duncan228
11-21-2009, 12:41 AM
Popovich wants Spurs to ignore record (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Popovich_wants_Spurs_to_ignore_record.html)
Jeff McDonald
If Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had his way, his players would avoid the NBA standings right now as if they were a rogue bat loose in the AT&T Center.
At 4-6, the Spurs are off to their worst 10-game start since 1996-97, the season before Tim Duncan arrived. They have lost three in a row, and tonight against Washington, will look to avoid their first four-game losing streak since March 2008.
“We just have to stay the course,” Popovich said. “Stay focused on the learning part, and not the record part.”
Players admit that can be easier said than done.
“It's tough to hang in,” Antonio McDyess said. “I've been through worse, but when you're on a good team and expecting to win, it's kind of hard.”
Popovich continues to preach patience with an overhauled club that includes seven new players. The Spurs have also battled a rash of injuries, with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili the latest to hit the inactive list.
“In some ways, we're better off than we were last year,” Popovich said. “We were 2-5 last year, and we had a veteran team.”
A foul first: Second-year guard George Hill is young enough to still experience the occasional NBA first. In Thursday's loss to Utah, he had his first experience with fouling out.
Assigned primarily to Jazz point guard Deron Williams, Hill was in foul trouble for most of the night, picking up his sixth late in the fourth quarter. The abundance of fouls threw Hill off his game.
“You can't be as aggressive once you get fouls,” Hill said. “I need to go in and watch tape and see how I can prevent some of them. Maybe get a little more mature about things, when to do it and when not to do it.”
Injury update: There is a chance the Spurs will get Parker back from his latest ankle ailment tonight. He will likely be a game-time decision.
Ginobili is not expected to return until Wednesday's Golden State game at the earliest.
Jeff McDonald
If Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had his way, his players would avoid the NBA standings right now as if they were a rogue bat loose in the AT&T Center.
At 4-6, the Spurs are off to their worst 10-game start since 1996-97, the season before Tim Duncan arrived. They have lost three in a row, and tonight against Washington, will look to avoid their first four-game losing streak since March 2008.
“We just have to stay the course,” Popovich said. “Stay focused on the learning part, and not the record part.”
Players admit that can be easier said than done.
“It's tough to hang in,” Antonio McDyess said. “I've been through worse, but when you're on a good team and expecting to win, it's kind of hard.”
Popovich continues to preach patience with an overhauled club that includes seven new players. The Spurs have also battled a rash of injuries, with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili the latest to hit the inactive list.
“In some ways, we're better off than we were last year,” Popovich said. “We were 2-5 last year, and we had a veteran team.”
A foul first: Second-year guard George Hill is young enough to still experience the occasional NBA first. In Thursday's loss to Utah, he had his first experience with fouling out.
Assigned primarily to Jazz point guard Deron Williams, Hill was in foul trouble for most of the night, picking up his sixth late in the fourth quarter. The abundance of fouls threw Hill off his game.
“You can't be as aggressive once you get fouls,” Hill said. “I need to go in and watch tape and see how I can prevent some of them. Maybe get a little more mature about things, when to do it and when not to do it.”
Injury update: There is a chance the Spurs will get Parker back from his latest ankle ailment tonight. He will likely be a game-time decision.
Ginobili is not expected to return until Wednesday's Golden State game at the earliest.