Looking for as much bulletin board material as he can find to motivate his team, Suns coach Alvin Gentry has taken issue with recent comments about their defense made by TNT analyst Chris Webber.
“Teams don’t shoot 58 percent against us,” Gentry said Friday, referring to the Lakers’ shooting in Games 1 and 2. “That’s not who we are, contrary to what Chris Webber thinks, OK? Yeah, and I’m throwing that out there too, all right? They don’t. He should check his stats also. Like I said, I’m a factual guy. His definition of a horrible defensive team is not the same as ours. That’s my hit for the day.
I don’t mind him talking about the coaching. He can talk about how bad the coaches are but to say that these guys are a terrible defensive team is not fair. It’s unfair to these guys because they worked hard to get better in that area right there. That’s my (ticked-)off statement for the day, OK?”
Given Phoenix’s exceptional play over the series last three games, it seems Webber would be willing to reconsider his asessment. We’ll see if Gentry gets a win or an apology tonight.
