NBA

Phil Jackson On Miami Heat: “Big Boys Don’t Cry”

You thought the Miami Heat crying “controversy” was over by now, didn’t you? Oh, your naiveté is adorable. Lakers coach Phil Jackson, as we suppose was inevitable, got asked his opinion on the whole thing…and after briefly trying to deflect the questions, Jackson allowed that he wasn’t too impressed with the unidentified Heat players’ show of emotion.

The Lakers, you see, play the Heat tomorrow, making the crying question journalistically viable – nay, necessary. Jackson didn’t bite immediately, though. He downplayed the hubbub as “just drama” and even said he “[didn't] want to talk about Miami’s situation.” The assembled reporters, though, most likely knowing Jackson’s tendencies well enough to be aware that they could get something out of him if they kept pressing, kept pressing. And Jackson produced this:

“This is the NBA: No Boys Allowed. Big boys don’t cry. But, if you’re going to do it, do it in the toilet where no one can see.”

We’ll say this: whoever on the Heat had those “glassy eyes” is probably wishing they’d gotten emotional out of coach Erik Spoelstra’s line of vision, because if they had, we (mercifully) wouldn’t be talking about any of this. We also like that “NBA: No Boys Allowed” sounds like a female equivalent club to Calvin & Hobbes’ G.R.O.S.S.

We guess Phil just can’t resist if he gets pushed enough. After all, he’s worked up enough of a reputation that he can get away with some jabs at the opposition (if anything, it only adds to his legend). Still, amusing as his little shot might have been, it’s still perpetuating a story we’ve heard enough of at this point. We’re looking forward to the teams actually playing tomorrow night, and the inevitable creation of a new overplayed heat meme.

Oh, and Skip Bayless loved Jackson’s trash talk:

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