Do Not Disturb: Gregg Popovich (ESPN Article)

[DBMethos]

Apologies if already posted.

"MIAMI -- Six long years. A whopping six years have somehow passed since four-time champ Tim Duncan has had the chance to play for a ring.


Which also means that Gregg Popovich, amazingly, has never had the chance to zing a sideline reporter on the game's grandest stage.


Duncan, Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs haven't been to the NBA Finals since 2007. The rules requiring both coaches to be interviewed during nationally televised games were ins uted starting with the 2007-08 season. Do the math and you quickly conclude that history will be made Thursday night, when Popovich, for the first time in his five trips to the championship round, is forced to field two questions from a microphone-toting intruder while the game is actually going on.


His interactions with the Doris Burkes, David Aldridges and Craig Sagers of the basketball universe have evolved into some of the most anticipated appointment television that the NBA can serve up. So to properly prepare for Burke's visit with San Antonio's famously cranky coach, leading into the second quarter of Game 1 of the 2013 Finals, ESPN.com has commissioned a deep dive into Pop's (very) reluctant coexistence with sideline reporters.


A detailed look at what it's like for them, what it's like for him … and how it all got to be so prickly -- and so must-see -- in this age of near-instantaneous video posting."

Read more here: http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2013...line-reporters

[bthewigwam]

Love articles on Pop and ESPN posts two today. I posted the other one in a different thread.

[DBMethos]

Yeah that one was good too. Who knew ESPN was capable of putting out decent stuff?

[Spur|n|Austin]

Thanks for posting

[iminol]

[urunobili]

loved it

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

Maybe it's just me but it seems like of late they've been sending Doris Burke and Heather Cox out there to interview him whenever possible. I don't know if it's just Pop's gentlemanly streak but he seems less likely to just on them outright than the guys. Still terse but less troublesome.

[DisAsTerBot]

Maybe it's just me but it seems like of late they've been sending Doris Burke and Heather Cox out there to interview him whenever possible. I don't know if it's just Pop's gentlemanly streak but he seems less likely to just on them outright than the guys. Still terse but less troublesome.

bingo. he's much kinder to the females.

[stéphane]

I love it.
In retrospect, you just have to go his way considering the dumbness of some of the question he gets.

[capek]

Great article.

[Seventyniner]

Amazing piece. One of the best I've ever read.

Thanks for posting it.

[Skull-1]

Pop just tells it straight without revealing inside stuff. His interviews are pure wit. Love them. I flew him on a charter once. Nicest guy ever.

[backinblack]

That was a very good read.

[DMC]

I've spoken with Pop. He's not hard to talk to in a different setting (as the article mentions).

[pjjrfan]

I'm interested in knowing if anyone can find something about Pop and Peter Vescey's feud which I believe started during the 2003 finals. My recollection was that Pop confronted Vescey over a question he asked Duncan about having Kidd as a possible future teammate and Pop blew a gasket and supposedly confronted Vescey and verbally battered him to the point that years later Vescey was still trying to get back at Pop through print.