In a league and profession often suffocated by ego, Chuck Daly thrived by taking an unusual approach.

Sunday's games

• Rockets 99, Lakers 87 (Tied 2-2)
• Celtics 95, Magic 94 (Tied 2-2)

Saturday's games

• Nuggets 106, Mavs 105 (Nuggets 3-0)
• Cavaliers 97, Hawks 82 (Cavs 3-0)

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FOXSports.com analysis

• Playoff results, schedule
• 2009 NBA Playoff Central
• Rosen: Lakers a no-show in Game 4
• Rosen: Mavs can't avoid 3-0 hole
• Rosen: Cavs unchallenged so far
• Rosen: Suspensions of disbelief
• Hill: Lakers, Rockets get rough
• Rosenberg: LeBron is best of era

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Video

• Postgame: Celtics-Magic, Game 4
• Postgame: Lakers-Rockets, Game 4

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Photos

• Sunday's action | Saturday

Daly's versatility as a coach really came through when his skill at molding disparate egos into a cohesive team was summoned to lead the United States back to international basketball glory. With USA Basketball assembling the greatest cast of superstar athletes in team-sport history, the coaching act was presumed to require little more than deciding which five to play.

With a roll call that included the names Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, David Robinson and Karl Malone, a certain psychology was needed to turn these names into a blitzkrieg-unleashing unit.

Daly's success at inspiring players at all levels to "buy in" is what separated him from most of his coaching peers. But the fierce nature of their competitive fire came and went without his respect from the basketball world being sacrificed.

When the Bad Boys finally were conquered by Jordan and the Bulls, their notorious early departure from the court inspired relatively little backlash toward Daly. In good times and bad, his teams maintained a coaching imprint without losing individual identity.

With that in mind, the 2009 version of the NBA playoffs have seemed like a tribute to Daly and his Bad Boys.

Boston's Rajon Rondo became a menace to the health of the Bulls. Good guy Dwight Howard and his right elbow were seen channeling Laimbeer. Rafer Alston created a new spin move by using the head band of Eddie House. And the widely respected Derek Fisher went Vince McMahon by blowing up an attempted screen by Luis Scola.

But a greater and more appropriate tribute is being carried out by the coaches' association, whose members wear a "CD" lapel pin to honor Chuck Daly. The association also created the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award.

The achievement of Daly's lifetime can be defined as letting the players play your way.

Within context, as Daly demanded, there's a skill behind this method that most coaches never quite figure out.