Just call him Mike D'oh!-ntoni.
Mike D'Antoni, the hot-blooded coach hired to breathe new life into the moribund New York Knicks, didn't waste any time showing off his fiery side. He found himself on the defensive yesterday as MSG cameras caught him cursing out Knicks fans who were somewhat surprisingly chanting for the return of Stephon Marbury, whom D'Antoni had benched.
"You've got to be (bleeping) kidding me. You've got to be (bleeping) kidding me. What a bunch of (bleep) holes," D'Antoni mouthed as the fans chanted "We want Steph" with 11:10 remaining in the fourth.
D'Antoni acknowledged his frustration with the Starbury chanters yesterday but stopped short of apologizing for his profanity-laced tirade.
"Sometimes I don't think the fans quite get it," D'Antoni told the New York Post. "It's like who you draft. They're going to boo. When you make a big decision, someone's going to like it, someone's not. You'll hear from the people who don't...Did I look exasperated? I was into the game. You get so much adrenaline at that point and you react. I'm into the game, into the moment. Sometimes I can be better than that. I'll make mistakes. I'll do better."
Winning his debut as Knick coach will certainly calm Knicks fans who were bent out of shape over this, but it's too early to tell how all of this will play out with the Garden faithful. After all, these are the same fans that were chanting for Marbury.
