duncan228
12-06-2008, 01:26 PM
It's Hoopsworld, I posted it because it's full of quotes.
The Team That Will Never Die (http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=10840)
By: Travis Heath
Every season fans and pundits count the San Antonio Spurs out. Even players and coaches secretly whisper off the record that the Spurs are over the hill. But it seems like every season the Spurs end up proving their doubters wrong.
"I'm starting to agree with them," Tim Duncan joked with HOOPSWORLD this week. "Maybe we are over the hill. I think that's the point we've got to get to. You've got to ignore what everybody's saying, agree with them and move on him. We're going to keep fighting, we're going to keep playing. It doesn't matter how old people say we are or how people say we're playing. When it comes down to it we want to be in the mix, and we believe we have a chance with the guys that we have to win every year."
Your friendly neighborhood columnist asked Gregg Popovich about the media's obsession with counting the Spurs out and calling them over the hill.
"You have to have stories or your editor gets angry with you," Popovich said with a smile. "But someday that will be true."
So has that "someday" arrived, coach? Is your team finally over the hill?
"I don't know. We'll see," Popovich replied. "The hard part about that question is let's say that we do poorly during the season, playoffs and all that, will that be the reason why? Perhaps I coached poorly. Perhaps some players that are young didn't play well. Perhaps some people just had bad years. You can't just say it's because they were too old. Well, someone will say that because everyone like reasons and labels and that sort of thing. If we do well it will be because we're experienced and really crafty and really wise and all that sort of thing. So I guess in '07 we weren't old, we were wise and experienced."
Manu Ginobili agreed with his coach's assessment.
"They've been saying it for three years and we're the same core team," Ginobili told HOOPSWORLD. "We are really old now for them, I guess. Two years ago they said we were old and we won the championship. Last year, we were older and we made it to the Conference Finals. I mean, I don't see why we've got to change or fix anything if it's not broken, right?"
"I don't know what to say," added Tony Parker. "We're just going to keep playing Spurs basketball, and every year we're going to be in the hunt to try and win a championship."
And that's what makes the Spurs so darned amazing. No matter how much they struggle early or what kind of adversity they encounter, they always seem to be right in the mix come playoff team. They are one of the few teams in professional sports that seem to be able to flip the switch at just the right time.
"I don't know that it's flipping a switch," Duncan explained. "I think we use the season as a whole to try and get to where we're playing well. Obviously with the injuries that we've had and the inconsistencies of our lineup it's hard to get that feeling. We've got our team back, we've got our guys back. We're starting to get some games under our belt. More than anything having the experience on the floor means a lot, even as many years as we've played together, it means a lot."
"In all honesty, I wish I knew all the factors involved in (flipping the switch) because I would employ them actively and make sure that they were there," Popovich told HOOPSWORLD. "I think mostly it's a recognition on the part of the players. I don't know if it's intellectual, a maturity or a character issue, but it's probably more maturity in the sense that they understand it's a long process.
"They're very good at not becoming too elated with wins or succession of wins, and they don't want to jump off a cliff if we lose some games. They really do stick to the adage that they want to get a little bit better everyday, as trite as that is. They really do look at the process as a very long run. And as long as they feel they are getting better with every film and every practice, learning from a loss and a win, then they feel like they're on the right track. I think a really dedicated belief to that is what fuels the end of the season success that we usually have."
Ginobili indicated the team's experience helps them to flip the switch, but he also said the team shouldn't come to rely on making a strong run late in the season.
"You've got to be smart," said Ginobili. "Experience really helps. You've got to have a good group of players. Not a lot of talent, but players that really want to do good for each other. We've always had that. We cannot take it for granted and think that it's going to happen again. We've got to fight through it and bust our butts."
With experience comes wisdom, and the Spurs' experiences have taught the team to never panic early in a campaign.
"We don't have goals," admitted Popovich. "We don't talk about a number of wins or where we want to be on this road trip or that road trip. We don't really worry about who we're playing. We just want to try and do the things we're capable of doing well. As long as we're on that track and doing it, that's fine. Then at the end of the season we'll think a little bit more about who we're playing and what that might make us want to do."
Popovich's friend and Western Conference rival George Karl acknowledged that San Antonio's head coach has a different approach than many coaches around the league.
"I think Pop kind of pushes the buttons for a certain period of time," Karl told HOOPSWORLD. "He doesn't coach maybe 82 games with a demand and intensity. I think he kind of lets them have the opportunity to see who they're going to be, but then when you've got to bolt up the doors and go to work, he knows when to do that. I think he probably is very good at setting standards and goals in those moments."
The Spurs have a very ordinary record of just 10-8 heading into play Saturday. However, one should not be fooled. This team is still very dangerous and still very much a title contender.
"I think we're a great team," said Ginobili. "We kind of had a tough start this season, but we are really optimistic that we can turn things around."
History is on San Antonio's side. And it seems the more fans and the media doubt them, the more the Spurs quietly use such sentiment as motivation.
"I think they have a great organization," Karl explained. "I think they have a great player in Tim Duncan in the middle of the court with tremendous fundamentals and the heart of a champion. He breathes winning, and winning means winning the championship.
"It's just one of the picture franchises of the NBA. They don't make a lot of mistakes. They have a formula and a philosophy and they stick to it. Most of the time it usually comes out on top or near the top."
