Kori Ellis
06-17-2005, 05:48 PM
GREGG POPOVICH
Q. Almost to a man this week, your players have said, win, lose or draw, you can light a fire under your players or pat them on the back. What is it about your relationship with your players that allows them to like buy into your coaching philosophy and management style?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: They are great guys. You know, I think it's on them. Some people are more coachable than others. Some people are more objective. Some people are more ready to listen. Some people can be criticized easier than others. I'm blessed with a group that understands that we're going to be straightforward, that we're never going to play psychological games with them. We're going to tell them what they do well, what they do poorly, and we expect them to do their jobs just like the lawyer, the plumber or the truck driver or whoever else has a job.
Q. Are you surprised at how they all seem to buy into it relatively quickly?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: No, because it's the kind of people they are, very honestly. You know, they are guys that care about the whole more than the part, and we try to do that research ahead of time before we bring somebody in. It makes things a lot easier.
Q. Most teams that have won championships over the last 25 years or so have no brainer lock Hall of Famers; the Pistons don't necessarily. Your thoughts on just how they are a unique team in that respect and they don't have a lot of All Stars, and yet they are in this position?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: I think it's an odd thing, because what you say is true, you wouldn't look and say, he's going to be in the Hall of Fame, he's going to be in the Hall of Fame. But, at the same time, they have three or four players who are basically All Star caliber players, so they are right there and they have a lot of them.
You know, when you look at Chauncey, you look at Rip, you look at Tayshaun, you look at Rasheed, those are guys that are all capable of being on an All Star team. They are very talented. The fact that this guy or this guy hasn't been named is irrelevant, really.
Q. You guys give up 102, only forced four turnovers, is your defense broke or does it just need some tinkering?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: No. Our halfcourt defense is very good. If you would have told me before these games that we're going to handle Rasheed and Rip and Tayshaun the way we have, I would have been thrilled.
So the halfcourt defense is good, what stinks are the boards and the turnovers. As you know, after Game 3, that was a huge priority for us, and on the boards, we really improved a lot. We only gave up 19 instead of 20 on second chance points. And on the turnovers, we gave up 23 in Game 3 and we gave up 25 last night.
So my speech was not heeded very well, or, you know, maybe I didn't say it loudly enough, but that's where their points are coming from. It's been two games in a row like that, and if you give them those points, you're in trouble because at the same time, you're not scoring because you just gave the ball up or you gave them that many more possessions. So it's a double whammy, and that's what's going on. I think, well, why is it going on? Well, it's going on because we've succumbed to their physical play in my opinion. They have raised the bar in physicality. They do not want to give up the ring and we have not met that challenge to date in Games 3 and 4.
Q. What's your assessment of how the benches have played the last couple of games and are you planning any changes in the rotation for Game 5?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Well, both teams are going to have the same players that they had Games 1 through 4, so the same guys are going to play and we're not going to change who is going to be on the court. These are the guys that have played all year long. So the rotation won't change in that regard.
But the bench was awful. You know, we got nothing off the bench last night in any way, shape or form at either end of the floor. And that's not going to work. So we have several individuals that need to play better, without a doubt, both starters and bench people. We don't have too many people that one would say played well in Games 3 and 4.
Q. Knowing Coach Brown like you do, is Chauncey Billups the kind of point guard that you would expect Coach Brown to build around, the way he plays and whatnot?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: You know, Chauncey is I think he's done a masterful job in Games 3 and 4, because he's shown a great balance in running the team, pushing it when necessary, getting people set when necessary, scoring when necessary, being that decision maker, to be aggressive, to be in attack mode, but keep it under control so to speak and have some sense to it. I think he's done a great job of it.
Q. And how much of those four turnovers can be attributed, the only four turnovers that you guys forced yesterday, how much of that can be attributed to the way he ran the show?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Well, I don't really know. We're not a team that forces many turnovers. That's not one of our fortes. It never has been. So that doesn't concern me that much. The other end of it concerns me, how many they are forcing.
Q. Talk about the second chance points. Are a lot of those off transition where you turn the ball over, they run and so you miss a shot and people are out of position?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Sure, that's part of it.
Q. Does Tim have to impose his will on this series more forcefully?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Well, Tim has not had the greatest of games in Games 3 and 4. He's the center of what we do. He's important. We score differently than Detroit does. We're an inside out team. We're going to have something inside going with Tim and spacing the floor is important to us in that regard. So if we don't really have the inside out game, it takes a lot away from what we're doing.
Q. You say that and you've also said that, you know, Tim is most critical of himself. Knowing that, what do you expect from him after Games 3 and 4 going into Game 5?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Well, he's going to try to have the best possible game. He's not going to pout, he's not going to feel badly, he's going to be disappointed with himself for not playing better, and he's going to, you know, try to he'll look at the film and he'll try to figure out what he can do to score, what he can do to help the team. That's just the way he's built.
Q. What can the team do around him to kind of create some openings for him to have to room to work?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Well, it works really in the other direction; we have to establish the inside first.
Q. It's easy to say that the series is simply 2 2, but all of the games have been blowouts, how does a coach cope with that?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: I'm very surprised by that. I would that thought coming in that it's going to be in the fourth quarter and it's going to be 78 76, whoever doesn't turn it over or makes a shot in the last couple of minutes is going to win the game. I'm very surprised the way the play has been through the first four games.
