Dick Motta

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John Richard "Dick" Motta (b. September 3, 1931 in Midvale, Utah) is a former basketball coach whose career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) spanned 25 years. Although infamous for his quick temper and eccentricities, Motta was an effective strategist who knew how to bring the best out of his players.

Motta was hired as head coach of the Chicago Bulls in 1968 after a six-year stint at Weber State University. From 1970 to 1974 he led the Bulls to four straight seasons of 50 wins or more, winning the NBA Coach of the Year Award in 1971.

In 1976, Motta left the Bulls to coach the Washington Bullets, with whom he won an NBA Championship in 1978. After two more seasons with the Bullets, he became the first coach of the Dallas Mavericks, whom he led to a 55-27 record in 1986-1987.

Motta also served with the Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets before retiring in 1997.

[edit] "The opera isn't over 'til the fat lady sings!"

Motta is sometimes erroneously credited with coining the celebrated phrase: the opera ain't over 'til the fat lady sings.[1] In fact, the phrase was a witticism originated by San Antonio sportswriter and television sportscaster Dan Cook[2].

During a KENS-TV broadcast of the 1978 NBA Eastern Conference Semi-Finals between the Washington Bullets and the San Antonio Spurs, Cook used the phrase in an attempt to encourage Spurs fans, as their team was down three games to one against the Bullets. Motta heard the broadcast and adopted his own rendition of the expression — "The 'opera' isn't over 'til the fat lady sings" — to warn Bullets fans against braggadocio.

The odds were against the underdog Bullets, and sportswriters were forecasting a grim finale, so Motta rebounded with the upbeat ostinato, "Wait for the fat lady!" The Bullets won the Eastern Conference against the Atlantic Division Champion Philadelphia 76ers, and went on to beat the Western Conference Champion Seattle SuperSonics four games to three for the 1978 NBA Finals.

The victory gave Washington, D.C. fans their first championship team since the Washington Redskins won the National Football League title in 1942. In Motta's second year as coach, the Bullets (now the Washington Wizards) had become only the third team to win the NBA Championship in a seventh game on the road. That 1978 championship remains the franchise's only NBA Championship to date.

After the climactic Game 7 victory to claim the title, Motta celebrated with his team wearing a beer-soaked The Opera Isn't Over 'Til The Fat Lady Sings t-shirt.

What made the championship so great was that we weren’t supposed to win it. We came a long way. Most people didn’t give us a chance, but I felt all along we could. I really did.

— Dick Motta [3]

Preceded by Johnny Kerr	Chicago Bulls Head Coach 1968–1976	Succeeded by Ed Badger
Preceded by K. C. Jones	Washington Bullets Head Coach 1976–1980	Succeeded by Gene Shue
Preceded by Initial coach	Dallas Mavericks Head Coach 1980–1987	Succeeded by John MacLeod
Preceded by Jerry Reynolds	Sacramento Kings Head Coach 1990–1991	Succeeded by Rex Hughes
Preceded by Quinn Buckner	Dallas Mavericks Head Coach 1994–1996	Succeeded by Jim Cleamons
Preceded by Bernie Bickerstaff	Denver Nuggets Head Coach 1996–1997	Succeeded by Bill Hanzlik

[edit] References