SPRINGFIELD — Don Nelson entered the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Friday night in a similar manner to which he became the winningest coach in NBA history. He picked moments to be serious, littered his speech with jokes, and even plugged his Maui coffee shop.

It was a splendid speech, a rundown of a career filled with ups and downs, and a triumphant ending. One of 12 inductees in the Class of 2012, Nelson was unable to win an NBA championship as a coach, but he spent 35 years trying, and left the game having resurrected three franchises and been directly involved in a handful of Hall of Fame careers.