http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...et-the-record/
NEW YORK — We’re riding in a freight elevator after the game, with equipment piled on carts next to us, and Manu Ginobili acts like a man ready to unpack everything.
If he could have pushed a button and returned to the appropriate Madison Square Garden floor for a rematch, he would have.
Instead, he’d been pulled. With more than three minutes left, with the Spurs trailing by 11 points and Tony Parker at the free-throw line, Ginobili and the other starters went to the bench.
“Of course,” Ginobili said in the freight elevator, “that upset me.”
But he’s been around long enough to know how Gregg Popovich works in these moments, and how he sends messages. Popovich doesn’t mind upsetting his guys, especially after watching them defend as they did.
This time, though, Popovich likely had an additional message.
For those who had trouble remembering what it was like when the Spurs lost a game, Tuesday evening reminded everyone. For one, the losses seem to involve Amare Stoudemire.
The last time Stoudemire saw the Spurs, he was sweeping them in the playoffs. He’s now 5-0 against a franchise that has lost only four other games since May.
Stoudemire was remarkable in this one, too, and one move showed that. Then, in the fourth quarter, he did to Tim Duncan what Duncan has done to others for more than a decade.
Duncan reached out over Stoudemire, and Stoudemire rose, created the contact and drew the foul on Duncan. As Stoudemire went to the line, the New York chant pointed at the one responsible for the Knicks’ rebirth. “MVP, MVP.”
His teammates followed him to the rim with similar accuracy, which is why Popovich began his postgame remarks this way: “The New York Knicks kicked our ass.”
For those who had trouble remembering what it was like when the Spurs lost a game, Popovich’s words should jog a few memories.
But he was playful as he continued talking. Asked what he would do to adjust for the Celtics, Popovich deadpanned, “I’ll think up new plays.”
Someone then asked him about pulling his players, and he shrugged. “We have a game tomorrow, and it’s a long season,” he said. “The chances of winning the game were not good.”
Their chances were not good, all right, since there were no signs the Spurs could slow the Knicks. Ginobili admitted that.
But if Parker had made both free throws, then the Spurs would have trailed by nine with 3:13 remaining. Get a stop, make a three — and do the Knicks tighten?
The back-to-back situation will wear on the Spurs, but would another two minutes have changed that? Popovich would have known after just a couple of possessions whether to continue.
Popovich instead reacted again as maybe no other NBA coach does. He dismissed the slight chance of a comeback to make a larger point.
In doing so, he angered the Spurs. Ginobili popped a towel against the floor as he sat down.
Popovich has done this before, but there was something else going on this time. His teams, after all, have never begun a season like this.
Popovich loves sitting at 29-5 today, but part of him hates it, too. He knows teams are never built by early January. His formula has been the opposite; usually, he’s still experimenting at this point in the season.
So when he saw what he called “our worst defense of the year,” his reaction was what it has often been in the past. He didn’t like what he’d seen, and he didn’t like losing. But he could use this. He could insist the current record is meaningless if they don’t continue to take steps toward the playoffs.
With that, Ginobili and the others sat down. Popovich will now enjoy telling them how to get up.
This is why Pop is the best coach in the league. Sometimes it takes losing and pulling your stars early to send a message to the team. It's still early in the season, the Spurs are still #1 in the conference and the division. I would have done the same thing in that situation.
i was waiting for an ass whoopin' like this. it could be the motivator we need to take us to the next level.
We'll see how they respond.
As I recall, the Spurs had narrowed the gap to 3 in the 4th quarter, the closest they had been in the game, and then lost momentum or focus and the Knicks promptly went back up to 11 point lead.
The 99 team would have tightened up the defense even more and won this game. But these Spurs had won some games in the last minute this year by sheer luck so perhaps they lost the fire in the eye and Pop saw it.
I feel that this kind of message-setting by Pop was too contrived. There is nothing like a winning moment. What if the Spurs had heeded his message in the final 3 minutes?
Then they would have learned to play defense the final three minutes of every game. I think Pop wants to see them more committed to playing defense the entire game.
That's funny. I am upset about Spurs starters defense.
Good good
Let the anger push the Spurs to a darker side
what should have upset you more is your 5/11, -14 and 3 TOs“Of course,” Ginobili said in the freight elevator, “that upset me.”
Manu was sucking all night. He should take most of the blame for the loss IMO
yesssss
This is it. I much rather read how they're upset about the defense. Then again, guys like Manu has been harping on it for a while, but didn't do last night to actually act on it.
If this game harkens back to the Magic game on a b2b, it's going to be ugly.
Not upset enough to play Defense apparently.
If this had been any other coach than Pop, the NBA would be scratching their heads. We've seen this before with Pop. It sends a strong message because there was no one on that team that was committed to defending. As such, there was no way the Spurs were going to win that game. I have no problem with Pop's tactic.
I don't understand really why they're mad at Pop? They should just be upset of how pathetic their defense was
Dude, your sig is crazy!
what should have upset you more is your 5/11, -14 and 3 TOs
Manu was sucking all night. He should take most of the blame for the loss IMO
I agree. Manu played waaay out of control last night.
well the spurs did score like 115 on the knicks so the spurs can score but 4th quarter there offense started to look ugly....manu taking ugly shots and neal shooting ugly 3's...If the spurs had take better shots and take care of the ball the game would of be closer ....like sean says you have to move the ball around and find the open guy that didn't happen in the fourth qt.
I think Manu is going to play better tonight that's just the type of champ he iswhat should have upset you more is your 5/11, -14 and 3 TOs
Manu was sucking all night. He should take most of the blame for the loss IMO
The question must be begged...do the Spurs have the personnel to be a better defensive team?
We have a few good defensive players. Really Hill and an aging Duncan and McDyess. Ginobili, Parker, and Blair create turnovers, but their not lockdown defenders. Jefferson and Neal are less than that.
spurs deserve to be upset, if not ashamed of their defensive performance.
true, coz they just lost to a team which was missing one of their best players in gallo.....
That's going to happen when the Spurs are getting their ass whipped and playing from behind all game . . . Manu isn't going to pull a miracle out of his ass every time.
Last edited by ohmwrecker; 01-05-2011 at 12:49 PM.
seconded
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