Jeff Van Gundy

The public Yao was the private Yao: To his core, there was an unmistakable peace to him.

I'm not a positive guy.

There have been people who said I was a Pat Riley clone. But I don't think that's true. While I did learn a lot from him, I could never be him. I mean, we even dress so differently.

It's hard to change a roster around. You've got to hit your draft picks right, you've gotta hit free agency right, and a team's got to fit together.

Sometimes you try to change, and you go backwards.

People talk about Kobe's 81-point game, the second-highest scoring game in NBA history. I saw the game. I don't care if it was 79, 81 - I just remember the game. I remember the moves. I remember the shots. I remember the beauty of it. The numbers? What he shot from the field? I don't care.

All the fascination with numbers conspires to make you forget the beauty of the game sometimes.

I love listening to Coach Belichick's press conferences: even though they may not be what the media wants, they're great coaching, teaching tools.

Systems are overrated; players are underrated.

Whenever you are coaching, you are trying to get the most balanced team that you can: balance between defense, offense, and rebounding.

In one era, it's hard enough to compare people. But comparing people of different eras... that's next to impossible.

You would never find a coach in any sport more giving of his time than Coach Parcells to other New York coaches.