Impromptus today is all-sports, with some broader issues involved, including journalism. (What are we? Why are we here? What are we supposed to do?) I lead with Stan Van Gundy, my man Stan, the head coach of the Detroit Pistons. He is extraordinarily open to the press, and extraordinarily candid.

A bit from my column:

In fact, I’ve sometimes thought him too candid with the press — saying things about his players that might best be left private. But, look, as a fan, and as a journalist, I’m not complaining. I follow Van Gundy’s comments daily during the basketball season. I watch video clips of his press conferences with relish. Sometimes I go to bed with them.
That doesn’t sound quite right, does it?

Well, after I wrote my column, I went to bed with the latest Van Gundy press conference — after a Pistons loss to the Toronto Raptors — and I want to share a little with you. It will give you a taste of why I love listening to him:

“I think in the last three quarters, we fought hard, but the first quarter counts — and there were just not many times when we played good defense in the first quarter, so, it’s disappointing. You’re working out of that hole, and then late in the game [other things went wrong].

“I thought in between the first quarter and then, we fought really hard, and then when it was winning time, we didn’t do our job.”

Winning time. That is a phrase that is now incorporated into my vocabulary. And, of course, at winning time, you have to do your job.