And it is 2 2, that's a fact. Everything is even. Both teams have done their job so to speak. But I think there's one difference: I think I'm really concerned about the way we've reacted to their physical play. That really bothers me, and I think that that's got to be handled or we're going to have a problem.
Q. Is there somebody specifically within the group that needs to take that by the horns?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: No. We have several. That's a team thing. I think overall, if you look at the turnovers last night, it wasn't one guy, you know, it's spread across. We have three or four guys with three turnovers and a couple other ones with two, three guys with one, that sort of stuff.
So as a team, I think that Ben and Lindsey have done a hell of a job of setting the tone for those guys, and they have all bought in and they have all done it and we've backed off from it. Ben didn't try any less in San Antonio. It's not like he decided he wasn't going to play 1 and 2 and he's going to play 3 and 4. He's not built like that. Ben goes out and does his job for 48 minutes every night. Lindsey is the same way. We didn't allow them to do that in San Antonio. We had five guys going to the boards and it helped take Ben away a little bit. We had guys being strong with the ball. We were in attack mode and we didn't sit back and pound it. So I think they have really put us on our heels, led by those two guys.
Q. Most of the guys that come into the NBA feel that first and foremost they have to have a shot, so they offensively advance. Is this a fault of coaching and is coaching a guy to be a good defender easier or harder than coaching him to be a good scorer?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: No, it's always tougher to teach a guy to be a good defender, because you have to have a willing candidate, and there are not that many guys who are willing to buy in and make it something that's going to have to be focused on day after day through a whole season. Everybody wants to score. Everybody wants to shoot. Fewer people want to fill roles, know their strengths and weakness, concentrate on their strengths. Even if their weakness is shooting or offense, they always think that they can get better, and to a degree they can. But there's a ceiling on everybody, and if you can find players who understand that ceiling and are willing to work at the other end of the court, then you've got something special.
Bruce is a good example of that. He's not the most effective offensive player, but he's figured out what he can do offensively to stay on the court because he's such a good defender. So if he was trying to do things at the offensive end that hurt his team, it would diminish what he does defensively and he would be sitting. But he's smart enough not to do that. There are not too many guys like that.
Q. Larry mentioned in his press conference that he felt kind of bad in beating you and the Spurs by such a lopsided margin. Obviously you guys want to win every game
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: And you bought that? And you bought that? (Laughter) How long have you been covering Larry? Good, Lord. I wish Doug Moe was here. He would give you a good answer. (Laughter).
Q. So you don't care? You want to beat Larry by 30?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: I want to beat him by 50. The hell with him. (Laughter).
No, he's right. It's a strange deal. You know, you guys, when you've known somebody that long and this sort of thing, it was really true. It sounds weird, it sounds strange, but when we won the first two games, sure, I was thrilled about it and I wouldn't give them back, but when I saw Coach, it was like, "How you doing, Coach?" And you don't say no real words come out, you just sort of mumble, because you feel bad for the other guy, and that's what he did last night. He felt bad for me personally, but he's not going to give them back, you know. So that's just an irrelevant little side note. (Laughter).
TIM DUNCAN
Q. You've been guarded pretty evenly by their three big guys. Can you just talk about what each one of them brings to the table and does the fact that you've got those three different looks, is that something that prevents you from getting in more of a rhythm?
TIM DUNCAN: What was the last thing?
Q. The fact that you've got three different guys to go against.
TIM DUNCAN: Prevents me from what?
Q. Getting on a roll, getting into a rhythm?
TIM DUNCAN: Yes, they are very different in what they do. They throw a lot of different bodies at you, and Ben and Rasheed and Dyess do so many different things. They have been effective, so yes, it does affect me. But at the same time, I believe I've gotten a lot of shots that on a regular basis I would knock down, I would make, and I hope to do that in the next game.
Q. After Game 3, you were somewhat critical of your performance and you just said you would have knocked down some shots ordinarily that you didn't. Yesterday, how would you characterize your play in Game 4 overall?
TIM DUNCAN: I played very poorly. I thought I was a lot more aggressive. I thought I made some good moves, just unable to finish, whether it be their defense or just missing some shots. I think it fueled a lot of what they were doing. Some situations where I missed shots and they run out off the rebounds, but that's all of us. So we have to continue to attack and get to the rim as much as possible and hope that we can draw some fouls.
Q. Who in your opinion over the course of your career has defended you best?
TIM DUNCAN: I don't know. I don't know how to answer that question. Every defender brings a different challenge.
I don't want to avoid your question. I just don't know how to answer that question.
Q. Pop said last night that he may have talked to you more in the fourth quarter last night than he has over the last couple of days. We've seen that before in situations through your career where he's talking to you for a long period of time in blowout losses like that. Can you characterize what those conversations are like?
TIM DUNCAN: What did we talk about? I honestly don't really remember what we talked about. It's all kind of a blur at that time. I think we're both frustrated at that time. We're both, I don't want to say we're looking for answers, but we're both just kinds of in a daze. I know I am. I know he's always focused on the game and if it is a situation like last night, he's focused on what we have to do for the next game. So either he's already starting to coach for the next game and trying to throw me whatever hints or things that he believes that either I have to do or we have to do as a team.
