Phil Jackson’s team won, and he gave credit to the players. Larry Brown’s team lost, and he took responsibility for it.

It’s a good management strategy. Give credit to the workers when things go well, and be careful with the blame when they don’t.

With the victory, Jackson passed Pat Riley as the winningest coach in Los Angeles Lakers history.

“It’s been a really good run,” Jackson said. “Having this opportunity to coach this team is always special. The fact that we’ve had some great teams, great players, is always a credit to them. It’s not really an individual record in my mind.”

Larry Brown of the Charlotte Bobcats took responsibility for a sloppy inbounds play that helped hand the game to the Lakers.

“I had everybody confused,” Brown said. “That was my fault. We had another timeout where I don’t think anybody really understood what we were trying to do, so that was on me. I told them all afterwards that that was just an old coach doing a stupid thing.”

Perhaps the play was stupid, but deflecting the blame was not. No wonder Brown ranks in the top 10 in career victories by an NBA coach.

At the time, Koufax was the best pitcher in the world, and the Dodgers sorely missed him in Game One. He came back to help the Dodgers beat the Minnesota Twins in seven games.

His conviction in choosing a religious obligation over a baseball game — no matter how important — speaks for itself.

What really intrigues me is exactly HOW Koufax became the best pitcher in the world. He arrived in big-league baseball with the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers, able to throw the ball hard but unable to control it.

After years of inconsistency, he took the advice of teammate Norm Sherry, who told him to ease up on the speed in order to gain a little more control. The adjustment worked.

So here’s how Koufax became the greatest pitcher in the world: He was coachable.

Many players have come to the big leagues with the ability — like Koufax — to throw the ball hard. But not every one of them was coachable.

Years ago there was a minor-leaguer who was called up to the National Hockey League by the New York Rangers. After the game, superstar Rod Gilbert approached the player and offered some tips.

With contempt, the player brushed off the advice, and shot back, “And how many goals did YOU score tonight?”

With such an attitude, the player went back to the minor leagues and was never heard of again. Gilbert wound up in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Legendary basketball coach Pat Riley has only one question when he is asked his opinion on a potential trade. “Will I be able to coach that player,” he wants to know.