Not literally of course. That thrill belongs to the smartest businesswoman in professional sports, Jeannie Buss. Figuratively however,thecoach formerly known as the Zen Mastermust now be considered my bucket boy.
This wasnt an acquisition I proactively pursued.Therewasnt an official competition that I won, thereby confirming my dominance of his psyche. Instead Phil has initiated an ongoing commentary about me that started in his previous stint with the Lakers and was reinstated this year with his return, that proves that I own the guy.
For whatever reason, I have gotten to Phil so completely and thoroughly that every time he comes to Dallas he has to offer unsolicited comments about me to the media. I wonder if he dreams about me the nights he spends here in Dallas. Ok, I dont wonder. Im curious about it.
How can the NBA coach with so many championship rings find me so intimidating ? I really dont know, but he said as muchin December when hecalled me an “intimidating force” to the LA Times
“consider a place like Dallas, where the owner runs around, pumps up the volume, intimidates the referees and … has announcers as hired cheerleaders, which is an intimidating force.”
Then of course last night he again took the initiative to comment to the media about how I am such a presence in the NBA, thati turn the officialsinto “nervous nellies”. Implying that I can have more influence on the outcome of a game than his coaching skills. I wish. But if Phil wants to think so. Im fine with that. Thats what happens when you own someone, they cant get you out of their head, and they dont often think , speak or act rationally.
I guess Phil was so overwhelmed that it caused himto take back to back delay of game penalties and the technical foul that comes with it, rather than send his team out to the court at the conclusion of a timeout in the 4th quarter.
Of course the officials werent intimidated. At least no more than the other officials who have given Kobe technical fouls to the tune of a league leading 11. Maybe, instead of being so concerned with MarkCuban, Phil should be worried about the new rule in place that causes a player to be suspended a gameafter he gets his 16th technical foul of the season. And if I remember correctly, every technical after 16 results in a 1 game suspension as well. Cant wait to hear what he has to say when that happens….
Of course I dont truly believe that I own Phil. This is all tongue in cheek, but that wont prevent me from walking up to him and saying “Boo” to see if he jumps, just to find out for sure 🙂