Coaches may be thought of as the ones who design the plays on the sidelines, but there's definitely more to their jobs than just that. It also includes other roles for their teams, like being a motivator, which Jeff Hornacek recently proved he can most certainly be.
During the halftime break of their game versus the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, the New York Knicks were down 59-48, and the fifth year head coach was not pleased at all with their performance so far in the first 24 minutes. He gave a fiery speech that pumped up his players, and made them come out of their locker room ready to give their best effort. Courtney Lee hinted that it was full of vulgarity, and that he made his point across to them all very clear, via ESPN's Ian Begley.
“We came in here, we watched film, and coach kind of got on me. I really didn't like what was being said,” Lee said “… (It was) a little explicit.
“I don't think I can repeat what he said to the media. But we exchanged words and we went from there.”
The Knicks made a furious 28-0 run in the third period that became the difference between winning and losing on the night. Their opponents were not able to recover from it, and they ultimately came out with the victory, 108-100. Tim Hardaway Jr. led the team's charge with 38 points, and was on fire in the quarter, which ended with them outscoring the Raptors 41-10.
With the momentum they have now, and Hornacek's choice words for them still lingering in their minds, the Knicks may see their current winning streak of two games extend further. They will return to action on Friday to face the Atlanta Hawks, and will look to start strong, not only to avoid hearing their coach use expletives during his halftime speech, but to also set the tone and control the tempo right from the get-go.
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