NORMALLY, players dread two or three days between games, particularly in the playoffs when momentum in a short series can be critical. But if there ever was a team in need of a lull, it is the Knicks, who were in no condition physically or mentally yesterday to play a basketball game.
Truth is, the best thing to happen in what has been an ugly week for the Knicks is to have three days off between the first two games of their best-of-five series with the Raptors. From the backlash over Charlie Ward’s insensitive remarks about Jews to the horrible assault on Marcus Camby’s family to Allan Houston welcoming the birth of Allan Wade Houston III on Monday night, the Knicks were a dazed group yesterday as they went through their first full practice in preparation for Game 2 tomorrow night against the Raptors.
“That’s the one positive in all this,” Latrell Sprewell said yesterday. “We have time to regroup and more importantly Marcus has time to regroup and gather his thoughts.”
Enter Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy, who attempted to bring his team back to reality yesterday by emphasizing rebounding, defense and the danger of Vince Carter. When it comes to preparing a team during the NBA playoffs, Van Gundy has proven to be one of the league’s best, having never lost a first-round series and being the only coach to guide an eighth seed to the NBA Finals.
But even his preparational and motivational talents are being challenged in the wake of an event that have given his players reason to think about anything but basketball. Camby, whose sister was sexually assaulted and whose family was terrorized by an intruder on Monday morning, stayed with his family yesterday and didn’t practice, leaving teammates and coaches concerned about his well-being.
Despite the drama, it’s still Van Gundy’s job to get the Knicks ready for tomorrow’s game in the Garden, where they’ll attempt take a 2-0 lead in the series. This is a tightrope that most coaches are unfamiliar with: trying to motivate a team to play a game in the backdrop of the kind of tragedy that is every human’s worst nightmare.
“I know how close I am to my sister,” said assistant coach Don Chaney. “And for her to be violated like that . . . ” He didn’t finish the sentence.
It would be easy for Van Gundy, the father of a five-year-old daughter, to get caught up in the tragedy, but the coach in him understands the NBA playoffs will go on as scheduled. His players need to start thinking basketball again.
Perhaps it sounded insensitive when Van Gundy yesterday said of Camby’s ordeal, “If it has an impact on the series or he doesn’t play as well, then it’s just too bad for us. No one cares.”
But that’s the mindset he wants his team to have.
So he spent yesterday talking to his team about how important it is to be mentally ready for tomorrow’s game. Instead of talking about Camby, he talked about the Knicks’ historical habit of opening the second game of a series sluggishly after winning Game 1.
“When you win, you relax,” he said in his best coachspeak. “When you lose, you get urgent. The players we’ve had on this team have had a problem with, after winning, being urgent.”
He pointed to the Hornets, who have taken a stunning 2-0 lead with a pair of one-sided wins against the favored Heat in Miami.
“We want to be like Charlotte,” he said. “They blew them out [in Game 1], then came back even stronger, more determined, more urgent and more desperate [in Game 2]. There’s no a reason we can’t play a much better game on Thursday.”
It sounded like the same ol’, same ol’ from Van Gundy. But thanks to the NBA schedule-makers, he has another day to reinforce his message. That’s why today’s practice will be invaluable to the Knicks. Camby is expected to return to the warmth of his teammates, the organization will be another day removed from the controversy over Ward’s insensitive comments about Jews, and Houston will be out of the fog that being a new father can bring.
“Hopefully, this time off will prove to be a positive,” GM Scott Layden said. “Any extra time we have, I think, is an advantage for the Knicks because of how coach deals with practice and preparing the team for the next game.”
The Knicks are accustomed to adversity. But this is a bit different than having players suspended during a playoff series or being an eighth seed. It’s more serious than someone saying words that hurt.
“Sometimes you have things that happen that you can’t control,” Sprewell said. “But you try to stay focused and remember what the task is at hand.”
Van Gundy must ensure the Knicks do just that.