Pop to be named Coach of the Year at 2pm

[SpurinDallas]

To be fair to Thibbs, Pop basically did the exact same thing by playing Manu in the PHX game last year. Dumber move IMO but he wised up this year.

Yeah, thats true. Quit raining on my parade.

[DesignatedT]

Bruce Bowen ‏ @Bowen12
Congrats to Coach Pop, well deserved! VANILLA!!!!!!

[Legacy]

Congrats to Pop! Let's keep it up now!

[ace3g]

Jeff McDonald ‏ @JMcDonald_SAEN

Pop said Spurs' mantra during lockout season: "Less is more." Mindful of overburdening players w/info, in light of little practice time.

[DMC]

Gregory Popovich ‏ @FakeCoachPop The last 8 Coach of the Years have won 0 rings. Nice award.

This is true, but it doesn't tell the whole story. The reason a coach gets such notice is generally because his team outperforms expectations. The Spurs have been doing that since 2004, I think, however lately the Spurs have appeared better by changing up their scheme. Many coaches, if they even tried that, would be fired by the middle of the season because the team would not cooperate, or the coach and coaching staff could not implement it well enough early on to gather support. Pop, on the other hand, has seemingly adopted the new scheme flawlessly, and he got Tim and crew to buy into it. Sure it's a pig in a poke at first, but we now know it's at least good for regular season success, which a lot of teams in the league would prefer over what they have now.

Even now, however, I see it not so much as a gimmicky scheme as much as a last ditch effort to make this core serviceable. I don't think they will win the championship, even though their success this year seems to indicate otherwise. I think offense can be stopped, but defense cannot. So, like those other "didn't make it" teams, the Spurs have outperformed expectations yet again, and if they make it, they will cause a paradigm shift in the NBA that we've rarely seen; up tempo teams will emerge and the days of the big lock down defender will be numbered. I don't see it happening though.

[Mel_13]

Press conference video:

http://www.nba.com/spurs/video/12050...ch_of_the_year

[therealtruth]

This is true, but it doesn't tell the whole story. The reason a coach gets such notice is generally because his team outperforms expectations. The Spurs have been doing that since 2004, I think, however lately the Spurs have appeared better by changing up their scheme. Many coaches, if they even tried that, would be fired by the middle of the season because the team would not cooperate, or the coach and coaching staff could not implement it well enough early on to gather support. Pop, on the other hand, has seemingly adopted the new scheme flawlessly, and he got Tim and crew to buy into it. Sure it's a pig in a poke at first, but we now know it's at least good for regular season success, which a lot of teams in the league would prefer over what they have now.

Even now, however, I see it not so much as a gimmicky scheme as much as a last ditch effort to make this core serviceable. I don't think they will win the championship, even though their success this year seems to indicate otherwise. I think offense can be stopped, but defense cannot. So, like those other "didn't make it" teams, the Spurs have outperformed expectations yet again, and if they make it, they will cause a paradigm shift in the NBA that we've rarely seen; up tempo teams will emerge and the days of the big lock down defender will be numbered. I don't see it happening though.

The Mavs basically proved that offense wins last year. That's why I felt the Spurs had a really good shot. The Mavs defense was better than the Spurs though.

[Solid D]

Gregory Popovich ‏ @FakeCoachPop The last 8 Coach of the Years have won 0 rings. Nice award.

Haha, 9 years ago it was Pop...with an accompanying ring.

[Vic Petro]

Press conference video:

http://www.nba.com/spurs/video/12050...ch_of_the_year

Is Pop's nickname for RC "Arse"?

[blkroadrunners]

Congrats to Pop

[DMC]

To be fair to Thibbs, Pop basically did the exact same thing by playing Manu in the PHX game last year. Dumber move IMO but he wised up this year.

Thibbs coached under Doc, and Doc would play the big 3, up 40, until there were only 2 minutes left in the game. He did it all the time.

[DMC]

The Mavs basically proved that offense wins last year. That's why I felt the Spurs had a really good shot. The Mavs defense was better than the Spurs though.

