The NBA Finals date back to 1947 (when they were known as the Basketball Association of America Finals) and the very 1st NCAA tourney was held in 1939. Olympic basketball competition is even older: it debuted as a demonstration event in 1904 and the men’s version became a medal sport in 1936, with the women finally getting their chance to go for the gold in 1976. The United States has dominated Olympic basketball competition from the start: the men have won 15 gold medals in the 18 tournaments they have participated in during the past 84 years, while the women have won 8 gold medals in the 10 tournaments in which they have competed during the past 44 years. Those of you who were looking forward to the 2020 Olympics opening ceremonies in Tokyo on July 24, 2020 will have to wait an extra 364 days, as the coronavirus caused a postponement until July 23, 2021. Due to the absence of college basketball since mid-March, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel decided to fill the void by trying to interview as many prior Olympic players/coaches as possible so that you have something to read this summer while not watching the Summer Games. We continue our coverage by chatting with Jack McCallum, author of “:07 Seconds or Less: My Season on the Bench with the Runnin’ and Gunnin’ Phoenix Suns”, about 2-time Olympic gold medalist Mike D’Antoni winning a pair of gold medals in 2008 and 2012. Today marks the 8th anniversary of team USA beating Spain 107-100 in the 2012 gold medal game.
(photo credit: cronkitenewsonline.com)
Mike was born/raised in West Virginia: what made him choose Marshall for college? He did not want the pressure of trying to become the next #44 at West Virginia after Jerry West. He knew that he could make a bigger impact at Marshall and his brother Dan was already there so that was a big factor.
In the spring of 1973 he was drafted 20th overall by Kansas City (2 spots ahead of George McGinnis): did he see that as a validation of his college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? It was more of a dream. He had thought about it but from the beginning Mike lacked the confidence to play in the NBA. He was never quite sure if he was good enough or whether he had shown enough in college to get picked.
After a few years in the ABA/NBA he decided to play in Italy for Olimpia Milano where he won 5 Italian League titles, became the team’s all-time leading scorer, and was voted the Italian League’s best PG of all-time in 1990: what made him such a great PG, and how did he like playing with Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo? His Italian coach Dan Peterson said that he had the best court sense of any point guard he had ever seen. He was a tenacious, tenacious defensive player and had good size for a PG. He was a born leader and his teams were always close. He finally developed a workable jump shot a few years into his career and became a very tough guy to guard for most European opponents. He loved McAdoo and thought that Bob was 1 of the most underrated players ever: they remain close to this day.
He became head coach of Phoenix in 2003 and after acquiring future 2-time MVP Steve Nash in 2004 he instituted a fast-paced offense known as “7 Seconds or Less” (which you wrote a book about: www.amazon.com/Seven-Seconds-Less-Season-Phoenix/dp/0743298136): how did he come up with the concept, and what made it so successful? Mike says it was the way that his teams played in Europe. He thought the NBA was boring when he came back to the US. He thought that Nash was the perfect player to conduct an offense that played fast but was also efficient in the half court.
Take me through the 2006 playoffs:
In the Western Conference 1st round he beat the Lakers in 7 games: how on earth was he able to become the 1st coach to ever beat Phil Jackson after trailing in a playoff series (Jackson had won 44 such series in a row)? The Suns were a superior team and they knew it. D’Antoni thought all along that they would win the series even when they got down 3-1. If they could get Kobe Bryant out of his game then they would win the series…and they did exactly that in Game 7.
In the final minute of Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals Amar’e Stoudemire/Boris Diaw were suspended for 1 game after leaving the bench and the Spurs eventually won the series in 6 games: do you think that the suspensions were proper, and do you think that it cost the Suns the series? This game happened the season after I wrote the book. The Suns violated the letter of the law but certainly not the spirit. The 2 players were nowhere near the fight and they should not have been suspended. I do think that it cost them the series but we will never know.
He was an assistant to Coach Mike Krzyzewski at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics: what did it mean to him to represent his country, and what did it mean to him to win a pair of gold medals? It was wonderful, of course, but I do not think that he considers it his greatest achievement because he was not the head man. By the way, he respects Coach K a lot.
He was named NBA COY in 2005 and 2017: what did it mean to him to receive such outstanding honors? It means more than he will say because the way he coaches is constantly doubted by traditionalists. However, he stuck with an up-tempo style and eventually the rest of the league caught up to him so that is validation.
In the 2018 Western Conference Finals he became the 1st Western Conference team to lose Game 7 at home since the 2002 Sacramento Kings were on the wrong end of the Tim Donaghy scandal, and in the 2019 Western Conference Semifinals he lost to Golden State in the 1st playoff series to ever have all 6 games decided by 1-6 PTS: did he just run into the wrong dynasty at the wrong time, and how close did he come to ending the dynasty? Obviously he came very close but the Warriors were really a unique team at that time. The Rockets’ 3-PT shooting completely ran out, and when that happens against a team as good as Golden State it is going to be fatal.
His father Lewis was a high school coach who is in the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and his older brother Dan was Mike’s assistant in Phoenix/New York/Los Angeles and is in the Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame: who is the best athlete in the family, and who is the best coach in the family? This is only my opinion but I think both Dan/Mike would say that their dad was the best athlete: he was a very good baseball player along with being a basketball player. Next would be Dan, and I think they would all agree that Mike would be 3rd as far as athletes. Dan/Lewis were both great high school coaches and Dan has also had some success at Marshall…but as a coach it has to be Mike. He changed the game and the way that people thought about it at the highest level and was also a big winner in Italy.
Last February the Rockets became the 1st NBA team to play an entire game without anyone listed taller than 6’6” since the Knicks in 1963 and they currently have the 4th-best record in the West: it is obvious that “small ball” can win regular season games but do you think that Mike and his MVP backcourt of James Harden/Russell Westbrook can eventually win a championship? I do…but things are so confusing right now that it is hard to make an accurate assessment.