But honestly, I couldn't tell you what he told me last night.
Q. We're used to seeing you being almost automatic out there sometimes where it almost looks easy and these two games, so uncharacteristic for you. What is it starting to feel like out there as it's getting away from you, even the open shots you mentioned not going in?
TIM DUNCAN: It's just frustrating. It's just frustrating, because especially in this time of the year and on this stage, I feel like those shots should be going down for me. I should be able to make those shots.
But they don't, and they didn't go down, and the frustration is there, of course, and the frustration on a personal level, frustration for my teammates. But I look forward to the next game and I look forward to getting out there and having these two days to really get some shots up, get a little bit of practice in, and get back out on the floor for Game 5.
Q. As much as at this time of the year many players have to play well in order to win, is there a sense that for your team it has to begin with you?
TIM DUNCAN: Absolutely. Yeah, that's where it begins.
Q. Can you describe why that would be, that a player such as yourself has to sort of set that tone?
TIM DUNCAN: I have to be a leader. I am the leader of this team. So it starts with me, and I understand that. But at the same time, a lot of people are going to take responsibility into this next game, and I think Tony is going to really step up and really increase his play and increase his pressure and try to make things happen that way. Manu is going to take his time. Bruce is going to continue to do what he's going to do. So people are going to step up, and I believe personally and I think everybody believes it, it starts with me and it starts with what I'm doing for them.
Q. All week long, so many of your teammates have been talking about how Coach Popovich knows when to light a fire under his team and knows when to pat his players on the back. What is it about Coach Popovich's relationship with his team that allows the players to embrace that coaching philosophy and that management style so well?
TIM DUNCAN: I think we just understand that he's going to get on us when it's right, and it's not an ongoing, all the time thing, and I think that style really wears on players and you lose a lot of respect for people when they do that. He does it at the right time. As you say, he'll pat you on the back at the right time and he'll kick you in the ass at the right time and he knows how to balance that. I believe it's the most effective way to do things.
Q. Manu is kind of a new NBA star, what advice can you give him when a defense is ganging up on him like that and making him a focus?
TIM DUNCAN: Take your time. What they have done over the last two games is make us react to what they do. They have been aggressive defensively and they have got us back on our heels and they make us kind of counter what they are doing, instead of them countering what we're doing.
So it's just about him taking his time. He's got all of the skills in the world, and it's about going out there and being effective on the level that he counters what they do. He makes them understand that if they are going to collapse and double and triple team him, he's going to make the pass that leads to a score, whatever it may be.
MANU GINOBILI
Q. What's been the difference for you between Games 1 and 2 and Games 3 and 4?
MANU GINOBILI: I really don't know. I think we stopped moving the ball and it's hard to penetrate and find the room to get to the hole when you are just standing. I think we moved the ball much better in 1 and 2. You know, they just played much better. They collapsed the paint a lot more, and when we moved the ball, we just didn't find a lot of open room to find the open shooter or penetrate. They just did a great job.
Q. When you look back at the infancy of you as a basketball player, were you a good defender first and a good scorer second or was it the other way around or did both of those sort of grow equally?
MANU GINOBILI: No. I was mainly an offensive guy. I didn't you know, when I was a kid, younger, I didn't care much about playing D because I knew I was able to score and I was going to play.
So when I started playing on good teams and started getting mature, I started understanding defense a little more, giving more importance to it and started getting better.
Q. When you won the first two games in San Antonio, people said, the series is over and now they have won two games and the series is over. How are you guys looking at the series when it is 2 2?
MANU GINOBILI: Of course, we didn't think the series was over after the first two games. We knew it was going to be very hard here. What we didn't know was that it was going to be so hard, because they are really killing us. These last two games were just embarrassing. They beat us all over the court in every part of the game.
So we came here wanting to at least win one, and we still have an opportunity. So we are going to give the best shot because we know how important it is when you are tied Game 5. So we really have got to step up, play better and more aggressively, more with our hearts than we did in Game 3 and 4.
Q. Is that the emotion of this team, is it embarrassment, disappointed? What is the emotion?
MANU GINOBILI: Well, disappointed for sure. Embarrassment, too. Because what we did in Game 4 was really bad.
So I am embarrassed. I don't know if my teammates are or not, but of course we are upset. Nobody likes losing like that, especially in an NBA Finals, so we are looking forward to playing Game 5 and do a much, much better job.
Q. We're here in the middle of NBA Finals, but also there are some labor issues that are going on now. As a player, who is relatively new to this league, how optimistic are you that a labor deal would be struck before the lockout deadline?
MANU GINOBILI: I really hope so. I think it's going to be bad for both sides if something like that happened. In this moment, of course, I don't have my mind on that, and I really don't care until next week seriously. There is something really big we are playing for now to be thinking about that. But of course, we know it's our future, the future of the league, too, so we are all looking forward to finding a solution.
Q. What can you and the rest of your teammates do to allow Tim to get off to have one of those 30 and 20 nights that he's generally had in the NBA Finals before?
