duncan228
05-14-2008, 11:35 PM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA.051508.1CBuckHarvey.en.3897b3f.html
Buck Harvey: Popovich joins the crowd; as he always preached, it won't matter
Gregg Popovich has crossed over into the land of George Karl and Phil Jackson. Give him another week, and he might wad up a stat sheet, as Mike D'Antoni once did at a postgame press conference in San Antonio, and hurl it in anger.
Popovich is now referring to how many free throws the Hornets shot compared with the Spurs, and by doing so he's complaining and sending out a message.
Popovich never believed this between-game spin worked. So what changed?
Ultimately, he did.
Popovich has always felt the same frustration that Karl, Jackson and others have before. Maybe he just can't hold it in anymore.
He did two years ago, the last time the Spurs came home facing elimination. A delay-of-game call was part of that equation, too.
Dick Bavetta stuck the Spurs with their second delay in Game 4 in Dallas, resulting in a technical foul and free throw. The Spurs were also standing at the free-throw line then, and the opponent was also shooting. Then, however, the call came with just 3:43 left in the game.
One point mattered. The Spurs lost in overtime.
Popovich was still upset about the previous loss in Dallas. Then a ref whistled a sixth foul on Tim Duncan when Dirk Nowitzki drove and stepped on Duncan's foot.
The ref was Joey Crawford.
The Spurs complained through official channels then, as they likely did this week. But publicly Popovich stopped short in 2006.
“Let me just say that some things at the end of games are in the teams' control and some things aren't in the teams' control,” Popovich said at the time. “And it's best to probably concentrate on what can be controlled by us.”
That had always been Popovich's creed. He believed in what Jerry Sloan believed, that blaming refs only provides an out for the players. Popovich won four championships this way.
Popovich has always tried to limit his players from complaining on the court, too. Earlier this season, when Manu Ginobili kept arguing with a ref, Popovich told Ginobili to shut up and sit down.
Now Ginobili is the one more upset with how the Spurs played Tuesday. He was visibly angry after the game — and not because of the calls in the third quarter.
At least Ginobili learned his lesson from earlier in the season. “We talked too much,” Ginobili said of Game 5. “We've just got to let Pop do that.”
Popovich did enough talking for all of them in New Orleans, and that's nothing new. He has worked the refs during games for a decade.
But then came Wednesday. Composed and sarcastic-free in front of a media group, Popovich sounded as he never has.
“You know, Timmy took 18 shots and shot one free throw,” he said. “They (the Hornets) shot 13 free throws in the third quarter, and we shot zero. I thought we were at the rim as much as they were. So we have got to figure out how to get to the line.”
By the standards of Karl and Jackson, that's tame. None of these words will draw a fine, nor will they make headlines across the country. Furthermore, Popovich made sure to praise the Hornets, which was always part of the previous pattern.
Still, Popovich's approach Wednesday was a dramatic departure, and, knowing Popovich, he had thought this through. He figured, this time, he would make an exception because of Crawford.
This time Duncan didn't need to hear again how he had to ignore the refs. This was Crawford, after all. Popovich likely told himself that, this one time, he would cross over.
But that just made him another guy with a gripe. Other coaches complain for the same reasons, with the same frustrations, with other refs. Popovich's pitch was remarkable only in that it was a first for him.
None of it will matter tonight. The Spurs will win if they are as smart as they were in Game 4, and if Duncan is as active and as decisive as he was then. The Spurs will win if they play defense and rebound and attack, not because of a few words said in front of cameras.
Which is what Popovich always said before.
Buck Harvey: Popovich joins the crowd; as he always preached, it won't matter
Gregg Popovich has crossed over into the land of George Karl and Phil Jackson. Give him another week, and he might wad up a stat sheet, as Mike D'Antoni once did at a postgame press conference in San Antonio, and hurl it in anger.
Popovich is now referring to how many free throws the Hornets shot compared with the Spurs, and by doing so he's complaining and sending out a message.
Popovich never believed this between-game spin worked. So what changed?
Ultimately, he did.
Popovich has always felt the same frustration that Karl, Jackson and others have before. Maybe he just can't hold it in anymore.
He did two years ago, the last time the Spurs came home facing elimination. A delay-of-game call was part of that equation, too.
Dick Bavetta stuck the Spurs with their second delay in Game 4 in Dallas, resulting in a technical foul and free throw. The Spurs were also standing at the free-throw line then, and the opponent was also shooting. Then, however, the call came with just 3:43 left in the game.
One point mattered. The Spurs lost in overtime.
Popovich was still upset about the previous loss in Dallas. Then a ref whistled a sixth foul on Tim Duncan when Dirk Nowitzki drove and stepped on Duncan's foot.
The ref was Joey Crawford.
The Spurs complained through official channels then, as they likely did this week. But publicly Popovich stopped short in 2006.
“Let me just say that some things at the end of games are in the teams' control and some things aren't in the teams' control,” Popovich said at the time. “And it's best to probably concentrate on what can be controlled by us.”
That had always been Popovich's creed. He believed in what Jerry Sloan believed, that blaming refs only provides an out for the players. Popovich won four championships this way.
Popovich has always tried to limit his players from complaining on the court, too. Earlier this season, when Manu Ginobili kept arguing with a ref, Popovich told Ginobili to shut up and sit down.
Now Ginobili is the one more upset with how the Spurs played Tuesday. He was visibly angry after the game — and not because of the calls in the third quarter.
At least Ginobili learned his lesson from earlier in the season. “We talked too much,” Ginobili said of Game 5. “We've just got to let Pop do that.”
Popovich did enough talking for all of them in New Orleans, and that's nothing new. He has worked the refs during games for a decade.
But then came Wednesday. Composed and sarcastic-free in front of a media group, Popovich sounded as he never has.
“You know, Timmy took 18 shots and shot one free throw,” he said. “They (the Hornets) shot 13 free throws in the third quarter, and we shot zero. I thought we were at the rim as much as they were. So we have got to figure out how to get to the line.”
By the standards of Karl and Jackson, that's tame. None of these words will draw a fine, nor will they make headlines across the country. Furthermore, Popovich made sure to praise the Hornets, which was always part of the previous pattern.
Still, Popovich's approach Wednesday was a dramatic departure, and, knowing Popovich, he had thought this through. He figured, this time, he would make an exception because of Crawford.
This time Duncan didn't need to hear again how he had to ignore the refs. This was Crawford, after all. Popovich likely told himself that, this one time, he would cross over.
But that just made him another guy with a gripe. Other coaches complain for the same reasons, with the same frustrations, with other refs. Popovich's pitch was remarkable only in that it was a first for him.
None of it will matter tonight. The Spurs will win if they are as smart as they were in Game 4, and if Duncan is as active and as decisive as he was then. The Spurs will win if they play defense and rebound and attack, not because of a few words said in front of cameras.
Which is what Popovich always said before.