Stan Van Gundy wasn’t a happy camper for multiple reasons following the Detroit Pistons’ 106-101 Game 1 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Pistons head coach’s first gripe was over a key technical foul given to Detroit point guard Reggie Jackson. The Pistons were down 96-92 with just under three and a half minutes remaining in the game, and Jackson was T’d up after arguing a no-call when he fired up a late-game shot.
Van Gundy was asked by reporters whether the technical foul came at a bad time, and responded with a perfect, snarky comment.
“That’s a statement — not a question,” Van Gundy said before adding, “and correct.”
Van Gundy also told ESPN after the game that Jackson’s technical foul was a poor decision at the worst possible time.
“One point’s huge. You just — it can’t be done. He knows that. I’m sure if you ask him, he’ll tell you. I haven’t talked to him since the incident. I’m sure he’d tell you the same thing. You can’t get that. You’re angry at the referee, and so because I’m mad at the referee, the way I’ll show my anger is give the Cavaliers a point. It doesn’t make sense.”
During the game, Van Gundy also called out LeBron James and the treatment NBA referees give him. He said his players need to understand the Cavaliers forward “gets to do whatever he wants.”
“A couple calls have upset our guys,” Van Gundy told Salters. “They’ve got to understand, LeBron’s LeBron. They’re not going to call offensive fouls on him. He gets to do whatever he wants. They’ve got to understand that.”
That’s a hilarious, somewhat true comment. LeBron gets a ton of favorable calls and non-calls because he’s LeBron. Now, that’s probably not something Van Gundy should say publicly, but it makes for great entertainment.
Unfortunately, Van Gundy backtracked on the LeBron comments, telling ESPN after the game that the referees had nothing to do with the loss. Still, it’s great to see Van Gundy be so passionate. He’s one of the NBA’s most entertaining personalities. The angrier he appears to be, the better his comments are. Never change Stan.
[ESPN]