MANU GINOBILI: Help him in any possible way. We have to just stay with the ball and, you know, try to feed him and all stay quiet and wait for him to do something. I think we have to create ball movement. If we pass him the ball when Ben Wallace or Rasheed or whoever is guarding him is helping, it's easier for him. We just don't have to give him the whole responsibility of what we are doing in Game 3 and 4. We just have to move the ball. If we've got him, good, if not, we just have to keep moving and try to attack.
We played the whole season not depending only on him, so we don't have to do it now just because we are in trouble. So it's not a matter of Tim being responsible of this, but it's the team, that always happens. It's a matter of everybody looking inside of us and realize what we did wrong and try to, you know, improve it, get better and go out there and compete because we really need to compete even better.
Q. Pop said the most disappointing was the fact that you guys have succumbed to their physical play. Ben Wallace sets the tone for them with that kind of play. Who has got to be the guy, who is it incumbent upon on the Spurs to set that tone in Game 5?
MANU GINOBILI: We hope everybody does it. Because when you see hustle plays by some teammates that usually don't or don't show that every game, it's like it's contagious. You get pumped up because of that.
So I'm going to try to do it. I hope Tony is going to try to do it, Tim, Bruce, always, so we have to start very aggressive and physical to show them that what happened in Game 3 and 4 is not going to happen again.
I don't think it's a matter of one guy, because you can say Ben Wallace, but then you see Lindsey Hunter, McDyess coming from the bench and being very aggressive, Chauncey Billups, everybody. It's not a matter of one starting it. I think it's a team, and we've all got to be aware of what we're playing here. This is a Game 5 of the NBA Finals. You never know if you're going to be here again. So we've got to play with our pride and determination.
TONY PARKER
Q: How tough has the matchup been with Chauncey Billups?
Parker: This series is not about matchups. It’s about how we’re playing, and we played softly in the last two games. I’m not thinking about [Chauncey], I’m thinking about setting the tone for the game, and trying to make some stuff happen for our team.
Q: How do you think your team will respond to losing two straight Finals games, something you guys aren’t really used to?
Parker: It was two-two a couple of years ago against New Jersey, with the fifth being a huge game. We have to approach Sunday’s game the same way. Obviously, we’re not playing well. We’re making a lot of mistakes. The thing that’s disappointing is that we made a lot of the same mistakes in Game Four that we made in Game Three. We’ve made a lot of turnovers, and we’re getting beaten on the boards. The key now is to play with a lot of heart, and to play harder. It seems like they’ve played the last couple games like they wanted it more than us. We just have to show that we want it too.
Q: Will the poise of the team show through in the end?
Parker: Absolutely. [Game Five] is going to be a game where you’re going to see our character. It’s a game where we have to show a lot of heart and play a lot harder.
Q: Is their picking you up full court on defense frustrating your offense?
Parker: It definitely is. It’s changing our rhythm, and getting us away from our usual offense. They’re pressuring us to hurry in our offense. We haven’t been patient enough, and that’s what causes turnovers. We have to make sure to do a better job setting our plays, getting the ball to Timmy where he wants it. We have to make sure we take better care of the ball.
Q: Has it been difficult playing a great defensive team like Detroit after playing against Phoenix, who doesn’t play great defense?
Parker: We knew that Detroit played great defense. We played good the first two games, and then we came here and we’re not playing like we used to. We just have to find some solutions and make some adjustments. I think the key is how we’re going to attack them on offense. I also think we have to control the boards, take care of the ball… all of the stuff we talked about after Game Three.
BRUCE BOWEN
Q: You have had some time to digest what happened last night, any better grasp of what you need to do to come back?
Bowen: Guys understand, from a player’s stand point that when you give a team like Detroit opportunities with turnovers and loose balls, things of that nature, it only enhances their team. And I think the first game that we lost we had turnovers for 23 points, and last night was 25. You can’t keep turning the ball over against a ball club like this because it just gives them energy and inspires their players to do good things.
Q: Why have you guys struggled inside in particular?
Bowen: I don’t know. It’s a matter of – you know you have to give Detroit credit with their defense. I don’t think it is a situation where we just come down and we have easy looks or anything like that, they’re pressuring us, we have to find a way to fight through that pressure and get the job done.
Q: What can you guys do collectively to help Tim Duncan?
Bowen: Everybody understands that Tim is the focal point of our offense and he creates opportunities for us, so it’s not a matter of anybody getting down on him, it’s just a matter of us trying to get him the ball when he’s open. I think some of the times that we have tried to get him the ball they have been bad passes. If there is a guy hanging on his top shoulder, you still can’t throw it to that top hand, you have to dribble over and try make a better angle. And that’s what we have to do, I think sometimes we make bad decisions entering the ball into him and we have to do a better job of that.
Q: Is it specifically turnovers that have created this Jekyll & Hyde like performance between Games 1 & 2 and Games 3 & 4?
Bowen: I think you look at the first two games, we didn’t turn the ball over as much as we have in the third and fourth games. So it’s not Jekyll & Hyde, but it’s a combination of Detroit’s will and their pride on their home court, emphasizing they need that energy and get the crowd going, and things like that.
Q: Is it more difficult that you have a couple of days off after the loss?
Bowen: It is, but at the same time you have to use this time wisely. You have to go at the root of the problem and really do a gut check, so to speak, of how to accomplish a better, active role out there on the court come next game.
