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04-20-2008, 01:47 AM
Spurs: Popovich's gambles pay off big in comeback
Web Posted: 04/19/2008 10:42 PM CDT
Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Writer
To truly appreciate how thoroughly Spurs coach Gregg Popovich seemed to step out of character Saturday, you have to experience Popovich in full postgame grump a few times.
He's a man who can make a blowout victory seem like a crushing defeat, depending on how his team played and the nature of the questions he is asked to answer.
But after the Spurs' dramatic 117-115 victory over the Phoenix Suns in Game 1 of a first-round Western Conference playoff series at the AT&T Center, he was positively giddy.
"You're supposed to enjoy this, right?" he said from the dais in the postgame interview room, where he cracked wise and seemed to savor the moment. "I'm trying to enjoy this."
Popovich had a right to momentary contentment. Nearly every call he made trying to orchestrate the Spurs' comeback from a 16-point first-half deficit worked to perfection, even those that seemed counter to his typical approach.
Take his use of intentional fouls, off the ball, designed to put poor free-throw shooters on the foul line or out of the game. He admitted he doesn't enjoy using the tactic, but said the situation called for risky behavior.
Popovich instructed the Spurs to foul backup center Brian Skinner, a 52 percent free-throw shooter, in the final two minutes of the first half, and Skinner accommodated by missing three of four foul shots.
And when the Spurs trailed the Suns by five midway through the fourth quarter, Popovich ordered Fabricio Oberto to foul Shaquille O'Neal twice, within the same possession, to send O'Neal, one of the most notoriously bad foul shooters in league history, to the line.
O'Neal outdid Skinner: He missed three-straight at the line — he was awarded the third for a lane violation by Oberto.
Suns coach Mike D'Antoni had no choice: He called a timeout with 5:47 left in the period and replaced O'Neal with Boris Diaw until the final two minutes of the game, when fouling off the ball results in two free throws and possession for the team whose player is fouled.
"Who knows?" Popovich said of the risks intentional fouls involve. "This is just a roll-the-bones type of deal. Sometimes Shaq misses his free throws and sometimes he makes five in a row. So that's just another weapon that you have, but it could easily backfire.
"We don't do it often, if ever, but for whatever reason, I felt like doing it this time."
D'Antoni said he wasn't surprised by Popovich's decision.
"We've all watched enough basketball to know that is in people's game plans," he said. "But that's OK. We have other options open, so we can sit him on the bench for two minutes, and then bring him back in."
In this case, O'Neal sat for nearly four minutes, and by the time he got back in, the Spurs had tied the game, at 88.
"Not having Shaq on the court is always a good thing," Popovich said. "He's a great player. He does all the things he has always done. He just doesn't play as many minutes."
With O'Neal back, the Suns led 93-90 when Popovich used a timeout to set up what would be a tying 3-point shot by Michael Finley, rather that try for a quick score, followed by a quick foul.
Finley called the tactic perfect.
"Coach has this knack of doing the right thing at the right time," Finley said. "I've never questioned his calls or anything, whether it's go for the two or the three. Most of the time, it seems to work out. Those times that it doesn't, we just go back to the drawing board and try to fix it."
[email protected]
LINK: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA042008.13CSpursSider0420.en.387bcba.html
Web Posted: 04/19/2008 10:42 PM CDT
Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Writer
To truly appreciate how thoroughly Spurs coach Gregg Popovich seemed to step out of character Saturday, you have to experience Popovich in full postgame grump a few times.
He's a man who can make a blowout victory seem like a crushing defeat, depending on how his team played and the nature of the questions he is asked to answer.
But after the Spurs' dramatic 117-115 victory over the Phoenix Suns in Game 1 of a first-round Western Conference playoff series at the AT&T Center, he was positively giddy.
"You're supposed to enjoy this, right?" he said from the dais in the postgame interview room, where he cracked wise and seemed to savor the moment. "I'm trying to enjoy this."
Popovich had a right to momentary contentment. Nearly every call he made trying to orchestrate the Spurs' comeback from a 16-point first-half deficit worked to perfection, even those that seemed counter to his typical approach.
Take his use of intentional fouls, off the ball, designed to put poor free-throw shooters on the foul line or out of the game. He admitted he doesn't enjoy using the tactic, but said the situation called for risky behavior.
Popovich instructed the Spurs to foul backup center Brian Skinner, a 52 percent free-throw shooter, in the final two minutes of the first half, and Skinner accommodated by missing three of four foul shots.
And when the Spurs trailed the Suns by five midway through the fourth quarter, Popovich ordered Fabricio Oberto to foul Shaquille O'Neal twice, within the same possession, to send O'Neal, one of the most notoriously bad foul shooters in league history, to the line.
O'Neal outdid Skinner: He missed three-straight at the line — he was awarded the third for a lane violation by Oberto.
Suns coach Mike D'Antoni had no choice: He called a timeout with 5:47 left in the period and replaced O'Neal with Boris Diaw until the final two minutes of the game, when fouling off the ball results in two free throws and possession for the team whose player is fouled.
"Who knows?" Popovich said of the risks intentional fouls involve. "This is just a roll-the-bones type of deal. Sometimes Shaq misses his free throws and sometimes he makes five in a row. So that's just another weapon that you have, but it could easily backfire.
"We don't do it often, if ever, but for whatever reason, I felt like doing it this time."
D'Antoni said he wasn't surprised by Popovich's decision.
"We've all watched enough basketball to know that is in people's game plans," he said. "But that's OK. We have other options open, so we can sit him on the bench for two minutes, and then bring him back in."
In this case, O'Neal sat for nearly four minutes, and by the time he got back in, the Spurs had tied the game, at 88.
"Not having Shaq on the court is always a good thing," Popovich said. "He's a great player. He does all the things he has always done. He just doesn't play as many minutes."
With O'Neal back, the Suns led 93-90 when Popovich used a timeout to set up what would be a tying 3-point shot by Michael Finley, rather that try for a quick score, followed by a quick foul.
Finley called the tactic perfect.
"Coach has this knack of doing the right thing at the right time," Finley said. "I've never questioned his calls or anything, whether it's go for the two or the three. Most of the time, it seems to work out. Those times that it doesn't, we just go back to the drawing board and try to fix it."
[email protected]
LINK: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA042008.13CSpursSider0420.en.387bcba.html