The Spurs have won 10 straight games, and are sitting percentage points ahead of the Lakers in the Western Conference's top spot. You wouldn't know it though by listening to Gregg Popovich's post-game talk to his team the other night, after a game in which his team beat the Nets by eleven points.
By the time Popovich was finished, even his players couldn't remember if they had just beaten the Nets, or if the Nets had beaten them.
"The way he was screaming," Tony Parker said, "it was like we lost the game."
Popovich didn't like his team's focus, didn't like its attention to detail, didn't like its offense and really didn't like its defense. "Earlier in the year, maybe the 23rd game, it's going to happen," Popovich said. "But it can't happen this late in the year."
The point of the postgame gripe session was not lost on Popovich's players: With the playoffs rapidly approaching, it's all about perfection.
Well, if winning 10 in a row doesn't grab you, how about 14 of their last 15, the only loss in that stretch coming on the road to the Celtics? That's pretty close to perfect, but to Popovch's point, there have been some rough spots. In the last 10 games, the Spurs have only beaten three quality teams (the Hornets, Cavaliers, and Mavericks) and have struggled in games against bottom feeders like Minnesota and Milwaukee.
So maybe Pop knows what he's doing, because the Spurs' schedule is about to get crazy. Six of the team's next eight are against playoff-caliber teams, including Eastern Conference powers Detroit and Boston. But tirades like this seem more suited for the practice court, not the locker room after your Conference-leading club just won their 10th in a row.
ADVERTISEMENT
_thumbnail.jpg "NASCAR Cowboy Hats")
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. That is why Pops is one of the better coaches in the NBA today and one of the many reasons they (Spurs) may repeat.
Posted at 2:10PM on Mar 6th 2008 by frank
2. Maybe Pop was ticked off because Scola is helping the Rockets catch up to the Spurs!! ;)
"Having him on that team, just makes me want to spit" - Popo!
Posted at 2:10PM on Mar 6th 2008 by miranda988
3. I love this Parker quote:
"If it was a good team last night, maybe we lose that game."
Ouch! Dem's bulletin-board words. And I don't mean for the Nets, I mean for me at work. I'm printing and hanging on the wall of my cube, just because he's French and they're in New Jersey.
-randy
Posted at 4:35PM on Mar 6th 2008 by RandallKim07
4. You got to worry about the Spurs...they only beat Indiana by 11 tonight. :-)
Posted at 12:30AM on Mar 7th 2008 by Ryne Nelson
5.
And that is why, the Spurs are once again, the favorites to win the title.
Posted at 2:06AM on Mar 7th 2008 by DM
6. He knows the Lakers have caught and passed the spurs and are going to kick that azzzzzzzzz in the playoffs.
Posted at 4:09PM on Mar 8th 2008 by mlp7595
7. HMMMMMMMMM he is obviously a freemason...
Posted at 4:42PM on Mar 8th 2008 by mike smith
8. I remember when I played high school ball & we were down at halftime. Our coach ( a really big dude) after chewing our asses out for our lack of intensity blocked the doorway of the locker room. He told us if we wanted to play the second half we were gonna have to get past him first. We all looked around like he was crazy but got his point. The biggest guy on our team nicknamed "Hoss" hit coach first & we all fell in behind knocking coach out our way. We still got beat in the second half but cut the margin of defeat considerably with our renewed intensity. Good coaches have a way of getting into your head regardless of the outcome, too many good coaches get canned for not winning...
Posted at 5:27PM on Mar 8th 2008 by Bobby
9. This is all about "Character." H. Christian Langmack schooled Knute Rockne in Character Education and how to teach it and his Granddaughter continues the work on www.focusas.com We all can use the help from time to time.
Posted at 5:57PM on Mar 8th 2008 by Pinus1
10. What in the hell was Popp thinking last night when he threw in the towl for the Nuggets? The 2nd. team got within around 7 points with PLENTY of time(over2mins.)to reinstall the starters! Nothing to lose at that point! Was he trying to somehow spank the starting group at the Spur's expence of a loss to the Spur's organization? I don't understand THAT type of coaching,I think that game could have been won in spite of those excuses for refs. GO SPURS!,show them that you are the BEST even though you're not from the crappier parts of the country. GO SPURS!!
Posted at 7:41PM on Mar 8th 2008 by harrjo5
11. Parker has been quoted as thinking that Coach Pop is crazy sometimes. :)
Thing is though, Pop is respected by his players, they know he knows what he's talking about. They looked awful against Denver last night, and you could see that they knew it. Coach will use that as fuel for greater effort and focus for the stretch run into the playoffs.
As for the Lakers being better than the Spurs... well, Jerry West gave his old team a gift with the Gasol trade. But it remains to be seen whether they will play together well in the playoffs or not.
Posted at 7:52PM on Mar 8th 2008 by tnt
12. And you wonder why they're winners?
Posted at 12:58AM on Mar 9th 2008 by Larry Lewis