TORONTO — Laurel D’Antoni found roses delivered to her doorstep of her Westchester home at 10 a.m. yesterday.
She was thrilled at the Valentine’s Day sentiment, but cautious as she picked up the flowers.
“I wouldn’t have been surprised if the note card said Jeremy on it instead of Laurel, ’’ she said.
Then Laurel, the wife of Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni for 28 years, added over the phone yesterday, “Mike loves his players. Honestly, I wished he would’ve given roses to them.’’
Jeremy Lin, in particular. In just 11 days, the “Linderella’’ story has lifted D’Antoni’s status from embattled coach on the firing line to the offensive genius he was known as in Phoenix. It’s not just the Knicks having reeled off six straight wins — including last night’s miracle rally, in which Lin scored the final six points, including the game-winning 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds left, in a 90-87 win over the Raptors. But Lin’s play is proving undeniably D’Antoni’s sophisticated speed-ball system works swimmingly when run by a cerebral, quick point guard.
D’Antoni was battered with nothing but Lin questions by the crush of Toronto media at a hastily produced press conference at Air Canada Centre before the Knicks’ morning shootaround. D’Antoni had pulled his back that morning, yet still was riding the Lin wave. One Canadian journalist, who probably has seen too much hockey, even asked D’Antoni if Lin should get a late add into the All-Star Game in 10 days.
After last night’s clutch performance, more people may be asking the same. D’Antoni was grilled on why so many teams passed on Lin. The Knicks coach was too modest to give himself a sliver of credit, though history shows he makes smart point guards smarter, better, richer and more famous with the freedom Lin has. Just ask Steve Nash and Raymond Felton.
“What Jeremy has shown is that guys can trust him,’’ Laurel said. “He knows that’s the most pleasing thing. Jeremy has brought a sense of trust to this team. And they genuinely like each other.’’
As a result, the players, and Knicks fans, now trust D’Antoni’s up-tempo attack, which looked sickly in December and January— sickly until that famous night against the Nets 11 days ago.
There wasn’t a Knicks fan, it seemed, who wasn’t calling for D’Antoni’s scalp after the Knicks were beaten in Boston 91-89 on Feb. 3 to fall to 8-15, even if their only true point guard on the roster, injured Baron Davis, hadn’t play yet.
There were boos, Phil Jackson chants, Mike Woodson chants. There was that one night against the Bucks at the Garden on Jan. 20 when “Fire D’Antoni!’’ chants resounded.
“It was a bummer,’’ said Laurel, who attends most games unless her son, Michael, is playing a high school game. “But it’s not like we’re not used to people getting after Mike.Same way in Italy. It’s the same way. New York is impatient. They do pay a lot of money to be entertained.’’
Still, she admitted, “It’s a lack of respect. I don’t boo my banker when my portfolio goes down. I don’t allow booing in my house.’’
Laurel attended the Lakers game with Gilberto Benetton, whose family formerly owned D’Antoni’s Treviso team in Italy.
“He brought us luck,’’ she said.
Jeremy has brought something more. D’Antoni is tied to the hip with Lin now. If Lin is the long-term answer at point guard, it would be “Linsane’’ not to give D’Antoni a contract extension. There is no evidence Lin could succeed in a more structured halfcourt offense — for example, the triangle, which discourages point guards from driving madly to the rim.
“He’s enjoying watching the rebirth of this team,’’ Laurel said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. The stars just aligned.’’
Laurel wasn’t a basketball fan when she met Mike 28 years ago in Italy, where he starred as a point guard and coach. But she has heard enough basketball around the house to sound like James Naismith on point guards.
“Can you make a point guard or are they born?’’ Laurel asked. “You can have point guards who play the position. But it is a special type of player who can see the floor [and] have the sense of timing and understanding of the game.’’
Laurel has had few Valentine’s dinners with her husband across the seasons. Yesterday, D’Antoni called her from Toronto, sounding romantic.
“He said, ‘I’d love to take you out to dinner,’ ’’ Laurel recalled. “I said, ‘OK, when?’ He said, ‘Maybe after the season.’ ’’