Tim Duncan won 5 rings inspite of Pop..

[spursistan]

One of the most overrated playoff coaches ever..

A brutal in-game/in-series feel, pathetic stubbornness and maddening lack of killer instinct....

I agree with Nate Duncan in a recent tweet that the Spurs have been upset more in the playoffs than they did any upsetting and he had a hand in many of these fuckups just like he is about to piss away a very winnable series.

1116388822370013184

[DPG21920]

:lmao agreeing with Nate Duncan

[Kool Bob Love]

Duh.

[SuperCam]

Playoffs? It's just a game. How many other coaches can recommend a top notch vintage Cabernet to complement a filet through? :pop:

[GreekSpursfan]

No coach can win without top tier talent, NO ONE. Whoever says Pistons, find me an Isaiah Thomas on this roster. Also Nate Duncan LOL.

[spursistan]

:lmao agreeing with Nate Duncan

Look some context lack on couple of instances, but i don't think you can defend how brutal he's been this decade in about every close series safe maybe for '17 WCSF vs the Rockets.

[Kobe'sAchilles]

I don't remember ever being favored over the Lakers tbh. Especially a team with prime Shaq and Kobe on it. 06 had nothing to do with Pop and everything to do with Manu ignoring Pop. 12 & 16 were the Thunderefs. Some of the most blatant rigging ever. 15 was on Pop. He couldn't figure out how to beat the double high pick n roll. 2011 was also on Pop playing McDyss.

This year is completely on Pop though.

[TheGreatYacht]

Mike Malone joining the ranks of Lionel Hollins, Scottie Brooks, Billy Donovan, Alvin Gendry, Avery Johnson....

Some heavyweights right there

[GreekSpursfan]

I don't remember ever being favored over the Lakers tbh. Especially a team with prime Shaq and Kobe on it. 06 had nothing to do with Pop and everything to do with Manu ignoring Pop. 12 & 16 were the Thunderefs. Some of the most blatant rigging ever. 15 was on Pop. He couldn't figure out how to beat the double high pick n roll. 2011 was also on Pop playing McDyss.

This year is completely on Pop though.

This year is on uncle Dennis. We overachieved so far imo.

[spursistan]

Losing and getting out-coached in playoffs series (4 with HCA) by these dudes: Avery Johnson, Lionel Holllins, Scottie Brooks, Billy Donovan,Mike Malone :lmao..

[BatManu20]

:lmao agreeing with Nate Duncan

[Chomag]

Nah Pop was able to take a couple of them away from him

[DPG21920]

Look some context lack on couple of instances, but i don't think you can defend how brutal he's been this decade in about every close series safe maybe for '17 WCSF vs the Rockets.

False and many of us already blasted Nate on Twitter for this

[Spurtacular]

One of the most overrated playoff coaches ever..

A brutal in-game/in-series feel, pathetic stubbornness and maddening lack of killer instinct....

I agree with Nate Duncan in a recent tweet that the Spurs have been upset more in the playoffs than they did any upsetting and he had a hand in many of these fuckups just like he is about to piss away a very winnable series.

1116388822370013184

How can you be one of the greatest and suck in the playoffs? Isn't that definition of Lenny Wilkens? :lol

[ducks]

Pop was better before Trump destroyed Clinton and won

[BatManu20]

If you want to hate Pop or call him overrated, fine. But that tweet is ignorant and short-sided and if you read the responses, you’ll see Nate Duncan (who is a joke, btw) getting ethered by a lot of people.

[Chomag]

Pop was better before Trump destroyed Clinton and won

Trump winning really did fuck up the old man didn't it lmao

[TheGreatYacht]

Nah Pop was able to take a couple of them away from him

[apalisoc_9]

:lmao agreeing with Nate Duncan

Hes actually ok. Not sure whats funny about him

[spursistan]

Hes actually ok. Not sure whats funny about him

I mean yeah he can have his nerd-biases, but not sure why DPG acting like he is Nick Wright or Skip Bayless..

[Robz4000]

Eh, Pop had some great coaching performances in series' the Spurs don't win without him. He has been shit the past five years, however.

[apalisoc_9]

If you want to hate Pop or call him overrated, fine. But that tweet is ignorant and short-sided and if you read the responses, you’ll see Nate Duncan (who is a joke, btw) getting ethered by a lot of people.

A lot of people stay with the BS narrative that pop cant do wrong. Being a majority opinion doesnt mean its the right one.

[DPG21920]

Hes actually ok. Not sure whats funny about him

Nah - not when it comes to SA. He’s got a terrible read on all things SA and is really biased. Otherwise he’s fine, but he sucks at all things Spurs

[tonight...you]

Pop goes free agent...
All of you will rue as he builds another team and San Antonio rots to Hell and back.
Never sniffing anything other than shit, in the NBA.

