Kurt Thomas grabs rebound over Hornets’ Baron Davis and Eddie Robinson during Knicks’ 118-99 romp Friday night at Charlotte.AP The needle is out nearly every time these two elite coaches talk about one another. While Jeff Van Gundy heaped praise on Phil Jackson’s coaching job in L.A. yesterday, he couldn’t help himself.
And rightfully so after Jackson tore into him in the days leading up to the All-Star Game Feb.14, when the two coaches faced off in Oakland.
When asked why Jackson is constantly taking digs at him, Van Gundy said yesterday “When you win, you can say a lot of things. If I always had the best player, I’d probably be a needler, too. When you have the best player, you can do a lot of things. The best player can usually back it up, too.”
The reference, of course, is Jackson having coached both Michael Jordan to five titles and now possibly Shaquille O’Neal to another one.
Jackson said some nasty things about Van Gundy in February to prolong a feud that began when Van Gundy thought the Zen Master was campaigning for the Knick job. Van Gundy had been promoted from assistant to interim coach four years ago when Jackson went on national TV, making suggestive remarks.
Jackson told The Post recently about his penchant for giving out poignant books to his players as Christmas presents. When asked what book he would get for Van Gundy, Jackson cracked, “Good things happen to bad people.”
Jackson also told AP in the days leading up to the All-Star Game when asked about facing Van Gundy, “I don’t even pay attention to him. He’s like a fly on the wall.”
Jackson also remarked in the AP story about Van Gundy’s penchant for running onto the court to join melees — referring to the Alonzo Mourning leg-grabbing incident in 1998 and the 1994 Derek Harper-Jo Jo English fight in the Knicks-Chicago playoff series. That was when Jackson accused Van Gundy of grabbing players out of the pile.
“Coaches should not be on the court, but the little coaches they let run on the court because they don’t see them,” said Jackson, who, at 6-foot-8, towers over the 5-foot-9 Van Gundy.
Van Gundy disputes he was ever involved in the Harper-English battle. “He’s got the wrong guy, but that doesn’t surprise me,” Van Gundy said. “That was Pat [Riley] pulling guys out. “
Perhaps Jackson is jealous of Van Gundy, feeling he didn’t pay his dues. Jackson, remember, spent too many years coaching in the CBA with the Albany Patroons in the 1980s at the old Washington Avenue Armory when it seemed the NBA had blackballed him.
Yesterday, though, Van Gundy managed to praise Jackson for his Lakers’ work. “He has done a heckuva job and you can’t minimize the impact,” said Van Gundy, who used to refer to him as Big Chief Triangle. “He’s got them committed to defending. The main guys have bought into defense. When you have them committing to defending, that’s how you go on 16 and 19-game winning streaks.”
For a moment, the needle was put away.