One last Q&A with Gregg Popovich (mySA)

No Spurs players were made available for interviews on Monday as the team broke up for the summer following its elimination from the playoffs by the L.A. Clippers. What the assembled media at 1 Spurs Lane got instead was a 14-minute session with coach Gregg Popovich in his last availability of the 2014-15 season.

You have always maintained no team wins a title unless fully healthy for playoffs. Did you feel your team entered playoffs a little bit behind in that regard?

“I almost hesitate to answer that question because it sounds like an excuse but nobody wins a championship every year. Everybody wants to win one. Very few do. The bottom line was it was a real difficult year for us in a lot of ways but injury and schedule coincided to put us behind the eight ball a little bit. We recovered at the end of the year, had to dig down pretty deep to finish as well as we did and I think going into playoffs we certainly weren’t as healthy as we wanted to be in a few different cases.

“During the first round we needed to get some better performances from three or four people, very frankly. But that happens. When you do you win championships. The year we lost to Miami we didn’t have more than maybe two people who had real consistent play and Miami had four or five guys that were really on top of their games. The following year they had a couple and we had four or five guys on top of their games, fully healthy.

“That’s what it takes. But I think our guys gave it a great shot and considering the run they’ve been on, both long-term for decades and the last three years with Conference Finals, Finals, Finals that takes a toll. It’s hard to do and then followed by a pretty difficult year this year I don’t think we were as sharp, mentally and certainly physically, as we have been in the past. Given that I was really proud of them, especially in Game 7, the way they came back and dug down deep. It’s a great group and the run has been wonderful.”

Even with all those struggles was there ever a point in the year, especially late when you started to rip off some wins, that you felt you had gotten to the point you needed to be at to have a chance to win another title?

“Yeah, just before Tiago got hurt again. We got him back and we had our lineup. We were healthy and made that run down the stretch and then he got hurt again and went down. Then we didn’t get him back until the beginning of the playoffs and I thought that really hurt us, rotation-wise and health-wise.
“To go all the way a lot of things have to go in your favor. It could be a ref’s call. It could be an injury, it could be somebody having a great night. It’s very difficult to do.”

Read More: http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...ch/#32561101=0

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Will the offseason be pretty big for Tony, just to heal up?
“I think so. Tony didn’t have the year he wanted to have. He’s had a lot of good ones. I can tell you he’s already thinking about what he wants to do with his body for next season. So I’m thrilled about his outlook already after a tough loss.”

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parker haters gonna eat shit next year when he comes back healthy and in shape.

Very interesting. Thanks for posting.:toast

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Originally Posted by Arc

parker haters gonna eat shit next year when he comes back healthy and in shape.

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He can still help the team in the reg season :lol

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Originally Posted by Arc

parker haters gonna eat shit next year when he comes back healthy and in shape.

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Of course he knows what he wants to do with his shape: make it round.

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Originally Posted by Robz4000

Of course he knows what he wants to do with his shape: make it round.

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:lmao

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Originally Posted by Arc

parker haters gonna eat shit next year when he comes back healthy and in shape.

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Who gives a fuck how he comes back next year if Duncan retires? He shouldn't have gotten fat this year when the team had a chance to win a title.

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Originally Posted by Arc

parker haters gonna eat shit next year when he comes back healthy and in shape.

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Stop looking for excuses, he´s been shit last season too with no national team.

Pop making lots of sense. So much has to line up just right to win a ring.

Health was somewhat of a problem this year, but I think mentally, emotionally was a much bigger impediment, whereas in 2015, mentally and emotionally the Spurs were SO ready and able.

Game6 had VERY LONG TAIL.

Sports at the top is always mental first, physical lower.

Even during the win streak up to NOR, Spurs didn't look that good, as Sean said a few times.

nice read...

this quote is interesting:

Do you see a scenario where he (Duncan) returns?
“We haven’t talked yet about that. We’ve got a pretty good number of free agents so with R.C. and the coaches and the group we’ve talked about what we want to do going forward with the makeup of the team but the team will probably look considerably different than it looks this year because we have so many free agents and we want to re-tool a little bit.

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Originally Posted by Spur|n|Austin

The year we lost to Miami we didn’t have more than maybe two people who had real consistent play and Miami had four or five guys that were really on top of their games. The following year they had a couple and we had four or five guys on top of their games, fully healthy.

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Ya right, the Miami choke was due to the players. :rolleyes
Way to own up with a POS excuse.

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Originally Posted by Brazil

nice read...

this quote is interesting:

Do you see a scenario where he (Duncan) returns?
“We haven’t talked yet about that. We’ve got a pretty good number of free agents so with R.C. and the coaches and the group we’ve talked about what we want to do going forward with the makeup of the team but the team will probably look considerably different than it looks this year because we have so many free agents and we want to re-tool a little bit.

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dang

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Originally Posted by MultiTroll

Ya right, the Miami choke was due to the players. :rolleyes
Way to own up with a POS excuse.

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I still can't believe the flak Pop gets for benching Duncan. Tim can't move laterally and chase three point shooters, and Diaw was better in that situation all season. As a coach you don't make the emotional decision based on Tim being a legend, you go with what works. Miami got the luckiest 28 seconds in the history of the NBA to force OT.

