duncan228
02-23-2010, 11:54 PM
Thunder rise as role model falls (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/Thunder_rise_as_role_model_falls.html)
Mike Monroe
The Thunder rolled into town early this morning after a Tuesday game against the Suns in Oklahoma City.
Tonight, they'll face the Spurs at the AT&T Center with a record that puts them one spot ahead of the Spurs in a Western Conference playoff race in which only 41/2 games separate the third-place team from eighth.
Spurs fans have begun to face an uncomfortable fact — membership in the pack chasing the Lakers and Nuggets is the lone common bond between the two teams.
The Thunder are a young team on a rapid rise, a group that seems capable of contending for future championships well into the second decade of the 21st century.
The Spurs seem old, and in the way.
Oklahoma's only major league pro sports franchise has an entire state so abuzz about NBA basketball that even diehard Sooners fans forgive Kevin Durant for his burnt orange college hoops heritage.
In and around the Alamo City, even those who were swaddled in silver and black wonder — what's wrong with the Spurs?
It's probably no consolation for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, so frustrated with his team's spotty play, he has tried 18 unique lineups in its first 54 games. But the Thunder want little else but to be the Spurs of the second decade of the 21st century.
When Scott Brooks last season replaced former Spurs assistant P.J. Carlesimo after the first 32 games produced only three victories, he told his players they would learn to win only when they committed to defending every possession.
“I used San Antonio as my example,” he said. “They win every year because they're consistent in one area: They defend you. ‘Pop' is the most consistent message-giver in the league.”
When Brooks speaks, you hear faint echoes of Popovich and Jazz coach Jerry Sloan.
Brooks' admonition to one of the NBA's youngest lineups: “If you're an NBA player, you're an NBA player, no matter how old you are, and you're paid to bring effort every day, no matter how old you are.”
Sloan couldn't have said it better. He has preached the virtue of an honest day's work to players, overpaid and otherwise, every day of his Hall of Fame coaching career.
Thunder general manager Sam Presti, who learned The Spurs Way as he moved up from 21-year-old intern to assistant general manager before the Thunder franchise hired him away, credits Brooks and his staff for staying on message through good days and bad. This, too, is something he learned from Popovich and R.C. Buford.
“I don't think there's one specific thing or one magic decision, other than Scott being incredibly consistent with his approach and our players committing to team and also investing on the defensive end,” Presti said.
What pleases Presti most about his young roster and young coach also is Spurs-like: steadfast adherence to the long view.
“I think the group understands there is a long way to go, and there will be a lot of bumps in the road, and the resolve of the group is going to be tested,” he said. “We look at that as further opportunity for growth.”
Oklahoma City's best player is 22 years old, his game a work in progress that already has made him one of the league's most productive. Durant claims Tim Duncan is a role model worth emulating, and he knows that when Duncan was 22, he was on his way to earning the first of his four NBA championship rings.
Tonight, the Thunder see another opportunity for growth.
It is the Spurs' resolve that is being tested.
Mike Monroe
The Thunder rolled into town early this morning after a Tuesday game against the Suns in Oklahoma City.
Tonight, they'll face the Spurs at the AT&T Center with a record that puts them one spot ahead of the Spurs in a Western Conference playoff race in which only 41/2 games separate the third-place team from eighth.
Spurs fans have begun to face an uncomfortable fact — membership in the pack chasing the Lakers and Nuggets is the lone common bond between the two teams.
The Thunder are a young team on a rapid rise, a group that seems capable of contending for future championships well into the second decade of the 21st century.
The Spurs seem old, and in the way.
Oklahoma's only major league pro sports franchise has an entire state so abuzz about NBA basketball that even diehard Sooners fans forgive Kevin Durant for his burnt orange college hoops heritage.
In and around the Alamo City, even those who were swaddled in silver and black wonder — what's wrong with the Spurs?
It's probably no consolation for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, so frustrated with his team's spotty play, he has tried 18 unique lineups in its first 54 games. But the Thunder want little else but to be the Spurs of the second decade of the 21st century.
When Scott Brooks last season replaced former Spurs assistant P.J. Carlesimo after the first 32 games produced only three victories, he told his players they would learn to win only when they committed to defending every possession.
“I used San Antonio as my example,” he said. “They win every year because they're consistent in one area: They defend you. ‘Pop' is the most consistent message-giver in the league.”
When Brooks speaks, you hear faint echoes of Popovich and Jazz coach Jerry Sloan.
Brooks' admonition to one of the NBA's youngest lineups: “If you're an NBA player, you're an NBA player, no matter how old you are, and you're paid to bring effort every day, no matter how old you are.”
Sloan couldn't have said it better. He has preached the virtue of an honest day's work to players, overpaid and otherwise, every day of his Hall of Fame coaching career.
Thunder general manager Sam Presti, who learned The Spurs Way as he moved up from 21-year-old intern to assistant general manager before the Thunder franchise hired him away, credits Brooks and his staff for staying on message through good days and bad. This, too, is something he learned from Popovich and R.C. Buford.
“I don't think there's one specific thing or one magic decision, other than Scott being incredibly consistent with his approach and our players committing to team and also investing on the defensive end,” Presti said.
What pleases Presti most about his young roster and young coach also is Spurs-like: steadfast adherence to the long view.
“I think the group understands there is a long way to go, and there will be a lot of bumps in the road, and the resolve of the group is going to be tested,” he said. “We look at that as further opportunity for growth.”
Oklahoma City's best player is 22 years old, his game a work in progress that already has made him one of the league's most productive. Durant claims Tim Duncan is a role model worth emulating, and he knows that when Duncan was 22, he was on his way to earning the first of his four NBA championship rings.
Tonight, the Thunder see another opportunity for growth.
It is the Spurs' resolve that is being tested.