Jim Boeheim, Syracuse basketball coach and renowned hater of reporters, Greensboro, and all-night diners, loves making news. That's the best explanation I have for his recent comments on the NBA Finals, given to a local Syracuse reporter who interviewed him earlier this week on the occasion of being in Syracuse where there's nobody else around to strike up a conversation with:
"It was a great series," Boeheim said on Friday. "Really, those last two games were unbelievable games. I don't think they could be any better than that. It was great for basketball.
"Part of you wants the Spurs to win because they have such a great organization," he said. "They do it the right way. They did everything they could to win. But in the end, Danny Green proved why he's been in and out of the league all the time. (Green made an NBA Finals record 25 3-pointers, but was 2-for-19 in his final two games.)
That's an… interesting perspective on the Finals, to say the least. The more conventional one is that Green's play required a serious adjustment from the Heat that had the Spurs a missed free throw away from winning the series in six games. But we'll defer to Boeheim's experience with NBA players, as he did coach Carmelo Anthony for a season, developed Derrick Coleman into a number one draft pick, and allowed crickets to fill the deafening silence when people try to think of a third Syracuse alum with a significant NBA career.
Wondering what Roy Williams might think of this perspective? Good news! Williams and Boeheim will both be in New York City on July 1st for an ACC ceremony welcoming new members Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Notre Dame. I'm sure harsh words will be exchanged and the two will come to blows. Either that, or it will be like every other publicity event involving coaches and no one will think twice about a stupid thing Boeheim said nine days earlier. Then, everyone will head over to the NASDAQ stock exchange and ring a bell. Fun!
(I just boggle at that quote. "Hey, the guy who just shattered the NBA Finals three-point record in five games, well, you can obviously see why he's in and out of the league." And I'm not really joking about the paper interviewing him just because he's around. They're preparing for ACC expansion by asking locals about ACC teams they're affiliated with. It's how they get the true insider's perspective that Syracuse is bigger than Wake Forest. For UNC they went and talked to a women's lacrosse alum. The new giant-sized ACC is going to be so much fun you guys.)
Anyway should Boeheim seek a dissenting opinion on Danny Green, I invite him to call up his Olympic coaching compatriot, who might be willing to forward the following along:
