In this first-round chess match, Toronto coach Butch Carter blinked first. We’ll see if Jeff Van Gundy follows, although he said he’s not likely to counter.
After losing a close Game 1, 92-88, Sunday when Vince Carter shot 3 for 20, the Raptors’ coach benched 6-6 point guard Doug Christie in favor of 5-3 Muggsy Bogues for last night’s Game 2 at the Garden.
Oh, how tempting it would be for Van Gundy to counterattack and go big, have either 6-6 Allan Houston or 6-5 Latrell Sprewell posting up the miniature Bogues.
When asked about it, Sprewell, who loves the idea of the big lineup, laughed and said: “Hey, what could I say. It’s something, if we go to a big lineup with him in there, it’s definitely a mismatch. It’s something they’re going to have to sub or double-team a lot to try to help out if he’s guarding myself or Allan if we go big.”
Van Gundy said he’ll start Charlie Ward at the point and go from there. Ward picked up three first-quarter fouls – one on Christie and two on help defense – and wasn’t a big factor in Game 1.
“We’ll just see how that goes,” Van Gundy said of going big. “(Muggsy’s) played against big guards his whole life. It actually just plays into their advantage.”
While Sprewell would relish taking on Bogues, he admitted his former Golden State teammate is no pushover despite his size. “He’s a lot stronger than most people think. It’s not as easy to post him up and take him on the block. Not as easy as it may look. He’s strong and he competes.”
Christie had a great regular season against the Knicks, averaging 14 points, but was just 1 for 5 in Game 1 and missed a key putback with 20 seconds remaining and the Raptors down two. Christie appeared to rush his shot and could have called a timeout after the rebound from Tracy McGrady’s miss bounced to him.
Christie was manning the point when the Knicks exploded at the start Sunday, grabbing a 27-8 lead after 11 minutes. Bogues was the starter in the final regular-season meeting two weeks ago when Christie was hurt. With Bogues starting, the Raptors posted their most dominant win against the Knicks, going up by 26 points before prevailing 86-71.
“I’m sure they are putting him in there to try to get pressure on the ball in the backcourt and try to push the ball on offense,” Van Gundy said.
Van Gundy also praised Bogues’ tenacity. “You couldn’t be in this league as long he has unless you have an intensity that surpasses most,” Van Gundy said. “It’s really incredible what the guy has been able to achieve in his career playing on good teams. You can be a novelty on a bad team. But to be an effective starter, on good teams, that’s really a terrific accomplishment.”
Asked if he was surprised the Raptors are making a bold change in the lineup after one game, Sprewell said, “Not after the way he pressured our guards up the floor and made it difficult for me. He’s pesky. He’s going to make guys work. He could be a problem for us if we don’t get into our sets quick enough.”
“You can’t wait around in the playoffs,” Van Gundy said. “If you think something is going to help your team, you need to do it. Last year when we decided to start Latrell (during the Indiana series), I thought it was our best chance to win. You can’t wait. Whether it’s the right move, who knows. But as far as what goes in your mindset in making those decisions, you can’t worry about ruffling feathers.”
Christie was ticked off by the move after doing everything the Raptors asked of him in switching to an unnatural position at midseason. Asked the difference between Bogues and Christie, Ward cracked, “A whole foot, a foot-and-a-half.”
Ward added, “They have to do what they feel they have to do to win. That’s what they feel they have to do to get more easy baskets in or get Vince (Carter) out of the halfcourt and try to push it up more.”
Van Gundy was concerned with his team’s attitude during practice Tuesday but seemed more pleased following yesterday’s shootaround. “We got something done,” Van Gundy said. “Yesterday we didn’t get anything done.”
Van Gundy believes the winner of the first game of a playoff series sometimes goes into the second game without the same urgency. “Game 2’s are interesting for the teams that win,” Van Gundy said. “We have to go for the win. A lot of times in Games 2, you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop. We just have to go for the win. Play our game, play really hard and expect good things to happen if we do those things.”