Enjoy as you jock some other goofball guy like a Mike Malone, or a Monty Williams.

Have fun with that shit.

[DPG21920]

A lot of people stay with the BS narrative that pop cant do wrong. Being a majority opinion doesnt mean its the right one.


It’s funny you say that in response to this Nate Duncan stance. No one is saying Pop can’t do wrong; but to go as far as Nate did is where he jumped the shark and got roasted for it.

[Manong Ginobili]

No one was beating the Lakers in 2001

[tonight...you]

A lot of people stay with the BS narrative that pop cant do wrong. Being a majority opinion doesnt mean its the right one.
Enjoy a Ty Lue.

Enjoy crap after crap after crap.

Zero championships from here on out.
Challenge that . Zero championships for this city.
Done.
Fucking done faggot.

[Hoops Czar]

How can you be one of the greatest and suck in the playoffs? Isn't that definition of Lenny Wilkens? :lol
Easy answer... Because he was never one of the greatest. One of the winningest coaches because he had three future hall of famers but from an X's and O's standpoint, he wouldn't even make the top 100. People continue to call him the greatest either because they don't know basketball or because they want to fit in without getting publicly scrutinized by the Greg Popavich fan club.

It's going to be epic watching the greatest takr home the silver or bronze in the Olympics. I wonder what excuses his backers will come up with then.

He's going to go out the way Sloan went out and that's going to be a sad ending to a storied career.

[Mugen]

Pop's probably best coached series is the 7th seed win against the Mavs, outside of that, it's been Timmy and Manu leading the organization to championships....

Pop has been the cause of way more series losses than he has wins tbh, that's not really an argument....

[HarlemHeat37]

Pop is the greatest of all-time in terms of versatility, no argument against it..his current senility doesn't change that..

[Spurtacular]

Easy answer... Because he was never one of the greatest. One of the winningest coaches because he had three future hall of famers but from an X's and O's standpoint, he wouldn't even make the top 100. People continue to call him the greatest either because they don't know basketball or because they want to fit in without getting publicly scrutinized by the Greg Popavich fan club.

It's going to be epic watching the greatest takr home the silver or bronze in the Olympics. I wonder what excuses his backers will come up with then.

I never got his whole thing about wanting to reign in Manu early in his career. Why would you want to stop a beast from going beast mode? And Pop definitely fucked up Gm 7 2013. That said, I cannot say how much credit he deserves overall. Tough to say, really.

[KimmyGib]

Still a great coach, but man, some of his poor decisions are really baffling

[ShutUp SayItAgain!]

Agree 100%

Overrated like a motherfucker

[spursistan]

How can this old bastard get away with white-flagging a playoff games down only 10 at home?

I really wish Aldridge to get into his face to stop this bullshit about pulling the plug and gluing his best players to the bench when the game is still within reach..

[TheGreatYacht]

Derrick White should demand a trade tbh. You got mother fuckers calling him a nobody and a cook, giving all the credit to crater face.

Kawhi all over again. Even gets benched and is often a 4th option.

[140]

I mean yeah he can have his nerd-biases, but not sure why DPG acting like he is Nick Wright or Skip Bayless..
We know why...

PATF:lol fluffers

[therealtruth]

He's no PJ who was like 49-0 when winning the first game of a series. You get really nervous in the close series because Pop tends to drop the ball. He can't win the close series. No killer instinct.

[spursistan]

He's no PJ who was like 49-0 when winning the first game of a series. You get really nervous in the close series because Pop tends to drop the ball. He can't win the close series. No killer instinct.

I know Phil got more stacked teams, but you always get the feeling that Pop doesn't respond/adjust as well as him in the pressure cooker of the playoffs..He definitely lost more series than he should from favorable positions (2 backdoor sweeps, a couple of 3-2 leads..etc..)

[Floyd Pacquiao]

The most infuriating thing about pop and there's a lot, is his stubbornness not to play rookies just cause he thinks they lack experience. Fuck off with that Larry Brown bull shit, it sucks watching a young athletic more then capable of playing defense player in Lonnie walker rotting on the bench just to play scrubs like Marco and patty just cause they have "corporate knowledge :pop:

[TDfan2007]

That guy's definition of "favorites" is just based on having HCA :lol

2001 - definitely not the favorites. The Lakers were coasting that year during the regular season, then went supernova to finish out the season and playoffs. Nobody was beating them, and the Spurs were definitely not favorites. Getting swept in that fashion was still embarrassing though...