The Mavs wouldn't have won if they didn't have the defensive presence of Chandler and Stevens. They've long been an offensive juggernaut, but last year, they had the defense to go with it.

[timtonymanurich]

HMMMPH. Phil(up me) Jackson Never ONCE won the COY award.

IMAGINE FUGGIN' THAT.

Probably cuz Lenny Wilkens woulda won 10 les with the teams that Jackson coached.

[T Park]

Fabbs and the other arm chair QBs here gotta be pissed.

[therealtruth]

HMMMPH. Phil(up me) Jackson Never ONCE won the COY award.

IMAGINE FUGGIN' THAT.

Probably cuz Lenny Wilkens woulda won 10 les with the teams that Jackson coached.

PJ won in '96 when he won an NBA record 72 wins. Jordan and Pip won nothing before PJ got there. Same thing with Kobe and Shaq. The big 3 of the Heat lost last year. Just having talented team doesn't guarantee you're going to win. This guy repeated 7 times. That means winning with the expectations while playing 82 games. Even the best coach right now Pop hasn't repeated once.

[benefactor]

Well deserved.

[Dark Matter]

Even now, however, I see it not so much as a gimmicky scheme as much as a last ditch effort to make this core serviceable.
I think offense can be stopped, but defense cannot. So, like those other "didn't make it" teams, the Spurs have outperformed expectations yet again, and if they make it, they will cause a paradigm shift in the NBA that we've rarely seen; up tempo teams will emerge and the days of the big lock down defender will be numbered. I don't see it happening though.

I'm gonna have to run a bug sweep of my house after this post. the only difference is -

I don't think they will win the championship, even though their success this year seems to indicate otherwise.

I do.

I think offense can be stopped, but defense cannot.

But it can be matched.

the Spurs have outperformed expectations yet again, and if they make it, they will cause a paradigm shift in the NBA that we've rarely seen; up tempo teams will emerge and the days of the big lock down defender will be numbered. I don't see it happening though.

Welcome to the new world order. I can't tell you why I feel the spurs will run up a 130 point game, on their way to the Championship, but they are peaking at the right time. Once the pilgrims settle in, watch out.

[JR3]

Glad Pop got it. It was a given though. Its like you can smell it every year before its given out. All the announcers give it away.

[KenziE]

PJ won in '96 when he won an NBA record 72 wins. Jordan and Pip won nothing before PJ got there. Same thing with Kobe and Shaq. The big 3 of the Heat lost last year. Just having talented team doesn't guarantee you're going to win. This guy repeated 7 times. That means winning with the expectations while playing 82 gam
es. Even the best coach right now Pop hasn't rep eated once.

WORD i remember shaq and company always loosing to utah in the playoffs before PJ came on board ..

congrats to POP! you have to be a true SAS fan to understand P.op`s humor gotta love Pop

[Wild Cobra Kai]

Flabbs on suicide watch, tbh.

[Spurs Brazil]

[wildbill2u]

Win or lose in the playoffs, it has been a privilege to watch Pop lead this team to a year that no one in all basketball predicted.

Pop shows that a team's success is about more than overwhelming basketball talent and physical prowess or the ability to use "Xs" and "Os" on a chalkboard. It's about trust between players and coaches and the ability to translate that into a TEAM that will keep pounding the rock relentlessly in every game.

There were teams with better talent, fewer injuries, more vets, fewer unknowns and yet the Spurs wound up with an unimaginable 50 wins and led the league in victories.

The Spurs way is how basketball should be played. Congratulations to Pop and to the staff and FO and players.

[timvp]

I was surprised at the pageantry when Ppp accepted the COTY award, tbh. Back in 2003, I don't think he ever even addressed winning it.

But I'm glad Pop took time out to soak it in this time. Richly deserved. The growth he's shown to be able to win with offense and also trust young players more than any coach in the league has been commendable.

[Malice]

Congrats. Now back to work bish.

[Muser]

Maybe. The gots will stop complaining about pop and realise the spurs have one of the best coaches in nba history.