Marshall’s Dan D’Antoni Teased His Brother Mike About Playoff Struggles After Beating Wichita State

Marshall wasn’t supposed to beat Wichita State in the NCAA Tournament, but thanks to performances from Jon Elmore and others, the Thundering Herd pulled off a significant and memorable upset for its first tourney win in program history. On the heels of that victory, the program’s most famous representative, head coach Dan D’Antoni, was interviewed, and in the process, he elected to shoot his shot with something of a challenge to a particular NBA team.

As referenced by All-Star point guard Chris Paul, D’Antoni went after the Houston Rockets, who happen to be coached by D’Antoni’s brother, Mike. This was clearly all in good fun, but after Paul discovered the video, the official Rockets account echoed his sentiment and request.

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/974746384934064129

Of course, the elephant in the room here is that, well, the Rockets haven’t exactly enjoyed a ton of playoff success lately, and postseason criticism of Paul has been around for a long time. Obviously, that could change in a hurry with Paul’s addition and the way Houston is currently playing, but after the well documented flame-out by James Harden last season and the way Mike D’Antoni’s Phoenix teams lost in the West, ribbing like this probably just part of the game.

More than anything, this is a coach taking a fun shot at his brother, but in some ways, it doubles as a reminder that Houston is going to be under some serious pressure when April and May arrive.