Top 55 Mike DAntoni Quotes

If you‘re a ball stopper, usually you’re inefficient.

I think any criticism bothers anybody. I get my back up when I hear stuff that I think the people don’t know what they’re talking about – understanding that I can improve in a lot of different areas and the team can improve.

I know who I am: the Forrest Gump of basketball.

I shouldn’t have left Nash in the sense that he‘s special as a player. You’ve got to nurture that. But New York was great for me.

The big thing about coaching is, however you are, that’s how you’ve got to do it.

You don’t get many second chances in life.

The only thing I try to do as a coach is just stay on message and pound the points home.

The more energy you bring to the game, the more you’re going to get the ball. That’s always been the case, and if you don’t have the energy, then you probably won’t get the ball much.

Every coach in the league does an unbelievable job, and they’re prepared and think you’re going to outcoach people, or you think that you’re going to surprise, but you don’t.

I think the bottom line, even though there are some bumps and bruises here and there, is Kobe will lead you to victories.

I don’t buy it is all about the rings because there are a lot of guys that got rings that can’t play a lick. They happened to be on the bench with some great players, so I don’t buy into that totally.

When you go into a high-pressure game, and you’ve got a guy that’s fearless, it helps you.

If the best that we have is an iso, or if my personnel on my team dictates that that is really good, then that’s what we’re going to do.

Nash was a purist. Steve‘s a Hall of Fame point guard. He was unbelievably good.

Ultimately, you try to fit your personnel and what you can do as well into what you run.

As a coach, you’re worried about everything.

I like Utah, but they don’t have a Starbucks.

The defense can be affected by certain guys not being comfortable in the offense, and then not just playing and reacting on the other end.

Give me one coach in any sport that’s not always on the hot seat. You’re just as good as your last game… You’re always on a hot seat.

Some people say, with my name, they call me Antoni and no D.

Chemistry on the floor – without it, you can’t win.

I don’t care who guards him. He’s still going to be Anthony Davis.

You know what’s fun about basketball? It keeps evolving, and it keeps changing a little bit. And the older guys want to try to hold it back to how they grew up, and it’s not the same. You’ve got to change with the times, and some of the guys you’ve got to drag across the finish line.

I like the offense to flow.

You don’t have to be the greatest of friends off the floor. But on the floor you have to be able to play without any kind of hesitation for all your teammates. Whether you like the guy or not, you can still do what’s right.

Every coach is paranoid.

There’s some guys in the league that I really want to respect me. I respect the way they play, I respect the way they look at the game, and their respect is more important instead of having a job.

I try to stick to who I am and try to make it work.

Nobody wants to go into the season going, ‘OK, if you have a really good year, you can come in third.’

Almost everyone in the family have been schoolteachers, been in education forever.

There’s always things we could have done better, and it’s easier with hindsight.

The three-point line changed everything and the players’ ability to be able to make three-pointers changed how you attacked the basket.

Every ship gets rocked sometimes.

When his football and baseball careers ended, my dad became an accomplished marbles player. Then dad got really good at pitching horseshoes. And to show you how athletic our bloodlines really were, my mom was a wonderful tennis player.

Pau’s a great guy.

James Harden has been and is one of the top players in the league, and he’s been that way. He can defend, he’s strong, and offensively, he might be the best in the league.

We believe in public education. We think it’s important in our country to have it and for us to support it.

Some coaches get fired even after the best years they’ve ever had.

To take a team to win a championship, there’s so many things that have to happen.

If you think something’s right and the numbers prove it’s right, then go all-in. You can’t muddy the waters. You can’t just go halfway.

Teams win championships.

Some of the best times are training camp and getting your ideas in how you’d like them.

I can’t just say I wanna take a Hall of Fame point guard and make him into something else.

It’s hard to to make it in the NBA. Everybody’s got talent. So what’s the difference between a talented guy who makes it and the type that doesn’t? I’ve found that a lot of the time it’s mental; it’s confidence.

When you don’t make the playoffs, or you’re not producing a product that you’re proud of, then, yeah, it’s tough on everybody… it’s tough on the fans all the way down.

Sometimes those labels that the league puts on players aren’t right.

I had always wanted to see Europe, and what better way to see it than to spend a year there playing basketball?

I was blessed to have a lot of good point guards throughout.

You have guys that are comfortable in certain roles and they’ve made a lot of money in the role that they’ve been in, so it’s hard for them to change or envision doing something different from what they’re doing because what they’re doing obviously was giving them a lot of success.

It was reported that I said I wouldn’t, shouldn’t have gone to New York. No. I said I shouldn’t have left Steve Nash. It’s a little bit different on the meaning.

When you’re desperate, it’s good on defense because your hair should be on fire, but it’s bad on offense.

My whole philosophy is 24 seconds or less. I don’t care if it’s seven or 10 or 20, we just have to get one good shot in those 24 seconds and that’s what we’ll do.

Some players need it and some don’t. Some have a little too much confidence. But bench players, guys in secondary roles, just need a shot of confidence all the time.

Players have to do what they think is best for them.

The big men aren’t going away, they’re just getting better.