While covering the Ryder Cup last October, I watched a grown man shed tears on the dais of a press conference in Wales. His name was Hunter Mahan, who lost the decisive match to Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland when Mahan stubbed his chip off the 17th green and handed the Europeans the Cup.
If there was an appropriate time for tears and sympathy in sports, that was it. There’s nothing bigger in team golf than the Ryder Cup. Mahan not only lost the Cup for his team, but also the U.S.
Now let’s compare that heartache with what’s going on with the Miami Heat — and indirectly with the Knicks, who have collected multiple superstars but often sound like acquiring such talent is as much a burden as a blessing.
After his team lost its fourth straight game — 87-86 to the Bulls on Sunday night — Heat coach Erik Spoelstra revealed some of his players were moved to tears over the defeat.
Then came the rhetoric we hear out of Miami every time the Heat struggle: about how they’re still figuring out how to play together after signing LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join Dwyane Wade.
You would have thought these three All-Stars would have found a winning formula by now, but they continually tell us success isn’t achieved overnight, apparently forgetting three-quarters of the season have passed.
“We’re going through these growing pains, and it sucks,” Wade said.
Growing pains in March?
Though there have been no Knick tears shed yet, at least none made public, they have embraced a similar theme since the acquisition of Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups and five other new players last month.
They have talked about the crash course they’re undergoing on how to form a workable chemistry with so many new names on the roster.
Their unfamiliarity with each other was the primary excuse given for their second loss to the Cavaliers since the trade, and will be every time things don’t go according to plan for the remainder of the season. But let’s hope the Knicks don’t become like the crying Heat and cling to the excuse of unfamiliarity long after it’s viable.
It certainly wasn’t a problem last night as the hot-shooting Knicks blew out the sleepwalking Jazz 131-109 at the Garden.
The home team took a 66-48 lead at halftime by shooting 56 percent from the field, and were never threatened as Anthony finished with 34 points and Amar’e Stoudemire 31.
“It’s all starting to come together,” Stoudemire said of the Knicks’ largest point total of the season. “We’re starting to figure it out. So far, so good.”
If the Knicks can play that well last night, they can’t pretend they hardly know each other when they don’t play as well. The Heat keep acting like getting their superstars to play together is rocket science. The Knicks (33-29) don’t need to follow their example.
Perhaps it’s a good thing there are only 20 games left in the season. There really is no time to be like the Heat and belabor the apparent difficulty of assimilating new players into a system. Amazingly, the most intimidating team when the season began already is shedding tears in its locker room — and the playoffs still are more than a month away.
Let’s hope the Knicks are more thick-skinned, even though their head coach sounded like pouting was a good thing.
“He’s just being honest, and it happens,” Mike D’Antoni said of Spoelstra.
“There’s nothing wrong with crying. I’m glad they care. It’ll build something if it doesn’t break them.”
I think the latter is more of a possibility. The Heat players can’t feel good about their coach telling the media they were crying.
Memo to the Knicks: Crying gets you nothing in this city. If tears are to be shed, it better be in a situation similar to Mahan’s breakdown, like losing on the final shot of the NBA Finals. Only then can you pass the Kleenex.
george.willis@nypost.com