They stood 30 feet apart on the sidelines Wednesday night, arms folded, brows furrowed.
Othella Harrington, who has played for both Houston’s Jeff Van Gundy and Scott Skiles, says the similarities between the coaches go far beyond their body language and sideline mannerisms.
“They’re both students of the game,” Harrington said. “They both are nuts about preparation and always have you prepared to play. And they’re both intense.”
Those similarities extend to both coaches’ tendency to feel more comfortable praising other teams than their own. Their heart-on-their-sleeve answers about their own squads typically bring glass-half-empty outlooks, including Skiles’ consistent requests to tone down expectations.
“I love reading what he says,” Van Gundy said. “It’s the best.”
Van Gundy echoed comments made by his brother, Miami coach Stan Van Gundy, about the Bulls’ energy level.
“There’s no team that plays harder than that team,” Jeff Van Gundy said. “It’s not even close. And I’m not just talking defense. I’m talking on the boards, offensive energy because they drive and cut hard. That team will just keep getting better and progressing. At the end of the year, you’ll be writing that they were last [season’s] Miami.
“Anybody who doesn’t think they can be a huge factor in the playoffs isn’t watching the games. I can see them advancing in the playoffs.”
Skiles, as is his nature, deflected the praise.
“I’m reluctant to crown anything a major turnaround because we’re not even to the All-Star break yet,” he said. “And I’m sure Jeff would say the same thing.”
But that didn’t stop Skiles from returning the favor.
“[Bob] Sura has come back [from injury] and really helped them,” Skiles said. “He’s tough. He penetrates. He makes his shots. Picking up Jon Barry, who can come into a game and still get 10 points in three minutes if you’re not careful, was good.
“They’ve settled down and into a style of play that is good for them. Yao [Ming] is a guy who can score low, and you have shooters around him.”
