AggieJohn
05-07-2005, 03:53 AM
By FRANK ISOLA
Copyright 2005 New York Daily News
DALLAS — Jeff Van Gundy, never one to back down from a good fight, went after Avery Johnson today, one day after the Mavs coach said that Van Gundy only started complaining about the officiating after the Rockets lost Games 3 and 4 of their first-round series.
"It is revisionist history," Van Gundy said on the eve of Game 7. "His words speak for themselves."
Following Houston's Game 6 victory, Johnson criticized the media's coverage of the series for focusing too much attention on Van Gundy's fine and not giving Dallas credit for winning three straight games. Van Gundy was fined $100,000 before Game 5 for saying that an NBA official had informed him that the referees would be looking more closely at Yao Ming.
"Maybe I need to go crazy," Johnson said during his rambling postgame tirade on Thursday. "Maybe that will help. We lost the game. The game was called fairly, pretty much. No excuses. No complaining."
Johnson, of course, was fined $10,000 for berating referee Joey Crawford after Game 1. After losing Game 2, Mavs owner Mark Cuban complained to the league, saying that Yao was setting illegal screens.
"I made a mistake and I've made some before," Van Gundy said. "All you can do is apologize. I shouldn't have used the word biased or brought somebody else into it. But I would think (Johnson), who just coached a little over half a year and had his own thing after Game 1, would realize that mistakes do happen. He had to be restrained from attacking a ref. But I understand what he's doing. He's doing what he thinks is right. But feel free to call me by my name. Don't beat around the bush."
Copyright 2005 New York Daily News
DALLAS — Jeff Van Gundy, never one to back down from a good fight, went after Avery Johnson today, one day after the Mavs coach said that Van Gundy only started complaining about the officiating after the Rockets lost Games 3 and 4 of their first-round series.
"It is revisionist history," Van Gundy said on the eve of Game 7. "His words speak for themselves."
Following Houston's Game 6 victory, Johnson criticized the media's coverage of the series for focusing too much attention on Van Gundy's fine and not giving Dallas credit for winning three straight games. Van Gundy was fined $100,000 before Game 5 for saying that an NBA official had informed him that the referees would be looking more closely at Yao Ming.
"Maybe I need to go crazy," Johnson said during his rambling postgame tirade on Thursday. "Maybe that will help. We lost the game. The game was called fairly, pretty much. No excuses. No complaining."
Johnson, of course, was fined $10,000 for berating referee Joey Crawford after Game 1. After losing Game 2, Mavs owner Mark Cuban complained to the league, saying that Yao was setting illegal screens.
"I made a mistake and I've made some before," Van Gundy said. "All you can do is apologize. I shouldn't have used the word biased or brought somebody else into it. But I would think (Johnson), who just coached a little over half a year and had his own thing after Game 1, would realize that mistakes do happen. He had to be restrained from attacking a ref. But I understand what he's doing. He's doing what he thinks is right. But feel free to call me by my name. Don't beat around the bush."