2004 - This was a choke. Spurs were up 2-0, but Pop had no answer for Phil's defensive schemes against Parker and Duncan after game 2. Just kept running the same shit over and over, despite Phil having figured our offense out. People make a big deal about game 5, but Game 4 was another missed opportunity. Up at the half, with a 3-1 series lead in their sights, and they laid an egg in the second half.

2006 - I think it's fair to say that the Spurs were favorites here. Mavs were talented, but unproven, and the Spurs should have won. Pop's idea of switching the PnR (leading to Tony/Finley guarding Dirk :lol ) was beyond assenine. He definitely deserves some blame here, but at the same time, the Spurs were 2 Manu blunders away from a series win (he turned it over at the end of game 3, then there's the *sigh* foul on Dirk in game 7).

2011 - epic choke by the entire team, Pop too.

2012 - anytime you blow a 2-0 series lead, it's partly on the coach. No answers for Durant. Still a close series though, decided by a back-breaking Harden 3 in game 5, then some VERY questionable officiating in game 6 along with some classic Parker playoff choking.

2015 - how the fuck were we the favorites? We were the 7th seed, with a banged up Tony, banged up Manu, and unproven Kawhi. Wtf? :lol

2016 - hard to call the Spurs favorites here. That 2016 Thunder team was great, and gave GSW a run for their money as well. They were the better team.

[TDfan2007]

Also, I love me some Timmy, but that relationship was very synergistic. To say otherwise, is ridiculous.

[Hoops Czar]

2011 was probably the most overrated and most undeserving 60 win team of all-time. Teams were literally tanking to play the Spurs.

[therealtruth]

2011 was probably the most overrated and most undeserving 60 win team of all-time. Teams were literally tanking to play the Spurs.

That one's all on Pop and his unwillingness to play rookies. Had Splitter played they would likely have swept the Grizzlies like they did two years later.

[ShutUp SayItAgain!]

Pop's probably best coached series is the 7th seed win against the Mavs, outside of that, it's been Timmy and Manu leading the organization to championships....

Pop has been the cause of way more series losses than he has wins tbh, that's not really an argument....

Truth

[jjktkk]

A lot of people stay with the BS narrative that pop cant do wrong. Being a majority opinion doesnt mean its the right one.

No, the BS narrative is the critics on here go way overboard and overexaggerate.

[ShutUp SayItAgain!]

Mike Malone joining the ranks of Lionel Hollins, Scottie Brooks, Billy Donovan, Alvin Gendry, Avery Johnson....

Some heavyweights right there

:lol pathetic ass coach

[ShutUp SayItAgain!]

Easy answer... Because he was never one of the greatest. One of the winningest coaches because he had three future hall of famers but from an X's and O's standpoint, he wouldn't even make the top 100. People continue to call him the greatest either because they don't know basketball or because they want to fit in without getting publicly scrutinized by the Greg Popavich fan club.

It's going to be epic watching the greatest takr home the silver or bronze in the Olympics. I wonder what excuses his backers will come up with then.

He's going to go out the way Sloan went out and that's going to be a sad ending to a storied career.

This

[UZER]

A lot of today’s players call Pop the greatest because of his political rants and PJs last noteworthy comment included posse.

[Philthemage]

I'd really like to hear, if we get rid of Pop, who would you want replacing him?

[TheGreatYacht]

I'd really like to hear, if we get rid of Pop, who would you want replacing him?
Dave Joerger tbh. Certainly not any of the puppets he has sitting next to him that are too chicken shit to tell him he's out of touch with today's game.

[spurs10]

:lmao agreeing with Nate Duncan :lol Yeah Nate failed to mention that in that 20 year span he was talking about the Spurs 'won it all' 5 times. He failed to mention that out of 30 teams they won it all 25% of the time. He failed to mention that in that 20 year span, including the playoffs, the Spurs were the most winning team in all team sports including baseball, soccer, football, basketball, and hockey. Nate Duncan is an imbecile. His takes are exceptionally moronic. It's hard to say if he serious, but he seems too stupid to be coy.

Now Pop is the first to give Tim all the credit, but he was there too.

:lobt::lobt::lobt::lobt::lobt:

[r0drig0lac]

Pop is the greatest of all-time in terms of versatility, no argument against it..his current senility doesn't change that..

agree


2015 (clippers) and 2016 (thunder) are two series that Pop's work was really negative.

[UZER]

Tim got old, Tony got old, Manu got old. Pop has gotten way older and but is still coaching. The difference is those guys wanted to win every game all the time all the way to the end of their careers (at least Tim and Manu did). Pop has changed and put too much emphasis on “it’s really not that important”. That’s great for life lessons, but bad for the NBA when you no longer have the big 3 to carry you.

