Van Gundy not upset over practice
Associated Press
|  | | Larry Johnson launches a 3-pointer that put away the Raptors. |
PURCHASE, N.Y. -- Jeff Van Gundy walked out of a
less-than-perfect practice, chose his words carefully and defined
his negativity as narrowly as possible.
"I'm not upset. I don't want to be labeled grumpy, gloomy,
doomy," he said. "We didn't get much accomplished. That's what
I'm leaving it at. I have no feelings other than that."
With New York holding a 1-0 lead over Toronto in the
best-of-five series, the Knicks went through a somewhat dispirited
practice Tuesday that left the coach wondering about their
intensity for Game 2 Wednesday night.
Van Gundy, who has seen the Knicks' playoff peaks and valleys
for more than a decade, is an expert on noticing when his team's
mood is not what it should be.
"Jeff has realized over the years that a coach has to know what
kind of coach he is, and I think he knows that now," Allan Houston
said. "I think he realizes his strength is being realistic, and
that's what he's being when he tells us where our intensity is."
Game 2 will be Van Gundy's 50th postseason game as head coach of
the Knicks.
He remains as un-phony as ever a year after organizational
upheaval nearly cost him his job, four years after being hanged in
effigy on the back page of a tabloid, and five years after becoming
the "interim" replacement for Don Nelson.
A meticulous preparer and videotape junkie, Van Gundy has
continued to be a workaholic while remaining as much of a
non-celebrity as possible.
Still, his dour demeanor makes him look like a worrier.
"You are what you're created to be. So it doesn't matter," Van
Gundy said. "What do they say? Perception is reality? So I don't
really care if I'm doom and gloom, I'm trying to coach."
Going into Game 2, that means he wants his team to confront its
shortcomings from Game 1 -- allowing Tracy McGrady and Kevin Willis
to score too easily, allowing Charles Oakley to spot up for his
jump shot, allowing Toronto to come all the way back from a
19-point deficit.
Van Gundy was able to rattle off the final scores from last
year's first-round series when the Knicks beat Miami. After winning
Game 1 by 20 points, the Knicks lost Game 2 by 10 points. And after
beating the Heat by 24 points in Game 3, they lost Game 4 by 15.
"So, a 39-point swing from Game 3 to 4, a 30-point swing from
Game 1 to 2," he said. "But just because you know doesn't mean
you're going to do anything about it. We'll see how we do
tomorrow."
Houston and Marcus Camby agreed that Tuesday's practice lacked
intensity.
"It wasn't one of our best practices, I guess because the games
are so spread out," Camby said. "We missed a couple of easy shots
and a couple assignments that we should have down pat after
studying (Toronto) inside and out."
No matter how good or bad they are in practice, the Knicks will
not get any kind of a motivational speech from Van Gundy before
Game 2. That's not his style.
Van Gundy was around Pat Riley long enough as an assistant to
know that he could never duplicate his former boss' motivational
ploys. In his first season as a head coach, Van Gundy once pulled
all five starters and sent in five subs, a tactic that backfired
when the players found it more amusing than inspirational.
Van Gundy learned a lesson and said he'd never do it again.
If he needs to yell at a player now, he'll do it behind closed
doors. If he needs to inspire, he'll do it with preparation, film
and confronting his players with what they know is the truth.
"Just because you don't go out on the circuit and think you can
tell companies how they can improve themselves, that doesn't mean I
don't think I can tell my team what we need to do," Van Gundy
said. "Now that's not going to help IBM's stock go up, but I can
tell my team everyday what we need to do to win."
Getting the players to listen is another matter.
"Sometimes the group is more willing to receive," Van Gundy
said. "I saw no signs of that today, but we'll see tomorrow."
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