The Curious Overconfidence of Mike D’Antoni
You could forgive the Phoenix Suns if they came into this weekend’s monumental games against the Spurs feeling a tad anxious; they are effectively playing for their postseason lives.
San Antonio has proven itself to be a tougher, more resourceful, and smarter Playoff team. You’d think that all of the confidence would be over on the Spurs’ side, and you’d be wrong.
Suns head coach Mike D’Antoni is sure of himself and his players, and he plans on mopping the floor with the Spurs tonight.
“We’re going to play (Game 3 at US Airways Center) Friday, and we’re going to bust them.
That’s our mindset. We still don’t have any doubt we can win this series.”
Now, I’m not sure what D’Antoni saw on the grizzly game film from the series’ first two contests that made him think his team was going to “bust” Duncan and company, but you gotta respect the man for not showing any fear.
There’s a lot riding on the outcome of tonight’s game; it remains to be seen whether D’Antoni and his guys can back up the tough talk with their play.
49 Responses to “The Curious Overconfidence of Mike D’Antoni”
Apr.25 at 9:09 am
Eboy says:
The cement from his caps have messed with his mind.
Apr.25 at 9:21 am
Logan Light says:
They will bust them tonight… and maybe in game 4… but then it’s over.
Apr.25 at 9:24 am
Adrian Zapata says:
We are gonna bust the suns tonight. Hahaha this guy is funny, does he really think they have a shot?
Apr.25 at 9:25 am
Elyse says:
Didn’t the Lakers beat the Spurs after being down 0-2, in the legendary .4 year? I am not a fan of either team, but so far the spurs have just held court.
Apr.25 at 9:32 am
H to the izzo says:
Mr.Pringle is funny.
Apr.25 at 9:35 am
Dark says:
Yup, I’m with Elyse; too many people counting out some of these teams down 0-2.
Apr.25 at 9:39 am
Benoit Benjamin says:
Suns are gonna win one or two games, but clearly the spurs have too many weapons for them to match.
Apr.25 at 9:41 am
Jolst says:
Shaq probably taught him that.
Apr.25 at 10:04 am
whooo! says:
are the suns today’s version of the sacramento kings from the early 2000’s? extremely talented (if not the MOST talented in the team), free wheeling offense that’s entertaining, and the fact that they keep running into the same brick wall every year and lose either because of injury, controversy, or simply getting outsmarted/outplayed/outclutched.
Apr.25 at 10:06 am
Ken H. says:
Get out the brooms people, Im talkin’ SWEEEEEEEEEEEEP!
Apr.25 at 10:20 am
ciolkstar says:
If Phoenix loses this game the series is over, even if they are able to rally afterwards. There’s just no way the Spurs lose 4 in a row to the Suns (and when you think about it even them losing 4 out of 5 seems pretty unlikely.) If the Spurs can come close to defending the high screen-roll like in game 3, the series will be over sooner than later. Plus, Manu and Tony are doing their damn thing right now, and Timmy is Timmy.
Apr.25 at 10:41 am
BETCATS says:
that D in his name must stand for DUMB. Mike Dumb Antoni
Apr.25 at 10:43 am
Tariq says:
I swear to God I’m totally serious, but for some reason seeing D’Antoni’s face ALWAYS gives me a craving for potato chips. I never understood it. It seemed too arbitrary. But when izzo said “Mr. Pringle” I had a long-overdue epiphany. I’m so not kidding.
Apr.25 at 10:46 am
Tariq says:
Plus, Marcel’s description of D’Antoni’s overconfidence is very accurate: It IS “curious.” Not absurd or outlandish, but curious.
Apr.25 at 11:02 am
Kevin says:
i hope Mike D’Antoni’s right.. i was super nervous after game 1, and now i don’t know what to feel.. all i know is i’ll def be following the playoffs with a lot less interest if the Suns go out early :/
Apr.25 at 11:19 am
Ben Osborne says:
Blame Tmac
Apr.25 at 11:35 am
Gerard Himself says:
come on people, D’Antoni needs to say this, you all know that. We’re in the playoffs, that’s how it works. Good for the morale of the team, those are the tricks.
Apr.25 at 11:35 am
Tariq says:
Ben: I would blame Mac for Obama losing Pennsylvania, but I already blame Ryan and his redneck tendencies.
Apr.25 at 11:48 am
Cheryl says:
And whoo!’s right, this team does remind me of the Kings in the early 2000’s. Good team but gets rattled too quickly.
Good one, Tariq.
Apr.25 at 11:50 am
The Best Yet says:
Dammit SUNS! Where’s Tonto Kowalski when you need him.
Apr.25 at 12:43 pm
Ravi says:
What do you expect him to say? “Yeah, there’s pretty much no chance we can win this series, and I’m going to be fired this summer. Good day.” He has to say this.
Apr.25 at 12:49 pm
Kevin Wilson says:
I seem to remember another Suns coach, down 0-2 in a series, going out on a longer limb. Of course, they were playing an 8 seed that didn’t have Tim Duncan.
Apr.25 at 1:07 pm
Michael says:
Mike D’antoni may be the most arrogant person in all of the NBA. I don’t know why, all he has done is underachieve every year.
Apr.25 at 1:25 pm
speedy says:
To be confident before a game is essential Mutoni because you have to beat the oponent.
Senseless post.
Apr.25 at 1:34 pm
Darksaber says:
Bust them eh Mike? Bust them? You got Shaq to avert going down 0-2 in the playoffs and now you are blabbing about “busting them”? Is he on the sauce or what? Jeez, WIN ONE GAME BEFORE YAPPING YOU DUMBASS!!