Yes he’s got 5 rings, but he also doesn’t give a shit anymore. So 5 rings doesn’t excuse his modern nonchalant approach.

[weebo]

Dave Joerger tbh. Certainly not any of the puppets he has sitting next to him that are too chicken shit to tell him he's out of touch with today's game.

Sure let's go with the guy that's been shit canned twice in the last 6 years...

[duncan2k5]

He is right tho... We HAVE lost more times as a favorite, than won as an underdog... That's not even up for question

[ShutUp SayItAgain!]

He is right tho... We HAVE lost more times as a favorite, than won as an underdog... That's not even up for question

Period

[dbreiden83080]

If he had gone to Boston and had to play for that idiot Rick Pitino, Duncan might have Zero rings..

[elbamba]

How is a 7 seed losing to a 2 seed an upset? Is this a winnable series, sure, but should a 7 seed ever be favored over a 2 seed, no.

[DMC]

A lot of people stay with the BS narrative that pop cant do wrong. Being a majority opinion doesnt mean its the right one.

No, but all else being equal you should take it.

[therealtruth]

He is right tho... We HAVE lost more times as a favorite, than won as an underdog... That's not even up for question

[MultiTroll]

If he had gone to Boston and had to play for that idiot Rick Pitino, Duncan might have Zero rings..
If the ping pong balls bounced the other way and Tim Duncan didn't come to SA, Pop would have had Zero rings.

If we're doing the whatabout.

[daslicer]

If he had gone to Boston and had to play for that idiot Rick Pitino, Duncan might have Zero rings..

Doubt it. Duncan was a transcendent player. My drunk uncle would have won atleast 1 title coaching him.

[r0drig0lac]

Doubt it. Duncan was a transcendent player. My drunk uncle would have won atleast 1 title coaching him.

this

[dbreiden83080]

If the ping pong balls bounced the other way and Tim Duncan didn't come to SA, Pop would have had Zero rings.

If we're doing the whatabout.

Pop proved himself as a great coach by changing the way the Spurs played over the different eras and keeping them in title contention. They used to be a low post, grind it out defensive team. They'd win playoff games 79-78.. Then as Tim aged, and the perimeter shooting became more dominant in the league, the Spurs remained good on D but became a high powered ball movement offense. The man adapted his coaching and it worked.. Think about it the Spurs were in the finals in 2013 and 2014 and Tim was way past his prime..

[dbreiden83080]

Doubt it. Duncan was a transcendent player. My drunk uncle would have won atleast 1 title coaching him.

Tim was the man. But he also had consistency and a family environment in SA. It was the perfect fit for his quiet, non attention seeking personality, team first always. Pop was a father figure whom Tim would also do anything for.. I think Tim walks for the Orlando deal if not for Pop..

[MultiTroll]

Pop proved himself as a great coach by changing the way the Spurs played over the different eras and keeping them in title contention. They used to be a low post, grind it out defensive team. They'd win playoff game 79-78.. Then as Tim aged, and the perimeter shooting became more dominant in the league, the Spurs remained good on D but became a high powered ball movement offense. The man adapted his coaching and it worked..
He's made some adjustments, yes. Also missed a ton of elementary adjustments.
He never has and never will win a Champioship without Duncan.

[dbreiden83080]

He's made some adjustments, yes. Also missed a ton of elementary adjustments.
He never has and never will win a Champioship without Duncan.

Well you need great players. Phil Jackson was in coaching exile before the Bulls gave him a shot, and somebody by the name of Jordan accepted him..

[dbreiden83080]

Eh, Pop had some great coaching performances in series' the Spurs don't win without him. He has been shit the past five years, however.

The Spurs are obviously not overflowing with talent these days. And this is a 2/7 matchup. Spurs are supposed to lose this series. I think Pop has done one of his better coaching jobs this year. We lose a top 5 player in his prime, and replaced him with maybe a top 25 player. Still in the playoffs with a chance to advance. I think the series will go 7..

[Thomas82]

The most infuriating thing about pop and there's a lot, is his stubbornness not to play rookies just cause he thinks they lack experience. Fuck off with that Larry Brown bull shit, it sucks watching a young athletic more then capable of playing defense player in Lonnie walker rotting on the bench just to play scrubs like Marco and patty just cause they have "corporate knowledge :pop:

IMO, this is what cost us against Memphis in 2011 and OKC in 2016.

[R. DeMurre]

Funny that Tim decided to stay in San Antonio with Pop for his entire career, despite having the option multiple times of playing for a better coach. So are you guys also saying that Tim was so good that his career overcame his obviously bad decision to keep Pop as his coach?

