Lakers coach Phil Jackson said, "I'm not so sure Dallas didn't outplay us."
So.... did the Mavs outplay them or not? I don't know! I don't even know what he thinks!
Just a reminder that double-negatives ("not/didn't") are generally confusing. Use them if you want a certain ambiguity or resonance (as with Iago's self-definition: "I am nothing if not contrary"). But don't confuse if you don't mean to confuse!
(I'm sure poor Coach Jackson was so perplexed at his #1 team yet again losing the first game at home in a playoff series that he just couldn't get a straight thought out. Plus he's Buddhist, right? So he's been schooled in presenting contradictions as wisdom. :)
Alicia
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6 comments:
Lol there ain't no way that that can be seen as a wise statement.
;-P
Anyway, I read somewhere that double negatives used to be seen as a way to emphasize the negative. But I'm not sure if that's true.
Yeah, "there ain't no way" is a double-negative to emphasize the negative. I don't know about the coach's. Maybe if we were Buddhist...?
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I agree it's difficult, but I (think I) understand the coach's statement. The problem is, I don't see a way to rephrase it more simply without losing a bit of precision or nuance.
Okay, so does it mean that they DID outplay the Lakers, or did not? And does he think that, or not? Maybe I'm easily confused.
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Dirk is one of the most underrated players in NBA history. The Mavs change up their roster so much but he is the one constant, and they win ~ 50 games every year. I’d love to see him get a ring this year, it would really help change the way a lot of NBA followers see him (primarily colored by European stereotypes).
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