Knicks ‘funeral black’: New York Knicks coach Mike Woodson told the media he was upset after his team wore “funeral black” before going to Wednesday’s playoff game against the Celtics.
Players reportedly wore the color to signify the death of the Celtics in the playoffs. The Celtics won the game 92-86 but trail the Knicks 3-2 in the series.
“I’m a little upset about that, and I’ve addressed that,” Woodson told ESPN on Thursday. He added, “Things like that have just got to be, just kept outside the game and just concentrate on playing basketball.”
Elaborating further, Woodson said he “absolutely” would not have given his approval if the team asked him about it.
The move to wear black was reportedly initiated by forward Kenyon Martin. “Wear black. Funeral Colors,” he said, according to CBS Sports.
“I made reference to our guys, you need to stay out of the papers and just concentrate on playing. That’s not important. What you’re wearing doesn’t have anything to do with how you play on the basketball floor,” Woodson said.
J.R. Smith, who wore the colors, told CBS that he is “done with this black stuff” after the loss.
“Well, we was going to a funeral, but it looks like we got buried,” Smith said. “Basketball is a very humbling game.