[MultiTroll]

So are you guys also saying that Tim was so good that his career overcame his obviously bad decision to keep Pop as his coach?

Orlando was a "you can have your wife and kids fly on the plane" away from racking up Championships with Timmy Dunks. So the legend purportedly is.

Not "oh I want, no I must stay with Pop."

[R. DeMurre]

Orlando was a "you can have your wife and kids fly on the plane" away from racking up Championships with Timmy Dunks. So the legend purportedly is.

Not "oh I want, no I must stay with Pop."

So you think Duncan re-signed multiple times to play for a coach that he himself thought wasn't very good?

[MultiTroll]

So you think Duncan re-signed multiple times to play for a coach that he himself thought wasn't very good?
No. By the time Gnob was one of the best #2s and Porker was in his prime....along with Bowen, Robert Horry etc Noooooo reason to leave.

No reason to have not run off B2Bs at minimum either. 5-7, something like that.

[GreekSpursfan]

When Pop retires and the years that will follow is the time we will truly appreciate him. Its coming and there is no escape for this fanbase

[R. DeMurre]

No. By the time Gnob was one of the best #2s and Porker was in his prime....along with Bowen, Robert Horry etc Noooooo reason to leave.

No reason to have not run off B2Bs at minimum either. 5-7, something like that.

So do you think that Duncan himself mistakenly thought Pop was a good coach, or do you think he figured that Ginobili, Parker, etc plus himself was enough talent to overcome Pop's deficiencies?

[TD 21]

It's not even as favorites because a lot of those series are obviously debatable (I presume he's referring to the odds makers). It's coin flip series, often ones they were either up 2-1 with game 4 at home ('16 vs Thunder, '15 vs Clippers, '13 vs Heat, though this was the 2-3-2 format and it's obviously extremely difficult to beat teams of that caliber 3 straight) or up 2-0 ('12 vs Thunder, '04 vs Lakers).

They've definitely either collapsed or at the very least let winnable series slip through their fingers (throw in '06 vs Mavs, '11 vs Grizzlies) plenty of times.

When they've won, it's mostly because they were clearly better than the opposition.

[dbreiden83080]

No. By the time Gnob was one of the best #2s and Porker was in his prime....along with Bowen, Robert Horry etc Noooooo reason to leave.

No reason to have not run off B2Bs at minimum either. 5-7, something like that.

We just had a player that won a chip here, then went to the WCF and the following year invented reasons to leave.. So if you need a reason, you find one.

[MultiTroll]

We just had a player that won a chip here, then went to the WCF and the following year invented reasons to leave.. So if you need a reason, you find one.
Never have had closure on that imo.
Site owner said he might be able to reveal (from reliable sauces) of what really came down.
Didn't happen.
Regardless, the way Nephew left was very uncool.
At to the pure and innocent PATFO and medical team, unknown. Rather unrevealed and may never be.

[TheChillFactor]

One of the most overrated playoff coaches ever..

A brutal in-game/in-series feel, pathetic stubbornness and maddening lack of killer instinct....

I agree with Nate Duncan in a recent tweet that the Spurs have been upset more in the playoffs than they did any upsetting and he had a hand in many of these fuckups just like he is about to piss away a very winnable series.

1116388822370013184

Haha that was my tweet that triggered his fucking ass. And if you listen to his last podcast he was complaining about people continuing to DM him killing him for it. Fuck that guy.

GO SPURS GO :sombrero:

[MultiTroll]

So do you think that Duncan himself mistakenly thought Pop was a good coach, or do you think he figured that Ginobili, Parker, etc plus himself was enough talent to overcome Pop's deficiencies?
Summer 2000 was Tim Dunks Orlando near sign.
I'm not familiar with exactly when he signed future Spurs new contracts or extensions.
But yes assuming the summer 2000 contract was at least 3 years length, plenty of time to have GNob, Prime Porker etc on board and secured the 2003 Championship. So of course Tim was staying after that.

[Phenomanul]

That guy's definition of "favorites" is just based on having HCA :lol

Lazy sports writing... plus millennials absorb shorter tweets even if they are inaccurate - the modern reporting MO.


2001 - definitely not the favorites. The Lakers were coasting that year during the regular season, then went supernova to finish out the season and playoffs. Nobody was beating them, and the Spurs were definitely not favorites. Getting swept in that fashion was still embarrassing though...

The Spurs could've still challenged them a bit more if Derek Anderson (their number two scorer that year) hadn't been bush-leagued out of the playoffs by Juwan effin' Howard.