Apr.25 at 3:27 pm
Jukai says:
Awful awful coach. He’s been putting into the Suns this undefeatable mindset every single game… and guess what happened the other games. Christ, FIRE MIKE D’ANTONI!!!!!!!
Apr.25 at 3:27 pm
Jukai says:
WHAT STUPID F$*%ING IMBECILE COACH LETS BARBOSA AND DIAW TAKE THE GAME WINNING SHOTS? JESUS CHRIST, DID YOU FORGET YOU HAVE STEVE NASH AND AMARE STOUDEMIRE ON YOUR TEAM?
Apr.25 at 3:28 pm
Jukai says:
sorry sorry, taking my meds
Apr.25 at 3:33 pm
Eboy says:
Poor Jukai.
Apr.25 at 3:42 pm
TADOne says:
Jukai is mad. Tell em why you mad, son!
Apr.25 at 3:54 pm
Jukai says:
How long you got?
Apr.25 at 4:59 pm
The Promise says:
I think they will win these next 2 games,but I think the Spurs will win the next 2 and end up winning in 6…they are in the Suns heads…They cant stop Parker,Ginobili,or Duncan and they know it…if Amare Stoudemire would not have left his game in the locker room last game,maybe the series would be tied at one apiece…but somehow, someway, they find a way to win,and if something dramatic dont happen the next 2 or 3 games,looks like its gonna stay that way.
Apr.25 at 6:32 pm
Jalepino Sausage says:
Stop Hatin !!! What do you expect the guy to say : Oh yes , and were down 2 games so i would like to apologise to our fans because we won’t make it:? S#it he was just speaking the truth. All yall haters Keep hatin but the Spurs won’t even come close in Phoenix & that’l turn the tables like a Mo Fo.
Apr.25 at 6:32 pm
Slobodan Chutzpah says:
Nice anecdote, Tariq. Curious (eh…) as it is, now I seem to have a sudden craving for potato chips.
Apr.25 at 6:35 pm
Jalepino Sausage says:
Positivi T Bee-Hatch !!!
Apr.25 at 6:37 pm
Jalepino Sausage says:
When i see the haters i crave pretzels coz All Yall Twisted
Apr.25 at 6:39 pm
Jalepino Sausage says:
Shawn Kemp U Out there
Apr.25 at 8:54 pm
DaBomb says:
The series can end in one of two ways. 1. The Suns get their heads out of their asses and play basketball for 48 minutes, and complete a backdoor sweep beating the Spurs in 6, or 2. The suns will continue to make dumb mistakes and end up getting swept. The Suns can easily beat the Spurs, they’ve shown that, but everytime they have a big lead and have the Spurs by the neck they refuse to continue appyling pressure. Bottomline: the suns need to break the spurs necks or they’re going fishing for the 28th fu***g time
Apr.26 at 1:15 am
whooo! says:
so mike, how bad you gonna bust the spurs in game 4?
Apr.26 at 1:20 am
Jalepino Sausage says:
Aight its on now.
Apr.26 at 2:30 am
tealish says:
Hm…I’m assuming D’Antoni lets up a bit in his next interview. Possibly mumble something about “taking it one game at a time” or a soft “we still believe…” Meanwhile, Shaq will be defiant as always talking about eating words and the like…
Apr.26 at 2:31 am
Hursty says:
curiosity killed the cat. and the Pus$y suns. Poor Nash being abused by Bowen all game.
Apr.26 at 5:38 am
Harlem_World says:
This is funny to me. The Suns have, and always will be, the NBA version of the Emporer’s Clothes (kids story with a moral twist - go look it up). Sure, they have a free wheeling offense and one of the best passers in league history, but they only play one way. The mantra we all learn from JV on up is ‘Offense can win you a game, but DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS’. The Suns don’t play D. D’Antoni can’t teach D, he’s not wired that way for championship level defense. The Spurs, on the other hand, can turn their defense up to a championship level in the post season because Pop is (1) a better overall coach and (2) a vastly superior defensive coach. It helps to have Timmy, but you think Manu or Tony would be any different (defensively) to Barbosa or Hill if they were in Phoenix? It’s the defensive MINDSET of the coach and the culture that makes these players play better D. Defense is first and foremost about commitment to getting stops. Suns don’t have that.
Apr.26 at 6:37 am
Slobodan Chutzpah says:
The Emperor’s New Clothes, Harlem. And I’m sure we all know the story without looking it up.
Apr.26 at 12:53 pm
whooo! says:
harlem, i agree with the coach mindset on some of the biggest issues for their lack of defense. EVERYONE knows amare needs to work on his defense cuz he’s atrocious, and they can’t get to the next level without him d-ing up. so what’s he do this offseason? work on his 3 point shot! his coaches are responsible for working with him and telling him what he needs to do. defense starts with pressure on the ball, and ends with the big man as the last line of defense. the spurs have bowen and duncan for that. the suns have nash and amare. nash is so bad on defense they put a 6′8 injury prone guy with an injured groin to guard tony parker.
Apr.26 at 12:56 pm
whooo! says:
and when van gundy would point out countless times the poor defensive rotations, switches, commitments, mark jackson brought up the truest point. you don’t learn to play defense mid-game. you learn defense throughout the regular season, in practice, game films, etc. the coach has to at one point stress this. instead, for the past year they’ve been fooling themselves with their defensive numbers and saying “we are better on defense! look at how many charges nash takes,” and then simply ignored the issue.
Apr.26 at 4:17 pm
youngmuggsy says:
i wouldnt be so confident if i watched my star point guard get beat time and time again.
Apr.26 at 6:27 pm
maio says:
Shaq: The Big Floor.
Look up vintage SLAM noyz.
Apr.27 at 10:31 pm
Dacre says:
I’m thinking that I should probably suit up tomorrow night.