Q. Almost to a man this week, your players have said, win, lose or draw, you can light a fire under your players or pat them on the back. What is it about your relationship with your players that allows them to like buy into your coaching philosophy and management style?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: They are great guys. You know, I think it's on them. Some people are more coachable than others. Some people are more objective. Some people are more ready to listen. Some people can be criticized easier than others. I'm blessed with a group that understands that we're going to be straightforward, that we're never going to play psychological games with them. We're going to tell them what they do well, what they do poorly, and we expect them to do their jobs just like the lawyer, the plumber or the truck driver or whoever else has a job.
Q. Are you surprised at how they all seem to buy into it relatively quickly?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: No, because it's the kind of people they are, very honestly. You know, they are guys that care about the whole more than the part, and we try to do that research ahead of time before we bring somebody in. It makes things a lot easier.
Q. Most teams that have won championships over the last 25 years or so have no brainer lock Hall of Famers; the Pistons don't necessarily. Your thoughts on just how they are a unique team in that respect and they don't have a lot of All Stars, and yet they are in this position?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: I think it's an odd thing, because what you say is true, you wouldn't look and say, he's going to be in the Hall of Fame, he's going to be in the Hall of Fame. But, at the same time, they have three or four players who are basically All Star caliber players, so they are right there and they have a lot of them.
You know, when you look at Chauncey, you look at Rip, you look at Tayshaun, you look at Rasheed, those are guys that are all capable of being on an All Star team. They are very talented. The fact that this guy or this guy hasn't been named is irrelevant, really.
Q. You guys give up 102, only forced four turnovers, is your defense broke or does it just need some tinkering?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: No. Our halfcourt defense is very good. If you would have told me before these games that we're going to handle Rasheed and Rip and Tayshaun the way we have, I would have been thrilled.
So the halfcourt defense is good, what stinks are the boards and the turnovers. As you know, after Game 3, that was a huge priority for us, and on the boards, we really improved a lot. We only gave up 19 instead of 20 on second chance points. And on the turnovers, we gave up 23 in Game 3 and we gave up 25 last night.
So my speech was not heeded very well, or, you know, maybe I didn't say it loudly enough, but that's where their points are coming from. It's been two games in a row like that, and if you give them those points, you're in trouble because at the same time, you're not scoring because you just gave the ball up or you gave them that many more possessions. So it's a double whammy, and that's what's going on. I think, well, why is it going on? Well, it's going on because we've succumbed to their physical play in my opinion. They have raised the bar in physicality. They do not want to give up the ring and we have not met that challenge to date in Games 3 and 4.
Q. What's your assessment of how the benches have played the last couple of games and are you planning any changes in the rotation for Game 5?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Well, both teams are going to have the same players that they had Games 1 through 4, so the same guys are going to play and we're not going to change who is going to be on the court. These are the guys that have played all year long. So the rotation won't change in that regard.
But the bench was awful. You know, we got nothing off the bench last night in any way, shape or form at either end of the floor. And that's not going to work. So we have several individuals that need to play better, without a doubt, both starters and bench people. We don't have too many people that one would say played well in Games 3 and 4.
Q. Knowing Coach Brown like you do, is Chauncey Billups the kind of point guard that you would expect Coach Brown to build around, the way he plays and whatnot?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: You know, Chauncey is I think he's done a masterful job in Games 3 and 4, because he's shown a great balance in running the team, pushing it when necessary, getting people set when necessary, scoring when necessary, being that decision maker, to be aggressive, to be in attack mode, but keep it under control so to speak and have some sense to it. I think he's done a great job of it.
Q. And how much of those four turnovers can be attributed, the only four turnovers that you guys forced yesterday, how much of that can be attributed to the way he ran the show?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Well, I don't really know. We're not a team that forces many turnovers. That's not one of our fortes. It never has been. So that doesn't concern me that much. The other end of it concerns me, how many they are forcing.
Q. Talk about the second chance points. Are a lot of those off transition where you turn the ball over, they run and so you miss a shot and people are out of position?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Sure, that's part of it.
Q. Does Tim have to impose his will on this series more forcefully?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Well, Tim has not had the greatest of games in Games 3 and 4. He's the center of what we do. He's important. We score differently than Detroit does. We're an inside out team. We're going to have something inside going with Tim and spacing the floor is important to us in that regard. So if we don't really have the inside out game, it takes a lot away from what we're doing.
Q. You say that and you've also said that, you know, Tim is most critical of himself. Knowing that, what do you expect from him after Games 3 and 4 going into Game 5?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Well, he's going to try to have the best possible game. He's not going to pout, he's not going to feel badly, he's going to be disappointed with himself for not playing better, and he's going to, you know, try to he'll look at the film and he'll try to figure out what he can do to score, what he can do to help the team. That's just the way he's built.
Q. What can the team do around him to kind of create some openings for him to have to room to work?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Well, it works really in the other direction; we have to establish the inside first.
Q. It's easy to say that the series is simply 2 2, but all of the games have been blowouts, how does a coach cope with that?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: I'm very surprised by that. I would that thought coming in that it's going to be in the fourth quarter and it's going to be 78 76, whoever doesn't turn it over or makes a shot in the last couple of minutes is going to win the game. I'm very surprised the way the play has been through the first four games.
