Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle was not happy following a 103-99 loss to the Raptors in Toronto. The Raptors started the game off strong, taking an 18-point lead in the first quarter. The Mavs were never truly able to get back into the game.
Carlisle was not enthused about the loss, or about his team’s performance. Via CBSSports’ James Herbert:
“We got our asses kicked at the beginning of the game,” Carlisle said. “We knew they were going to come out hard. They did the exact same thing in Dallas. They’re coming off a tough loss. They’re very aggressive by nature. We really knew it, we talked a lot about it and we didn’t handle it well. And it was, frankly, it was embarrassing.”
A reporter asked Carlisle if he was unhappy with the starters, and Carlisle essentially threatened to have them traded.
“Do I look happy?” he said. “I mean, would you be happy? Look, it was a 24-minute, take-you-to-the-beach, kick-your-butt, kick-sand-in-your-face type deal. And then, hey, we come in at halftime and we’re finally pissed, I get on their case and we decide to bust our ass in the third quarter. And we played a hell of a third quarter. But, look, if it’s going to be like that, these guys aren’t going to be Mavericks very long. I can promise you that.”
Wow. What a diatribe by Carlisle. That was more than just a rant. That was a threat. “These guys aren’t going to be Mavericks very long?” That’s harsh, coach Carlisle. Hopefully him ripping/threatening his team serves to motivate his team, and not create friction between the players and their head coach.
