment for the Bulls since before the season began, Jackson had a strong hunch it would be their "Last Dance."

Given Dennis' invaluable contributions, Phil tried his best to understand where Rodman was coming from. Instead of seeing Electra as a distraction, the Zen Master regarded the supermodel as The Worm's inspiration.

"The point is, Dennis has to get his motor going himself," Jackson said, per ESPN . "What is helping now is this relationship he's started with Carmen Electra, whoever she is. Is she on TV? And she is his inspiration. He goes out and plays for her. But God forbid he has a bad game because then it's impotence time."

Phil didn't try to change his player's personalities. Instead, he tried to understand them deeply and adjust his tactics. The legendary coach knew Rodman needed a muse, so he allowed the two-time Defensive Player to have his dates with Electra.

The real MVP

The 11-time NBA champion highly valued Rodman's contributions to the team. In 2011, Jackson claimed Dennis was a big part of the historic 72-win season. Michael Jordan even claimed that Jordan was the real MVP in the season Scottie Pippen was away for three months.

"The season we got Dennis, we recorded the best record in NBA history. It tells you a lot about his impact. The year (Scottie) Pippen sat out the first three months after an operation, Michael told me he felt Dennis was the MVP of that team," Jackson said .

Only casuals would claim that Jordan carried the Bulls to multiple titles. The real ones know that basketball, as a team sport, needs others to function efficiently.

Yes, Michael was the captain and the best scorer. But Rodman was the best rebounder and defender of the squad. His relentless desire to win powered the Bulls to basketball immortality.

Related: "His greatness will never be superseded" - Phil Jackson explains why LeBron James and Kobe Bryant could never surpass Michael Jordan