And it is 2 2, that's a fact. Everything is even. Both teams have done their job so to speak. But I think there's one difference: I think I'm really concerned about the way we've reacted to their physical play. That really bothers me, and I think that that's got to be handled or we're going to have a problem.
Q. Is there somebody specifically within the group that needs to take that by the horns?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: No. We have several. That's a team thing. I think overall, if you look at the turnovers last night, it wasn't one guy, you know, it's spread across. We have three or four guys with three turnovers and a couple other ones with two, three guys with one, that sort of stuff.
So as a team, I think that Ben and Lindsey have done a hell of a job of setting the tone for those guys, and they have all bought in and they have all done it and we've backed off from it. Ben didn't try any less in San Antonio. It's not like he decided he wasn't going to play 1 and 2 and he's going to play 3 and 4. He's not built like that. Ben goes out and does his job for 48 minutes every night. Lindsey is the same way. We didn't allow them to do that in San Antonio. We had five guys going to the boards and it helped take Ben away a little bit. We had guys being strong with the ball. We were in attack mode and we didn't sit back and pound it. So I think they have really put us on our heels, led by those two guys.
Q. Most of the guys that come into the NBA feel that first and foremost they have to have a shot, so they offensively advance. Is this a fault of coaching and is coaching a guy to be a good defender easier or harder than coaching him to be a good scorer?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: No, it's always tougher to teach a guy to be a good defender, because you have to have a willing candidate, and there are not that many guys who are willing to buy in and make it something that's going to have to be focused on day after day through a whole season. Everybody wants to score. Everybody wants to shoot. Fewer people want to fill roles, know their strengths and weakness, concentrate on their strengths. Even if their weakness is shooting or offense, they always think that they can get better, and to a degree they can. But there's a ceiling on everybody, and if you can find players who understand that ceiling and are willing to work at the other end of the court, then you've got something special.
Bruce is a good example of that. He's not the most effective offensive player, but he's figured out what he can do offensively to stay on the court because he's such a good defender. So if he was trying to do things at the offensive end that hurt his team, it would diminish what he does defensively and he would be sitting. But he's smart enough not to do that. There are not too many guys like that.
Q. Larry mentioned in his press conference that he felt kind of bad in beating you and the Spurs by such a lopsided margin. Obviously you guys want to win every game
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: And you bought that? And you bought that? (Laughter) How long have you been covering Larry? Good, Lord. I wish Doug Moe was here. He would give you a good answer. (Laughter).
Q. So you don't care? You want to beat Larry by 30?
COACH GREGG POPOVICH: I want to beat him by 50. The hell with him. (Laughter).
No, he's right. It's a strange deal. You know, you guys, when you've known somebody that long and this sort of thing, it was really true. It sounds weird, it sounds strange, but when we won the first two games, sure, I was thrilled about it and I wouldn't give them back, but when I saw Coach, it was like, "How you doing, Coach?" And you don't say no real words come out, you just sort of mumble, because you feel bad for the other guy, and that's what he did last night. He felt bad for me personally, but he's not going to give them back, you know. So that's just an irrelevant little side note. (Laughter).
TIM DUNCAN
Q. You've been guarded pretty evenly by their three big guys. Can you just talk about what each one of them brings to the table and does the fact that you've got those three different looks, is that something that prevents you from getting in more of a rhythm?
TIM DUNCAN: What was the last thing?
Q. The fact that you've got three different guys to go against.
TIM DUNCAN: Prevents me from what?
Q. Getting on a roll, getting into a rhythm?
TIM DUNCAN: Yes, they are very different in what they do. They throw a lot of different bodies at you, and Ben and Rasheed and Dyess do so many different things. They have been effective, so yes, it does affect me. But at the same time, I believe I've gotten a lot of shots that on a regular basis I would knock down, I would make, and I hope to do that in the next game.
Q. After Game 3, you were somewhat critical of your performance and you just said you would have knocked down some shots ordinarily that you didn't. Yesterday, how would you characterize your play in Game 4 overall?
TIM DUNCAN: I played very poorly. I thought I was a lot more aggressive. I thought I made some good moves, just unable to finish, whether it be their defense or just missing some shots. I think it fueled a lot of what they were doing. Some situations where I missed shots and they run out off the rebounds, but that's all of us. So we have to continue to attack and get to the rim as much as possible and hope that we can draw some fouls.
Q. Who in your opinion over the course of your career has defended you best?
TIM DUNCAN: I don't know. I don't know how to answer that question. Every defender brings a different challenge.
I don't want to avoid your question. I just don't know how to answer that question.
Q. Pop said last night that he may have talked to you more in the fourth quarter last night than he has over the last couple of days. We've seen that before in situations through your career where he's talking to you for a long period of time in blowout losses like that. Can you characterize what those conversations are like?
TIM DUNCAN: What did we talk about? I honestly don't really remember what we talked about. It's all kind of a blur at that time. I think we're both frustrated at that time. We're both, I don't want to say we're looking for answers, but we're both just kinds of in a daze. I know I am. I know he's always focused on the game and if it is a situation like last night, he's focused on what we have to do for the next game. So either he's already starting to coach for the next game and trying to throw me whatever hints or things that he believes that either I have to do or we have to do as a team.
