Cuban: Phil Jackson is my 'bucket boy'

Mark Cuban loves few things more than publicity, so given an audience with New York media ahead of Wednesday's Dallas Mavericks win over the Knicks, the Mavs owner didn't disappoint with tongue-in-cheek comments about Phil Jackson.

"Running the triangle?" Cuban said with a grin, according to the Daily News' Stefan Bondy. "I thought about playing the triangle, but cowbells won out."

Apparently conducting the interview from a Stairmaster in the bowels of the American Airlines Center, Cuban also brought out an old nickname he had for Jackson when asked about the criticism leveled at the Knicks president.

"That's a bucket boy issue," Cuban said. "So I don't know. I don't pay attention."

Cuban coined the condescending term about Jackson in a blog post almost 11 years ago, although he said at the time it was all in jest.

For the record, Cuban's Mavericks beat a Phil Jackson team in the only-ever playoff meeting between the two - a 2011 Dallas sweep over the Lakers.

The billionaire also joked that he wouldn't let Dirk Nowitzki mentor Knicks phenom Kristaps Porzingis.

"Fuck no. You know how much money I pay Dirk?" Cuban said. "Unless he teaches them how to shoot like me, then I'll be really excited about it."