2004 - This was a choke. Spurs were up 2-0, but Pop had no answer for Phil's defensive schemes against Parker and Duncan after game 2. Just kept running the same shit over and over, despite Phil having figured our offense out. People make a big deal about game 5, but Game 4 was another missed opportunity. Up at the half, with a 3-1 series lead in their sights, and they laid an egg in the second half.

That series was a coin-flip. The Derek Fisher shot was a series changer. Hedo Turkoglu laid an egg.


2006 - I think it's fair to say that the Spurs were favorites here. Mavs were talented, but unproven, and the Spurs should have won. Pop's idea of switching the PnR (leading to Tony/Finley guarding Dirk :lol ) was beyond assenine. He definitely deserves some blame here, but at the same time, the Spurs were 2 Manu blunders away from a series win (he turned it over at the end of game 3, then there's the *sigh* foul on Dirk in game 7).

Mavs got ridiculous help from the refs. You couldn't breathe on Dirk. Duncan meanwhile gets man-handled by Erick Dampier in the final play of regulation in Game 7 and the zebras swallowed their whistles.


2011 - epic choke by the entire team, Pop too.

Ummm... Manu, who had a phenomenal year that season, making his second all-star appearance played the playoffs with a fracture on his shooting arm. It's an almost insurmountable hurdle to expect the team to play at the same level without their creative motor.


2012 - anytime you blow a 2-0 series lead, it's partly on the coach. No answers for Durant. Still a close series though, decided by a back-breaking Harden 3 in game 5, then some VERY questionable officiating in game 6 along with some classic Parker playoff choking.

The Thunderrefs got their nickname from the inexcusable calls being made in this series. It's very clear that the league wanted a Thunder / Heat Finals that year and they got it.


2015 - how the fuck were we the favorites? We were the 7th seed, with a banged up Tony, banged up Manu, and unproven Kawhi. Wtf? :lol

I kind of agree that this series was winnable. We definitely weren't the clear favorite though and so his point is revisionist history at its finest.


2016- hard to call the Spurs favorites here. That 2016 Thunder team was great, and gave GSW a run for their money as well. They were the better team.

Game deciding officiating calls ALL went the Thunderref's way. Dion Waiters fouled Manu on the inbounds (no call). Danny Green was tripped by Steven Adams into Durant (foul on Danny Green). Kawhi deliberately fouled Westbrook to stop the clock (no whistle) instead he is given an and-one. The Spurs WERE the better team and the officials decided to intervene on the Thunder's behalf.

[J_Paco]

One of the most overrated playoff coaches ever..

A brutal in-game/in-series feel, pathetic stubbornness and maddening lack of killer instinct....

I agree with Nate Duncan in a recent tweet that the Spurs have been upset more in the playoffs than they did any upsetting and he had a hand in many of these fuckups just like he is about to piss away a very winnable series.

1116388822370013184

Spurs were definitely, definitely not the "favorites" in 2001 against a prime Shaq and young Kobe Bryant.


And, wow the almost always higher seed Spurs (during the Duncan era) have lost to lower seeds throughout their history. What a take.......

I only put 2011, 2013 and 2015 sole on Pop. His lack of adjustments and stubbornness definitely cost and negatively effected the outcomes of those three series. But, most other series it was a combination of "things" (poor play of stars/role players, bad luck and Pop's coaching) that led to San Antonio losing. And the opponent (Kobe, Dirk, LeBron, Durant, etc,) deserves a lion's share of the credit too.


Nah, let's just be whiny bitches and blame the best coach in team history (and top 3 - 5 all - time).....

[J_Paco]

Losing and getting out-coached in playoffs series (4 with HCA) by these dudes: Avery Johnson, Lionel Holllins, Scottie Brooks, Billy Donovan,Mike Malone :lmao..

Mike Malone is a good, up - and - coming coach, idiot. He's basically gotten a bunch of second tier players (meaning no superstar) to play way, way over their heads. He's been highly touted for a while now in NBA circles.....

[J_Paco]

Easy answer... Because he was never one of the greatest. One of the winningest coaches because he had three future hall of famers but from an X's and O's standpoint, he wouldn't even make the top 100. People continue to call him the greatest either because they don't know basketball or because they want to fit in without getting publicly scrutinized by the Greg Popavich fan club.

It's going to be epic watching the greatest takr home the silver or bronze in the Olympics. I wonder what excuses his backers will come up with then.

He's going to go out the way Sloan went out and that's going to be a sad ending to a storied career.

Easy answer, Pop is a top all - time great coach, first - ballot HOF'er and the best coach in Spurs history.


And nothing you whine, complain or bitch about is changing those facts.....

