Amare's Crying Game

There are only a few mistakes a team can make in the playoffs that will hurt them more than it would in the regular season. When the Mavs changed their game up in preparation for the Warriors, it gave Golden State a psychological edge. The change let the Warriors know that Dallas was at least a little concerned about the series. Rasheed Wallace’s comments last year gave the Heat a reason to hate the Pistons. And now, Amare has just fueled the Spurs.
Stoudemire said that the Spurs as a team are dirty, and continued to name Manu and Bruce Bowen specifically as dirty players. Regardless of whether or not the allegations are true, Stoudemire just put a target on each and every one of his teammates’ heads in the eyes of the Spurs.
Mike D’Antoni, a revolutionary NBA coach, understands the importance of proper etiquette during the playoffs and acted as if nothing in the world mattered less. "I have no idea what Bruce Bowen does. I don't really care. I don't want to get into it because it's so minimal that it's no big deal. It really isn't." This is the best possible response to Amare’s comments because it gives no more reason for the Spurs to hate the Suns.
It might seem like an insignificant comment and considering Bowen’s reputation it is probably true (and I've got some video evidence), but this is the type of thing you save until after you win the series. Amare should know that the last thing you want to do is give San Antonio another reason to beat you. This is a rookie mistake and I would have liked to see better from a player with NBA First Team talent. And don’t expect Bruce to clean up his D any, Amare.




To be fair, I would be concerned about injuries if I was out all of last year too, and nobody respects Bowen’s scrappy defense, but to make a public statement like that is asking for heated competition in a huge playoff series.