timvp
11-28-2007, 02:45 AM
McDonald: Popovich rips 'D' after loss to Kings
Jeff McDonald
San Antonio Express-News
Former Spurs point guard Beno Udrih still has a house in San Antonio, and lasting friendships in the San Antonio locker room. He also still has Gregg Popovich's persistent exhortations on the importance of playing defense in the back of his head.
That's one big reason Udrih — now a Sacramento King — is relieved to be nowhere near his house in San Antonio nor the Spurs' locker room this week.
After Monday night's 112-99 shellacking in Sacramento, the Spurs have given up at least 100 points in three of the past four games. Udrih was a Spur long enough to picture how Popovich is handling that particular development.
"I'm sure he's not happy about it," Udrih said.
Heading into tonight's game against Washington at the AT&T Center, the Spurs are giving up 92.86 points per game, fourth fewest in the NBA. However, in terms of field-goal percentage defense — the number Popovich considers to be the best barometer of a team's defensive standing — they rank 26th at 47.5 percent.
That rating, Popovich says, is "God awful."
It's a harsher assessment than just eight days ago, when Popovich declared his team to be "pretty sound" on defense.
What a difference a week makes.
Even before the Kings played name-the-score against them, and before Udrih had exploded for a career-best 27 points, Popovich had changed his tune. Before Monday night's game he grumbled that the Spurs were playing "C-plus" defense.
Now, the Spurs are threatening to earn a D in "D." Monday's loss marked the third time in four games a Spurs opponent had shot at above a 52-percent clip.
"We're just not very good right now," Tim Duncan said.
Yes, the Spurs are winning. But they're doing it most often by outscoring people, not outdefending them.
During the five-game winning streak that stopped in Sacramento, the Spurs won games by scoring 128, 116 and 101 points. That is not the brand of basketball they like to play.
"That's fun for a game, but it's not who we are," guard Manu Ginobili said. "We have to find our defense."
The question lingering over the Spurs during their recent score-a-palooza was this: What happens when the shots stop falling?
They discovered the answer in Sacramento.
The Spurs went cold for a five-minute stretch in the third quarter, during which time they almost could not get a defensive stop. At one point, the Kings scored on 12 of 13 possessions to open up an 18-point lead.
Duncan chalked the Spurs' defensive breakdowns to "the ebb and flow of the season."
"Sometimes at the beginning of the season, that's how it goes," Duncan said. "We use the season to prepare for the playoffs, and we're going to have to be a much better defensive team if we want to make a run."
The good news for the Spurs is that they've been in this situation before. There is precedent set for vast improvement.
Just 11 months ago, Popovich blistered the 2006-07 Spurs as one of the worst defensive teams he'd coached.
That squad turned out OK, as that fourth NBA championship banner hanging in the AT&T Center will attest.
Udrih, now among new friends in the Kings locker room, knows as much.
The Spurs, he says, will be fine.
"Those guys have been together a long time and have been though this before," Udrih said.
He's just happy he doesn't have to be there to help them get through it this time.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA11282007.Spurs_daily.EN.2960d0e.html
Jeff McDonald
San Antonio Express-News
Former Spurs point guard Beno Udrih still has a house in San Antonio, and lasting friendships in the San Antonio locker room. He also still has Gregg Popovich's persistent exhortations on the importance of playing defense in the back of his head.
That's one big reason Udrih — now a Sacramento King — is relieved to be nowhere near his house in San Antonio nor the Spurs' locker room this week.
After Monday night's 112-99 shellacking in Sacramento, the Spurs have given up at least 100 points in three of the past four games. Udrih was a Spur long enough to picture how Popovich is handling that particular development.
"I'm sure he's not happy about it," Udrih said.
Heading into tonight's game against Washington at the AT&T Center, the Spurs are giving up 92.86 points per game, fourth fewest in the NBA. However, in terms of field-goal percentage defense — the number Popovich considers to be the best barometer of a team's defensive standing — they rank 26th at 47.5 percent.
That rating, Popovich says, is "God awful."
It's a harsher assessment than just eight days ago, when Popovich declared his team to be "pretty sound" on defense.
What a difference a week makes.
Even before the Kings played name-the-score against them, and before Udrih had exploded for a career-best 27 points, Popovich had changed his tune. Before Monday night's game he grumbled that the Spurs were playing "C-plus" defense.
Now, the Spurs are threatening to earn a D in "D." Monday's loss marked the third time in four games a Spurs opponent had shot at above a 52-percent clip.
"We're just not very good right now," Tim Duncan said.
Yes, the Spurs are winning. But they're doing it most often by outscoring people, not outdefending them.
During the five-game winning streak that stopped in Sacramento, the Spurs won games by scoring 128, 116 and 101 points. That is not the brand of basketball they like to play.
"That's fun for a game, but it's not who we are," guard Manu Ginobili said. "We have to find our defense."
The question lingering over the Spurs during their recent score-a-palooza was this: What happens when the shots stop falling?
They discovered the answer in Sacramento.
The Spurs went cold for a five-minute stretch in the third quarter, during which time they almost could not get a defensive stop. At one point, the Kings scored on 12 of 13 possessions to open up an 18-point lead.
Duncan chalked the Spurs' defensive breakdowns to "the ebb and flow of the season."
"Sometimes at the beginning of the season, that's how it goes," Duncan said. "We use the season to prepare for the playoffs, and we're going to have to be a much better defensive team if we want to make a run."
The good news for the Spurs is that they've been in this situation before. There is precedent set for vast improvement.
Just 11 months ago, Popovich blistered the 2006-07 Spurs as one of the worst defensive teams he'd coached.
That squad turned out OK, as that fourth NBA championship banner hanging in the AT&T Center will attest.
Udrih, now among new friends in the Kings locker room, knows as much.
The Spurs, he says, will be fine.
"Those guys have been together a long time and have been though this before," Udrih said.
He's just happy he doesn't have to be there to help them get through it this time.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA11282007.Spurs_daily.EN.2960d0e.html