But honestly, I couldn't tell you what he told me last night.
Q. We're used to seeing you being almost automatic out there sometimes where it almost looks easy and these two games, so uncharacteristic for you. What is it starting to feel like out there as it's getting away from you, even the open shots you mentioned not going in?
TIM DUNCAN: It's just frustrating. It's just frustrating, because especially in this time of the year and on this stage, I feel like those shots should be going down for me. I should be able to make those shots.
But they don't, and they didn't go down, and the frustration is there, of course, and the frustration on a personal level, frustration for my teammates. But I look forward to the next game and I look forward to getting out there and having these two days to really get some shots up, get a little bit of practice in, and get back out on the floor for Game 5.
Q. As much as at this time of the year many players have to play well in order to win, is there a sense that for your team it has to begin with you?
TIM DUNCAN: Absolutely. Yeah, that's where it begins.
Q. Can you describe why that would be, that a player such as yourself has to sort of set that tone?
TIM DUNCAN: I have to be a leader. I am the leader of this team. So it starts with me, and I understand that. But at the same time, a lot of people are going to take responsibility into this next game, and I think Tony is going to really step up and really increase his play and increase his pressure and try to make things happen that way. Manu is going to take his time. Bruce is going to continue to do what he's going to do. So people are going to step up, and I believe personally and I think everybody believes it, it starts with me and it starts with what I'm doing for them.
Q. All week long, so many of your teammates have been talking about how Coach Popovich knows when to light a fire under his team and knows when to pat his players on the back. What is it about Coach Popovich's relationship with his team that allows the players to embrace that coaching philosophy and that management style so well?
TIM DUNCAN: I think we just understand that he's going to get on us when it's right, and it's not an ongoing, all the time thing, and I think that style really wears on players and you lose a lot of respect for people when they do that. He does it at the right time. As you say, he'll pat you on the back at the right time and he'll kick you in the ass at the right time and he knows how to balance that. I believe it's the most effective way to do things.
Q. Manu is kind of a new NBA star, what advice can you give him when a defense is ganging up on him like that and making him a focus?
TIM DUNCAN: Take your time. What they have done over the last two games is make us react to what they do. They have been aggressive defensively and they have got us back on our heels and they make us kind of counter what they are doing, instead of them countering what we're doing.
So it's just about him taking his time. He's got all of the skills in the world, and it's about going out there and being effective on the level that he counters what they do. He makes them understand that if they are going to collapse and double and triple team him, he's going to make the pass that leads to a score, whatever it may be.
MANU GINOBILI
Q. What's been the difference for you between Games 1 and 2 and Games 3 and 4?
MANU GINOBILI: I really don't know. I think we stopped moving the ball and it's hard to penetrate and find the room to get to the hole when you are just standing. I think we moved the ball much better in 1 and 2. You know, they just played much better. They collapsed the paint a lot more, and when we moved the ball, we just didn't find a lot of open room to find the open shooter or penetrate. They just did a great job.
Q. When you look back at the infancy of you as a basketball player, were you a good defender first and a good scorer second or was it the other way around or did both of those sort of grow equally?
MANU GINOBILI: No. I was mainly an offensive guy. I didn't you know, when I was a kid, younger, I didn't care much about playing D because I knew I was able to score and I was going to play.
So when I started playing on good teams and started getting mature, I started understanding defense a little more, giving more importance to it and started getting better.
Q. When you won the first two games in San Antonio, people said, the series is over and now they have won two games and the series is over. How are you guys looking at the series when it is 2 2?
MANU GINOBILI: Of course, we didn't think the series was over after the first two games. We knew it was going to be very hard here. What we didn't know was that it was going to be so hard, because they are really killing us. These last two games were just embarrassing. They beat us all over the court in every part of the game.
So we came here wanting to at least win one, and we still have an opportunity. So we are going to give the best shot because we know how important it is when you are tied Game 5. So we really have got to step up, play better and more aggressively, more with our hearts than we did in Game 3 and 4.
Q. Is that the emotion of this team, is it embarrassment, disappointed? What is the emotion?
MANU GINOBILI: Well, disappointed for sure. Embarrassment, too. Because what we did in Game 4 was really bad.
So I am embarrassed. I don't know if my teammates are or not, but of course we are upset. Nobody likes losing like that, especially in an NBA Finals, so we are looking forward to playing Game 5 and do a much, much better job.
Q. We're here in the middle of NBA Finals, but also there are some labor issues that are going on now. As a player, who is relatively new to this league, how optimistic are you that a labor deal would be struck before the lockout deadline?
MANU GINOBILI: I really hope so. I think it's going to be bad for both sides if something like that happened. In this moment, of course, I don't have my mind on that, and I really don't care until next week seriously. There is something really big we are playing for now to be thinking about that. But of course, we know it's our future, the future of the league, too, so we are all looking forward to finding a solution.
Q. What can you and the rest of your teammates do to allow Tim to get off to have one of those 30 and 20 nights that he's generally had in the NBA Finals before?
