duncan228
05-06-2010, 11:18 PM
San Antonio Spurs' Gregg Popovich may be surly, but he sure can coach (http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2010/05/06/20100506san-antonio-spurs-gregg-popovich.html)
by Paola Boivin
The Arizona Republic
As Alvin Gentry walked down the US Airways Center hallway with his sisters after the Suns' Game 2 victory (http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2010/05/05/20100505phoenix-suns-san-antonio-spurs-game-2.html), he crossed paths with Gregg Popovich.
"Stop gloating!" the San Antonio coach barked.
Gentry's sisters jumped.
"He's kidding," Gentry assured them.
With these teams having met in the playoffs four times in six years, Suns fans have had an opportunity to see Popovich at work. This season is different, however, because the Spurs never started out trailing 2-0.
Popovich's surliness is cranked up to a whole new level (http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2010/05/06/20100506san-antonio-spurs-must-win-phoenix-suns.html).
During Wednesday night's postgame news conference, it became so bad some reporters refused to make eye contact with the coach.
Does falling behind two games mean "an added urgency for Game 3?" one journalist asked.
"We should probably try hard to win that game. That would be the urgency," Popovich growled. "Geez oh wheez, guys. Think of questions!"
"You were in a similar position with the Hornets two years ago . . . " another started.
"What? Think about the Hornets two years ago?" Popovich said in disgust. "No, I won't think about that at all. These are grown men. They don't need me to say, 'Remember the Hornets, fellas, you really got to pull it together for Game 3.' Maybe I'll talk about the Gipper."
Well, well. Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed, or at least the wrong side of the win-loss column.
Reporters have been known to ask dumb questions but in Popovich's world, almost all are worthy of ridicule. At least he's consistent. The truth is, that chippiness is a product of a straight-shooting personality that has contributed to his success as a coach.
You can't argue with four NBA titles since 1998 and a reputation as one of the game's better strategists.
"Every timeout, I tell you it scares the heck out of you," Gentry said. "You think they're going to come out and get a basket some kind of way."
Gentry knows Popovich well. They were assistants together under Spurs coach Larry Brown in the late 1980s, and then Gentry worked under Popovich briefly in San Antonio in 2000 before taking over as head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Gentry must have paid close attention to Popovich's handiwork during timeouts. According to Synergy Sports Technology, the Suns ranked No. 1 this season in points per possession after timeouts.
"I try to make sure after every timeout we get a good shot off," Gentry said. "I think you need to put guys in a situation when they walk out of there and feel they're going to get a basket."
For all his gruffness, Popovich also has a dry sense of humor that he uses as a coaching tool.
During the Spurs' playoff-opening series against the Dallas Mavericks, he called a timeout.
"First guy to miss a free throw is buying me a car," Popovich said in the huddle.
"What color do you want?" forward Tim Duncan deadpanned.
If the players were wound tight going into that timeout, they weren't anymore.
Popovich is an interesting cat. He is part owner of a winery and has a 3,000-bottle above-ground wine cellar at his home.
He is a graduate of the Air Force Academy with a degree in Soviet studies who dreamed of a career in counterintelligence.
Now, it is opposing coaches who are trying to break into the psyche of what makes him so successful.
"He's a real detailed guy but not to the point that it's overbearing," Gentry said. "The other thing I learned from him is that it's really important to be direct.
"I don't like when coaches say 'we' got to rebound. I tell Amar'e (Stoudemire), 'you' have to rebound.
"I think players appreciate it a lot more when you're direct."
Popovich definitely is direct.
San Antonio guard Manu Ginobili once said it is scary to be in the huddle when the Spurs aren't playing well because "there's a vein that just gets so big, you think it's going to explode."
"He holds everyone accountable, from Tony Parker to Duncan all the way down to the 12th guy," Suns forward Jared Dudley said.
Reporters and coaches, too. No one is spared.
And for Popovich, that's an approach that works.
by Paola Boivin
The Arizona Republic
As Alvin Gentry walked down the US Airways Center hallway with his sisters after the Suns' Game 2 victory (http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2010/05/05/20100505phoenix-suns-san-antonio-spurs-game-2.html), he crossed paths with Gregg Popovich.
"Stop gloating!" the San Antonio coach barked.
Gentry's sisters jumped.
"He's kidding," Gentry assured them.
With these teams having met in the playoffs four times in six years, Suns fans have had an opportunity to see Popovich at work. This season is different, however, because the Spurs never started out trailing 2-0.
Popovich's surliness is cranked up to a whole new level (http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2010/05/06/20100506san-antonio-spurs-must-win-phoenix-suns.html).
During Wednesday night's postgame news conference, it became so bad some reporters refused to make eye contact with the coach.
Does falling behind two games mean "an added urgency for Game 3?" one journalist asked.
"We should probably try hard to win that game. That would be the urgency," Popovich growled. "Geez oh wheez, guys. Think of questions!"
"You were in a similar position with the Hornets two years ago . . . " another started.
"What? Think about the Hornets two years ago?" Popovich said in disgust. "No, I won't think about that at all. These are grown men. They don't need me to say, 'Remember the Hornets, fellas, you really got to pull it together for Game 3.' Maybe I'll talk about the Gipper."
Well, well. Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed, or at least the wrong side of the win-loss column.
Reporters have been known to ask dumb questions but in Popovich's world, almost all are worthy of ridicule. At least he's consistent. The truth is, that chippiness is a product of a straight-shooting personality that has contributed to his success as a coach.
You can't argue with four NBA titles since 1998 and a reputation as one of the game's better strategists.
"Every timeout, I tell you it scares the heck out of you," Gentry said. "You think they're going to come out and get a basket some kind of way."
Gentry knows Popovich well. They were assistants together under Spurs coach Larry Brown in the late 1980s, and then Gentry worked under Popovich briefly in San Antonio in 2000 before taking over as head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Gentry must have paid close attention to Popovich's handiwork during timeouts. According to Synergy Sports Technology, the Suns ranked No. 1 this season in points per possession after timeouts.
"I try to make sure after every timeout we get a good shot off," Gentry said. "I think you need to put guys in a situation when they walk out of there and feel they're going to get a basket."
For all his gruffness, Popovich also has a dry sense of humor that he uses as a coaching tool.
During the Spurs' playoff-opening series against the Dallas Mavericks, he called a timeout.
"First guy to miss a free throw is buying me a car," Popovich said in the huddle.
"What color do you want?" forward Tim Duncan deadpanned.
If the players were wound tight going into that timeout, they weren't anymore.
Popovich is an interesting cat. He is part owner of a winery and has a 3,000-bottle above-ground wine cellar at his home.
He is a graduate of the Air Force Academy with a degree in Soviet studies who dreamed of a career in counterintelligence.
Now, it is opposing coaches who are trying to break into the psyche of what makes him so successful.
"He's a real detailed guy but not to the point that it's overbearing," Gentry said. "The other thing I learned from him is that it's really important to be direct.
"I don't like when coaches say 'we' got to rebound. I tell Amar'e (Stoudemire), 'you' have to rebound.
"I think players appreciate it a lot more when you're direct."
Popovich definitely is direct.
San Antonio guard Manu Ginobili once said it is scary to be in the huddle when the Spurs aren't playing well because "there's a vein that just gets so big, you think it's going to explode."
"He holds everyone accountable, from Tony Parker to Duncan all the way down to the 12th guy," Suns forward Jared Dudley said.
Reporters and coaches, too. No one is spared.
And for Popovich, that's an approach that works.