Van Gundy calls Knicks "A BS team."

Hot Van Rips
Into Sluggish Knicks

By OHM YOUNGMISUK
Daily News Sports Writer

Larry Johnson didn't have to look to know who slammed the door on his way out of the Knicks locker room late Wednesday night at Nassau Coliseum.
"Jeff ... that man does not like to lose," said Johnson, referring to Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy. "Look at him slamming doors. That man is hot."
Larry Johnson (r.) looks to shoot around Washington's Larry Howard in Wednesday's preseason game. As hot as Roger Clemens facing Mike Piazza with a shattered bat in his hand.
This was 45 minutes after his team had dropped an 87-86 preseason decision to the Wizards and about half an hour after Van Gundy laced into his team for its lackluster performance. And Van Gundy, whose Knicks (5-2) play in San Antonio tonight, was still steaming. The coach is clearly in midseason form even if his team isn't.
"We are a BS team," the coach said to reporters on Wednesday. "The fourth quarter execution is deplorable. The shots we take down the stretch, temper tantrums on the floor, not knowing coverages, blown sets, you name it. Not being ready to play on back-to-back nights, loose atmosphere. (We are) more worried about the World Series than we are about our own team. I'm not just talking about the players, I'm talking about me, too. It starts with me. It's a loose atmosphere."
Wednesday night started off badly when Latrell Sprewell got lost and showed up about 20 minutes before tip-off. Van Gundy benched Sprewell for the first 9 1/2 minutes before watching his team get outrebounded, 45-32, and outscored, 12-1, by the Wizards in second-chance points. This, of course, all came before Chris Whitney's three-point heave that bounced high off the back rim and in with 2.4 seconds handed the Knicks their second preseason loss.
"Some of the guys that we count on the most are ill-prepared for the season," Van Gundy complained. "We just got a lot of things that we need to tighten the screws on — just from a professional standpoint and that is not even regarding Latrell being late."
"It is not even about the game," Van Gundy added. "I'm talking about how we conduct ourselves. We are a BS team (by) just how we are going through it the last two weeks."
Sprewell felt like his late arrival was the spark that set off the inferno.
"In my three years here, we've had worse preseasons and he didn't seem to be this upset," said Sprewell. "We know we got to get better but at the same time, if that shot bounces out, we are 6-1, which is a lot better than my first two years here."


------------------