Houston Rockets • 2003-2004 Media Guide - NBA Media Central

Jeff Van Gundy joined the Houston Rockets as the
10th head coach in franchise history on June 11,
2003. Van Gundy possesses a career coaching
record of 248-172 and posted a winning record in
each of his seven seasons with the New York
Knicks. Among coaches with 400 games of
experience, Van Gundy ranks 13th in NBA history
with a winning percentage of .590.
“Our goal was to bring in a championship-caliber
coach, and we have done that,” Rockets owner
Leslie Alexander said upon Van Gundy’s hiring.
“Jeff is a proven winner, and I believe that he is
the right person to get our franchise back in the
playoffs. We were looking for a coach who was the
right fit for the organization. Jeff is a great teacher,
and his knowledge of the NBA game will be very
important to the development of our young
players.”
Van Gundy stands third in Knicks history with 248
wins, trailing only Red Holzman and Joe Lapchick.
In Knicks history, Van Gundy’s winning percentage
of .590 ranks second behind Pat Riley’s franchise
record of .680. Van Gundy became the Knicks
head coach on March 8, 1996, when Don Nelson
stepped down with 23 games remaining in the
season.
In his first full season as head coach, Van Gundy
led the 1996-97 Knicks to a 57-25 record, marking
a 10-game improvement over the previous season.
New York’s 57 wins matched the third-best total in
franchise history and marked the best record ever
posted by a Knicks coach in his first full season.
Van Gundy stands with Holzman, Rick Pitino and
Riley as the only coaches to guide New York to 50
wins in a season.
During the 1999-2000 season, Van Gundy
registered his second 50-win season with New
York. The Knicks finished in second place in the
Atlantic Division in four of Van Gundy’s first five
seasons. Van Gundy coached the Eastern
Conference All-Stars in the 2000 NBA All-Star
Game. On Dec. 8, 2001, Van Gundy resigned as
head coach of the Knicks. Last season he worked
with Turner Sports as an analyst on its NBA
broadcasts.
JEFF VAN GUNDY
Head Coach
Coaching Experience: 8th NBA Season
Born: January 19, 1962 in Hemet, California
High School: Brockport (New York)
College: Nazareth College '85
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New York advanced to the playoffs in each of Van
Gundy’s first six seasons, moving past the first
round five times. In Knicks history, he trails only
Holzman and Lapchick for number of playoff
berths. Van Gundy’s most successful playoff run
with the Knicks came in 1999, when he became
the first coach in NBA history to guide an eighthseeded
team to the NBA Finals. The following
season, the Knicks continued their postseason
success with a trip to the Eastern Conference
Finals.
“I think the only goal that is worthwhile in this
league is to pursue a championship,” Van Gundy
said. “You may not reach that every year, obviously,
but you need to strive each year to be a
championship-caliber team with championshipcaliber
players. That is what we will try to do here
from Day One – like they have in the past. Rudy
Tomjanovich set the standard very high here. I
want to make sure I live up to that and build on
the winning tradition that he established.”
Defense has been a trademark of Van Gundycoached
teams. In each of his five full seasons,
Van Gundy helped the Knicks to rank among the
NBA’s top five in fewest points allowed and
among the top three in lowest field goal
percentage allowed. Over this five-year span,
New York ranked second in the NBA in scoring
defense, as its 89.0 points per game allowed
trailed only Miami’s mark of 88.6. During this
same stretch, the Knicks led the NBA in field goal
percentage defense, as opponents connected on
just 42.1 percent of their field goal attempts.
Under Van Gundy’s guidance, New York held 33
consecutive opponents to under 100 points from
Nov. 11, 2000 to Jan. 21, 2001, which stands as
the longest stretch in the NBA since the shot clock
was introduced in the 1954-55 season.
In his first full season, Van Gundy helped the
1996-97 Knicks limit opponents to 92.2 points per
game and a league-low .425 shooting. The
following season, New York ranked second in the
NBA in both scoring defense and field goal
percentage defense, as opponents averaged
89.1 points on .428 shooting. The 1998-99 Knicks
restricted opponents to 85.4 points per game on