Popovich’s message — forget the record

[spectre]

Spurs Nation

NEW YORK — We’re riding in a freight elevator after the game, with equipment piled on carts next to us, and Manu Ginobili acts like a man ready to unpack everything.
If he could have pushed a button and returned to the appropriate Madison Square Garden floor for a rematch, he would have.

Instead, he’d been pulled. With more than three minutes left, with the Spurs trailing by 11 points and Tony Parker at the free-throw line, Ginobili and the other starters went to the bench.

“Of course,” Ginobili said in the freight elevator, “that upset me.”

But he’s been around long enough to know how Gregg Popovich works in these moments, and how he sends messages. Popovich doesn’t mind upsetting his guys, especially after watching them defend as they did.

This time, though, Popovich likely had an additional message.

For those who had trouble remembering what it was like when the Spurs lost a game, Tuesday evening reminded everyone. For one, the losses seem to involve Amare Stoudemire.

The last time Stoudemire saw the Spurs, he was sweeping them in the playoffs. He’s now 5-0 against a franchise that has lost only four other games since May.

Stoudemire was remarkable in this one, too, and one move showed that. Then, in the fourth quarter, he did to Tim Duncan what Duncan has done to others for more than a decade.

Duncan reached out over Stoudemire, and Stoudemire rose, created the contact and drew the foul on Duncan. As Stoudemire went to the line, the New York chant pointed at the one responsible for the Knicks’ rebirth. “MVP, MVP.”

His teammates followed him to the rim with similar accuracy, which is why Popovich began his postgame remarks this way: “The New York Knicks kicked our ass.”

For those who had trouble remembering what it was like when the Spurs lost a game, Popovich’s words should jog a few memories.

But he was playful as he continued talking. Asked what he would do to adjust for the Celtics, Popovich deadpanned, “I’ll think up new plays.”

Someone then asked him about pulling his players, and he shrugged. “We have a game tomorrow, and it’s a long season,” he said. “The chances of winning the game were not good.”

Their chances were not good, all right, since there were no signs the Spurs could slow the Knicks. Ginobili admitted that.

But if Parker had made both free throws, then the Spurs would have trailed by nine with 3:13 remaining. Get a stop, make a three — and do the Knicks tighten?

The back-to-back situation will wear on the Spurs, but would another two minutes have changed that? Popovich would have known after just a couple of possessions whether to continue.

Popovich instead reacted again as maybe no other NBA coach does. He dismissed the slight chance of a comeback to make a larger point.

In doing so, he angered the Spurs. Ginobili popped a towel against the floor as he sat down.

Popovich has done this before, but there was something else going on this time. His teams, after all, have never begun a season like this.

Popovich loves sitting at 29-5 today, but part of him hates it, too. He knows teams are never built by early January. His formula has been the opposite; usually, he’s still experimenting at this point in the season.

So when he saw what he called “our worst defense of the year,” his reaction was what it has often been in the past. He didn’t like what he’d seen, and he didn’t like losing. But he could use this. He could insist the current record is meaningless if they don’t continue to take steps toward the playoffs.

With that, Ginobili and the others sat down. Popovich will now enjoy telling them how to get up.

Anyone catch the NY/SA game last night on NBA-TV? If you liked offense that was the place to be; against one of the best defensive teams in the league NY put up 101 pts by the end of the 3rd quarter. That's right...after 36 minutes.

One of the best things for me however was Pop. Not 5 minutes into the game Tony Parker missed a situation that called for him to break to the basket; he didn't and Duncan ended up throwing it out of bounds (where Parker was supposed to be). Pop jumps up all red faced and starts barking at Parker first thing. He then proceeds to follow Parker up the court on the sidelines still yelling at him. A play or so later a time out was called...and Parker got yet another earful from Pop.

Then in the 4th quarter down 11 with Parker shooting 2 FTs Pop yanks the starters for the game...even has Parker intentionally foul to get him off the court. The game was still in reach, but Pop (the teacher and the perfectionist) didn't give a damn.

I freaking love Pop, but of course he'll never be coaching our team. Probably a good thing too; if he were here our players would be butt hurt and most likely quit on him after last night's tirade...and then the Lollipop would proceed to fire him.

[BlockParty]

I remember seeing that on ESPN this morning...some quote from Pop....when we score 115 I expect to win, EVERY TIME!

Dude has balls, kinda like MJ taking $8M hit to tell Larry to go complain elsewhere.

[spectre]

Dude has balls, kinda like MJ taking $8M hit to tell Larry to go complain elsewhere.

Balls are great when the "other" brain isn't leading the army. One of those two above can definitely say that. In the short history with us the other guy always seems to choose the wrong way to go.

But there's always a first time!

[TheBeagle]

Spurs Nation

Anyone catch the NY/SA game last night on NBA-TV? If you liked offense that was the place to be; against one of the best defensive teams in the league NY put up 101 pts by the end of the 3rd quarter. That's right...after 36 minutes.

One of the best things for me however was Pop. Not 5 minutes into the game Tony Parker missed a situation that called for him to break to the basket; he didn't and Duncan ended up throwing it out of bounds (where Parker was supposed to be). Pop jumps up all red faced and starts barking at Parker first thing. He then proceeds to follow Parker up the court on the sidelines still yelling at him. A play or so later a time out was called...and Parker got yet another earful from Pop.

Then in the 4th quarter down 11 with Parker shooting 2 FTs Pop yanks the starters for the game...even has Parker intentionally foul to get him off the court. The game was still in reach, but Pop (the teacher and the perfectionist) didn't give a damn.

I freaking love Pop, but of course he'll never be coaching our team. Probably a good thing too; if he were here our players would be butt hurt and most likely quit on him after last night's tirade...and then the Lollipop would proceed to fire him.

Yeah, saw it and loved it! So easy to see the Larry Brown via Dean Smith in Pop as that move was vintage Dean. But doing it with pro athletes? Beautiful! And yeah, Pop is and has easily been the best coach in the league for some time now. But yeah, with the Bobcats' roster, it would be like his mentor revisited were he here.

[110oldeast]

Great no lose move. They weren't going to come back. They literally could not stop the Knicks. But you get to send a message anyway. Well done by Pop.