[therealtruth]

Saying Pop had bad luck sometimes is really a cop out. The thing is luck can work for you as it did for PJ many times. PJ always said you have to create your own luck. Pop on the other hand would do stuff that didn't allow luck to work in his favor like sitting TD at the end of game 6. Pop lacks the killer instinct and coaches scared at times. PJ was the exact opposite and had the killer instinct and incredible confidence. Think about it. If the coach is scared how can he project confidence to his players so they play confidently. As a result I think the Spurs haven't done as well as they should have in more evenly matched playoff series.

[ShutUp SayItAgain!]

Saying Pop had bad luck sometimes is really a cop out. The thing is luck can work for you as it did for PJ many times. PJ always said you have to create your own luck. Pop on the other hand would do stuff that didn't allow luck to work in his favor like sitting TD at the end of game 6. Pop lacks the killer instinct and coaches scared at times. PJ was the exact opposite and had the killer instinct and incredible confidence. Think about it. If the coach is scared how can he project confidence to his players so they play confidently. As a result I think the Spurs haven't done as well as they should have in more evenly matched playoff series.

Truth

[TDfan2007]

Lazy sports writing... plus millennials absorb shorter tweets even if they are inaccurate - the modern reporting MO.



The Spurs could've still challenged them a bit more if Derek Anderson (their number two scorer that year) hadn't been bush-leagued out of the playoffs by Juwan effin' Howard.



That series was a coin-flip. The Derek Fisher shot was a series changer. Hedo Turkoglu laid an egg.



Mavs got ridiculous help from the refs. You couldn't breathe on Dirk. Duncan meanwhile gets man-handled by Erick Dampier in the final play of regulation in Game 7 and the zebras swallowed their whistles.



Ummm... Manu, who had a phenomenal year that season, making his second all-star appearance played the playoffs with a fracture on his shooting arm. It's an almost insurmountable hurdle to expect the team to play at the same level without their creative motor.



The Thunderrefs got their nickname from the inexcusable calls being made in this series. It's very clear that the league wanted a Thunder / Heat Finals that year and they got it.



I kind of agree that this series was winnable. We definitely weren't the clear favorite though and so his point is revisionist history at its finest.



Game deciding officiating calls ALL went the Thunderref's way. Dion Waiters fouled Manu on the inbounds (no call). Danny Green was tripped by Steven Adams into Durant (foul on Danny Green). Kawhi deliberately fouled Westbrook to stop the clock (no whistle) instead he is given an and-one. The Spurs WERE the better team and the officials decided to intervene on the Thunder's behalf.

2001 Spurs would've been destroyed with Derek Anderson too. Anderson wasn't THAT good, and David got completely manhandled in that series by Shaq. That series was Tim Duncan vs Shaq and Kobe at their absolute peak as a duo. No chance.

2004 Hedo choked, yes, but the entire team did. Tony disappeared after game 2, Timmy wasn't nearly aggressive enough in games 4 and 6, and Manu was too inconsistent. A lot of that series loss, imo, was pop not having an answer for Phil packing the paint. Just kept running the same shit and it didn't work.

2006 - I agree, the officiating in that series was very suspect. That series came down to a few bounces and missed calls. It was infuriating watching Pop switch those screens with Dirk. Still the best playoff series I've ever seen. At the end of the day, their role players outplayed ours. I'll never forget getting butchered by Jason Terry in game 4... -_-

2011 - Manu was still our best player that series. The Spurs lost because they couldn't guard their shadows and Timmy was playing on a flat tire.

[Phenomanul]

2001 Spurs would've been destroyed with Derek Anderson too. Anderson wasn't THAT good, and David got completely manhandled in that series by Shaq. That series was Tim Duncan vs Shaq and Kobe at their absolute peak as a duo. No chance.

2004 Hedo choked, yes, but the entire team did. Tony disappeared after game 2, Timmy wasn't nearly aggressive enough in games 4 and 6, and Manu was too inconsistent. A lot of that series loss, imo, was pop not having an answer for Phil packing the paint. Just kept running the same shit and it didn't work.

2006 - I agree, the officiating in that series was very suspect. That series came down to a few bounces and missed calls. It was infuriating watching Pop switch those screens with Dirk. Still the best playoff series I've ever seen. At the end of the day, their role players outplayed ours. I'll never forget getting butchered by Jason Terry in game 4... -_-

2011 - Manu was still our best player that series. The Spurs lost because they couldn't guard their shadows and Timmy was playing on a flat tire.

Yeah Derek wasn't that great. But during the 4 Regular Season matchups that season Derek managed to play Kobe to a standstill TWICE. In other words, you are severely downplaying the complete dropoff in athleticism that the Spurs suffered as a result of his absence. Terry Porter on his last legs was seen trying to guard a prime Kobe instead. The point was we weren't the favorites in that series either.