Don't expect this season to be any exception.
The Team That Will Never Die (http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=10840)
By: Travis Heath
Every season fans and pundits count the San Antonio Spurs out. Even players and coaches secretly whisper off the record that the Spurs are over the hill. But it seems like every season the Spurs end up proving their doubters wrong.
"I'm starting to agree with them," Tim Duncan joked with HOOPSWORLD this week. "Maybe we are over the hill. I think that's the point we've got to get to. You've got to ignore what everybody's saying, agree with them and move on him. We're going to keep fighting, we're going to keep playing. It doesn't matter how old people say we are or how people say we're playing. When it comes down to it we want to be in the mix, and we believe we have a chance with the guys that we have to win every year."
Your friendly neighborhood columnist asked Gregg Popovich about the media's obsession with counting the Spurs out and calling them over the hill.
"You have to have stories or your editor gets angry with you," Popovich said with a smile. "But someday that will be true."
So has that "someday" arrived, coach? Is your team finally over the hill?
"I don't know. We'll see," Popovich replied. "The hard part about that question is let's say that we do poorly during the season, playoffs and all that, will that be the reason why? Perhaps I coached poorly. Perhaps some players that are young didn't play well. Perhaps some people just had bad years. You can't just say it's because they were too old. Well, someone will say that because everyone like reasons and labels and that sort of thing. If we do well it will be because we're experienced and really crafty and really wise and all that sort of thing. So I guess in '07 we weren't old, we were wise and experienced."
Manu Ginobili agreed with his coach's assessment.
"They've been saying it for three years and we're the same core team," Ginobili told HOOPSWORLD. "We are really old now for them, I guess. Two years ago they said we were old and we won the championship. Last year, we were older and we made it to the Conference Finals. I mean, I don't see why we've got to change or fix anything if it's not broken, right?"
"I don't know what to say," added Tony Parker. "We're just going to keep playing Spurs basketball, and every year we're going to be in the hunt to try and win a championship."
And that's what makes the Spurs so darned amazing. No matter how much they struggle early or what kind of adversity they encounter, they always seem to be right in the mix come playoff team. They are one of the few teams in professional sports that seem to be able to flip the switch at just the right time.
"I don't know that it's flipping a switch," Duncan explained. "I think we use the season as a whole to try and get to where we're playing well. Obviously with the injuries that we've had and the inconsistencies of our lineup it's hard to get that feeling. We've got our team back, we've got our guys back. We're starting to get some games under our belt. More than anything having the experience on the floor means a lot, even as many years as we've played together, it means a lot."
"In all honesty, I wish I knew all the factors involved in (flipping the switch) because I would employ them actively and make sure that they were there," Popovich told HOOPSWORLD. "I think mostly it's a recognition on the part of the players. I don't know if it's intellectual, a maturity or a character issue, but it's probably more maturity in the sense that they understand it's a long process.
"They're very good at not becoming too elated with wins or succession of wins, and they don't want to jump off a cliff if we lose some games. They really do stick to the adage that they want to get a little bit better everyday, as trite as that is. They really do look at the process as a very long run. And as long as they feel they are getting better with every film and every practice, learning from a loss and a win, then they feel like they're on the right track. I think a really dedicated belief to that is what fuels the end of the season success that we usually have."
Ginobili indicated the team's experience helps them to flip the switch, but he also said the team shouldn't come to rely on making a strong run late in the season.
"You've got to be smart," said Ginobili. "Experience really helps. You've got to have a good group of players. Not a lot of talent, but players that really want to do good for each other. We've always had that. We cannot take it for granted and think that it's going to happen again. We've got to fight through it and bust our butts."
With experience comes wisdom, and the Spurs' experiences have taught the team to never panic early in a campaign.
"We don't have goals," admitted Popovich. "We don't talk about a number of wins or where we want to be on this road trip or that road trip. We don't really worry about who we're playing. We just want to try and do the things we're capable of doing well. As long as we're on that track and doing it, that's fine. Then at the end of the season we'll think a little bit more about who we're playing and what that might make us want to do."
Popovich's friend and Western Conference rival George Karl acknowledged that San Antonio's head coach has a different approach than many coaches around the league.
"I think Pop kind of pushes the buttons for a certain period of time," Karl told HOOPSWORLD. "He doesn't coach maybe 82 games with a demand and intensity. I think he kind of lets them have the opportunity to see who they're going to be, but then when you've got to bolt up the doors and go to work, he knows when to do that. I think he probably is very good at setting standards and goals in those moments."
The Spurs have a very ordinary record of just 10-8 heading into play Saturday. However, one should not be fooled. This team is still very dangerous and still very much a title contender.
"I think we're a great team," said Ginobili. "We kind of had a tough start this season, but we are really optimistic that we can turn things around."
History is on San Antonio's side. And it seems the more fans and the media doubt them, the more the Spurs quietly use such sentiment as motivation.
"I think they have a great organization," Karl explained. "I think they have a great player in Tim Duncan in the middle of the court with tremendous fundamentals and the heart of a champion. He breathes winning, and winning means winning the championship.
"It's just one of the picture franchises of the NBA. They don't make a lot of mistakes. They have a formula and a philosophy and they stick to it. Most of the time it usually comes out on top or near the top."
Don't expect this season to be any exception.