MANU GINOBILI: Help him in any possible way. We have to just stay with the ball and, you know, try to feed him and all stay quiet and wait for him to do something. I think we have to create ball movement. If we pass him the ball when Ben Wallace or Rasheed or whoever is guarding him is helping, it's easier for him. We just don't have to give him the whole responsibility of what we are doing in Game 3 and 4. We just have to move the ball. If we've got him, good, if not, we just have to keep moving and try to attack.
We played the whole season not depending only on him, so we don't have to do it now just because we are in trouble. So it's not a matter of Tim being responsible of this, but it's the team, that always happens. It's a matter of everybody looking inside of us and realize what we did wrong and try to, you know, improve it, get better and go out there and compete because we really need to compete even better.
Q. Pop said the most disappointing was the fact that you guys have succumbed to their physical play. Ben Wallace sets the tone for them with that kind of play. Who has got to be the guy, who is it incumbent upon on the Spurs to set that tone in Game 5?
MANU GINOBILI: We hope everybody does it. Because when you see hustle plays by some teammates that usually don't or don't show that every game, it's like it's contagious. You get pumped up because of that.
So I'm going to try to do it. I hope Tony is going to try to do it, Tim, Bruce, always, so we have to start very aggressive and physical to show them that what happened in Game 3 and 4 is not going to happen again.
I don't think it's a matter of one guy, because you can say Ben Wallace, but then you see Lindsey Hunter, McDyess coming from the bench and being very aggressive, Chauncey Billups, everybody. It's not a matter of one starting it. I think it's a team, and we've all got to be aware of what we're playing here. This is a Game 5 of the NBA Finals. You never know if you're going to be here again. So we've got to play with our pride and determination.
TONY PARKER
Q: How tough has the matchup been with Chauncey Billups?
Parker: This series is not about matchups. It’s about how we’re playing, and we played softly in the last two games. I’m not thinking about [Chauncey], I’m thinking about setting the tone for the game, and trying to make some stuff happen for our team.
Q: How do you think your team will respond to losing two straight Finals games, something you guys aren’t really used to?
Parker: It was two-two a couple of years ago against New Jersey, with the fifth being a huge game. We have to approach Sunday’s game the same way. Obviously, we’re not playing well. We’re making a lot of mistakes. The thing that’s disappointing is that we made a lot of the same mistakes in Game Four that we made in Game Three. We’ve made a lot of turnovers, and we’re getting beaten on the boards. The key now is to play with a lot of heart, and to play harder. It seems like they’ve played the last couple games like they wanted it more than us. We just have to show that we want it too.
Q: Will the poise of the team show through in the end?
Parker: Absolutely. [Game Five] is going to be a game where you’re going to see our character. It’s a game where we have to show a lot of heart and play a lot harder.
Q: Is their picking you up full court on defense frustrating your offense?
Parker: It definitely is. It’s changing our rhythm, and getting us away from our usual offense. They’re pressuring us to hurry in our offense. We haven’t been patient enough, and that’s what causes turnovers. We have to make sure to do a better job setting our plays, getting the ball to Timmy where he wants it. We have to make sure we take better care of the ball.
Q: Has it been difficult playing a great defensive team like Detroit after playing against Phoenix, who doesn’t play great defense?
Parker: We knew that Detroit played great defense. We played good the first two games, and then we came here and we’re not playing like we used to. We just have to find some solutions and make some adjustments. I think the key is how we’re going to attack them on offense. I also think we have to control the boards, take care of the ball… all of the stuff we talked about after Game Three.
BRUCE BOWEN
Q: You have had some time to digest what happened last night, any better grasp of what you need to do to come back?
Bowen: Guys understand, from a player’s stand point that when you give a team like Detroit opportunities with turnovers and loose balls, things of that nature, it only enhances their team. And I think the first game that we lost we had turnovers for 23 points, and last night was 25. You can’t keep turning the ball over against a ball club like this because it just gives them energy and inspires their players to do good things.
Q: Why have you guys struggled inside in particular?
Bowen: I don’t know. It’s a matter of – you know you have to give Detroit credit with their defense. I don’t think it is a situation where we just come down and we have easy looks or anything like that, they’re pressuring us, we have to find a way to fight through that pressure and get the job done.
Q: What can you guys do collectively to help Tim Duncan?
Bowen: Everybody understands that Tim is the focal point of our offense and he creates opportunities for us, so it’s not a matter of anybody getting down on him, it’s just a matter of us trying to get him the ball when he’s open. I think some of the times that we have tried to get him the ball they have been bad passes. If there is a guy hanging on his top shoulder, you still can’t throw it to that top hand, you have to dribble over and try make a better angle. And that’s what we have to do, I think sometimes we make bad decisions entering the ball into him and we have to do a better job of that.
Q: Is it specifically turnovers that have created this Jekyll & Hyde like performance between Games 1 & 2 and Games 3 & 4?
Bowen: I think you look at the first two games, we didn’t turn the ball over as much as we have in the third and fourth games. So it’s not Jekyll & Hyde, but it’s a combination of Detroit’s will and their pride on their home court, emphasizing they need that energy and get the crowd going, and things like that.
Q: Is it more difficult that you have a couple of days off after the loss?
Bowen: It is, but at the same time you have to use this time wisely. You have to go at the root of the problem and really do a gut check, so to speak, of how to accomplish a better, active role out there on the court come next game.