My point in 2011 was to reflect on the fact that the Spurs playing with a severely hobbled star WAS a factor. He missed the entirety of Game 1 for crying out loud (which the Spurs lost). The Grizzlies meanwhile had the 2nd best post-all-star record in the league that season. They were not a traditional 8th seed. I still contend that if the Spurs had been complete they don't lose that series.

[RC_Drunkford]

2015 - how the fuck were we the favorites? We were the 7th seed, with a banged up Tony, banged up Manu, and unproven Kawhi. Wtf?

2016 - hard to call the Spurs favorites here. That 2016 Thunder team was great, and gave GSW a run for their money as well. They were the better team.
2015: we were the defending champs and had the lower seed due to one loss at the end of the season against the Pelicans. We also had a lot of injuries and went on a 20-game winning streak in march. Being a finals MVP for locking down prime LeBron is not really unproven either.
2016: we were the clear cut 2nd best team in the NBA and had the most stacked Spurs team ever with the best regular season record ever.
Spurs were favorites both years

Saying Pop had bad luck sometimes is really a cop out. The thing is luck can work for you as it did for PJ many times. PJ always said you have to create your own luck. Pop on the other hand would do stuff that didn't allow luck to work in his favor like sitting TD at the end of game 6. Pop lacks the killer instinct and coaches scared at times. PJ was the exact opposite and had the killer instinct and incredible confidence. Think about it. If the coach is scared how can he project confidence to his players so they play confidently. As a result I think the Spurs haven't done as well as they should have in more evenly matched playoff series.


Pop is the master at destroying players confidence and having them scared to shoot. Take Kyle Anderson for example. He holds some players back by not letting them do certain things they are actually capable of doing. Like Dedmon having a jump shot/3-point shot.

[ShutUp SayItAgain!]

Pop is the best at giving up an easy sweep and letting the lesser team move on in the playoffs

[Shakril]

I do not understand the senseless batting on a spur legend. If Pop were as bad as people claim, he already would have been fired.

Shame on anyone who joins the Bash-Train.

[UZER]

Saying Pop had bad luck sometimes is really a cop out. The thing is luck can work for you as it did for PJ many times. PJ always said you have to create your own luck. Pop on the other hand would do stuff that didn't allow luck to work in his favor like sitting TD at the end of game 6. Pop lacks the killer instinct and coaches scared at times. PJ was the exact opposite and had the killer instinct and incredible confidence. Think about it. If the coach is scared how can he project confidence to his players so they play confidently. As a result I think the Spurs haven't done as well as they should have in more evenly matched playoff series.

That’s why he developed “it’s just basketball” as a defense mechanism.

[spursistan]

How many times did he got backdoor swept or lost a series from 2-1 lead?

[jbspurs]

IMO, Duncan underachieved because of Pop.

[RC_Drunkford]

Pop is 1-5 when down 3-2 in a Playoff series. Talk about adjustments

[Thomas82]

IMO, Duncan underachieved because of Pop.

That's another way to look at it.

[jjktkk]

The most infuriating thing about pop and there's a lot, is his stubbornness not to play rookies just cause he thinks they lack experience. Fuck off with that Larry Brown bull shit, it sucks watching a young athletic more then capable of playing defense player in Lonnie walker rotting on the bench just to play scrubs like Marco and patty just cause they have "corporate knowledge :pop:

So your basketball knowledge is > than Larry Brown and Pop?:tu

[Floyd Pacquiao]

So your basketball knowledge is > than Larry Brown and Pop?:tu

Nope just not a stubborn asshole like them, remember when they played scrubs like Richard Jefferson and Stephon Marbury over LeBron and Dwade on the disgraceful 04 Olympic team. Pop still hasn't learned shit from that. :lol

[jjktkk]

Nope just not a stubborn asshole like them, remember when they played scrubs like Richard Jefferson and Stephon Marbury over LeBron and Dwade on the disgraceful 04 Olympic team. Pop still hasn't learned shit from that. :lol

He is a stubborn asshole, can't defend that:lol

[TDfan2007]

Pop is a great recruiter and great at getting the most out of his guys. He was also the mastermind behind one of the most beautiful offenses ever in 2014. That said, he is mediocre when it comes to in-game and between game adjustments in the playoffs and has routinely been exposed in that regard.

[ShutUp SayItAgain!]

IMO, Duncan underachieved because of Pop.

True, on stats, awards, and championships

[ShutUp SayItAgain!]

Pop is 1-5 when down 3-2 in a Playoff series. Talk about adjustments

He'll still get a C though, if not higher :lol

[GusT15]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1121409776838004737