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Originally Posted by baseline bum

Who gives a fuck how he comes back next year if Duncan retires? He shouldn't have gotten fat this year when the team had a chance to win a title.

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did we really have a chance though? it wasn't just parker's fault we lost, though i know a lot of you want to place the blame on him. danny missed a lot of wide open 3s. kawhii regressed offensively, and was terrible defensively. manu was better off not playing at all tbh. even pop's coaching was shitty. the team was drained from going deep into the playoffs 3 years in a row. duncan wasn't, but that's why he's the GOAT.

duncan probably won't retire. he's playing too good, and you can tell he wants to keep playing as long as he can cause he loves the game. getting knocked out in the first round might actually be a blessing, cause now the team can have a longer rest.

if parker can come back healthy and in shape, duncan comes back, leonard becomes more consistent, we re-tool a little and bring in some hungry dudes, maybe even get lucky and get LMA. we're gonna have a much higher chance to win it all next year compared to this year.

^^ nope baseline bum. When the ball was in the air on both the LeBron miss (with 35 seconds or so) and the Bosh miss (with 6 seconds) the Spurs perimeter defenders had NO reason to go for the rebound. Should have stayed glued to their men. A 2 pointer was meaningless.

Parker leaving Ray Allen to chase a rebound is one of the all time sports screw ups.

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Originally Posted by MultiTroll

^^ nope baseline bum. When the ball was in the air on both the LeBron miss (with 35 seconds or so) and the Bosh miss (with 6 seconds) the Spurs perimeter defenders had NO reason to go for the rebound. Should have stayed glued to their men. A 2 pointer was meaningless.

Parker leaving Ray Allen to chase a rebound is one of the all time sports screw ups.

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You're remembering that wrong. Parker was contesting LeBron's three, Green was on Allen, Ginobili got in Green's way on the rebound and then fell over, blocking Green's and Leonard's paths to pick Allen up as he ran back to the three point line. Parker saw it happening and ran from the left elbow to pick Allen up when the rebound off LeBron's miss was in the air but Bosh's pass beat Parker to the spot.

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Originally Posted by MultiTroll

^^ nope baseline bum. When the ball was in the air on both the LeBron miss (with 35 seconds or so) and the Bosh miss (with 6 seconds) the Spurs perimeter defenders had NO reason to go for the rebound. Should have stayed glued to their men. A 2 pointer was meaningless.

Parker leaving Ray Allen to chase a rebound is one of the all time sports screw ups.

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:lol still bitching about 2013 after 6

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Originally Posted by baseline bum

I still can't believe the flak Pop gets for benching Duncan. Tim can't move laterally and chase three point shooters, and Diaw was better in that situation all season. As a coach you don't make the emotional decision based on Tim being a legend, you go with what works. Miami got the luckiest 28 seconds in the history of the NBA to force OT.

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Kinda wonder if that isn't the bit that makes the big D finally want to hang it up and go swimming. You never know what goes into that kind of decision, or what little stone tilts the scales. Can't imagine what Timmy would do in retirement. Get himself a woodshop and make artisan furniture?

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Originally Posted by Arc

parker haters gonna eat shit next year when he comes back healthy and in shape.

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That's what we said after last offseason and he was even more banged up this year.

I love what a healthy, effective Tony Parker does for this team, but it's been so long at this point, I'll believe it when I see it.

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Originally Posted by RandomGuy

Kinda wonder if that isn't the bit that makes the big D finally want to hang it up and go swimming. You never know what goes into that kind of decision, or what little stone tilts the scales. Can't imagine what Timmy would do in retirement. Get himself a woodshop and make artisan furniture?

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Pop did it all season because it was a better lineup against the three with Diaw vs Duncan. Hell, he just did it in the Clippers series too and it was the right call there also.

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Originally Posted by robdiaz2191

dang

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Yeah, now we can get back Jefferson, Blair and Hill.:flag:

Pop saying the team will retool is interesting. With all the chatter around Aldridge (and earlier around M. Gasol), it would seem like the mantra from last season to stand pat (with the exception of going after P. Gasol) will not carry over to this year.

Should be a fun and entertaining offseason!

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Originally Posted by Brazil

nice read...

this quote is interesting:

Do you see a scenario where he (Duncan) returns?
“We haven’t talked yet about that. We’ve got a pretty good number of free agents so with R.C. and the coaches and the group we’ve talked about what we want to do going forward with the makeup of the team but the team will probably look considerably different than it looks this year because we have so many free agents and we want to re-tool a little bit.

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Ayers probably gone, Bonner gone, Green possibly gone, Manu most likely gone, Williams gone. That's five right there bare minimum.

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We’ve never put the organization in a situation where they’re paying a ridiculous amount of money for no value.

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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...rson_Spurs.jpg

And I'll let the Parker trolls handle the commencement of the Parker bashing.

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Originally Posted by Mikeanaro

Yeah, now we can get back Jefferson, Blair and Hill.:flag:

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Can the Spurs take back Jefferson and just clone him 12 more times? That would be awesome.