Tag: Gregg Popovich

Bad memory No. 9: Spurs squander fourth-quarter lead in Black Friday collapse to Mavs

In our continuing look at the best and worst moments of the 2010-11 Spurs’ season, we look at the Black Friday tumble where they saw their early 12-game winning streak snapped by Dallas.

No.  9: Black Friday fourth-quarter collapse snaps Spurs’ 12-game winning streak.

When:  Nov. 26, 2010

Where: ATT Center, San Antonio.

What happened: The Spurs’ offense fell apart down the stretch as they were held without a field goal for a four-minute stretch late in their 103-94 home loss to Dallas on the day after Thanksgiving. Despite 31 points from Manu Ginobili, the Spurs saw Dallas take control as they scored nine straight points late in the game. It enabled the Mavericks to earn a a small measure of revenge for their 2010 playoff series loss to San Antonio. Dirk Nowitzki went 12-for-14 from the field en route to a team-high 26 points and Tyson Chandler and Shawn Marion each scored 19 points for the Mavericks. Tony Parker was limited to nine points and was minus-17 in plus/minus. And Richard Jefferson clanked through a miserable shooting night with only two points as he missed all four field-goal attempts.

What was said:  ”Dallas did a great job tonight. As a group they executed better than we did. I think they were a bit hungry and a bit more competitive than we were tonight. And it showed up in the fourth quarter,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, describing the late collapse.   

What was said, Part II:  ”The last few games we were executing great down the stretch and making shots, but today they did. It was pretty clear they made all the shots they needed and we didn’t,” Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, describing the end of the Spurs’ 12-game winning streak.

What was said, Part III: We didn’t know what the streak was. It was just a matter that they’ve been playing well. We’ve been playing pretty good and we know this is our rival. And this is what the rivalry is all about,” Dallas guard Jason Terry on snapping the Spurs’ 12-game winning streak.

What was said, Part IV: “I guess it’s a magnet (for Nowitzki’s elbow). Things happen and you’ve just got to be tough and be ready to keep playing,” Ginobili, who sustained a bloody nose early in the fourth quarter, courtesy of an elbow from Nowitzki. Ginobili’s nose was broken by Nowitzki in the 2010 playoffs.

The upshot: The victory snapped San Antonio’s 12-game losing streak which was their longest of the season. But it was the Spurs’ last home loss in a long time as they immediately started a 22-game home winning streak that would stretch through March 6 and finish as the longest home winning streak in team history. And after that loss to Dallas, the Spurs would beat the eventual Western Conference champions in each of the three remaining games against them during the regular season.

Previous bad memories:

No. 10: .

Previous good memories:

No. 10: .

Brungardt leaving strong legacy with Spurs

By Mike Monroe
mmonroe@express-news.net

As the only strength and conditioning coach the Spurs have ever known, Mike Brungardt tried just about everything to help give the players an edge.

He ran them up a steep artificial hill, pushed them through rigorous weight-training drills, gave them boxing gloves and had them spar, stretched muscles with yoga, rehabilitated leg injuries with an underwater treadmill and supervised nutrition.

After announcing his retirement on Friday following 17 years with the team, the 57-year-old Brungardt regretted what he didn’t try.

“I was once a wrestling coach,” he said, “and I always said if I’d had any guts, I’d have had us out there wrestling every day. It teaches balance, quickness and anticipation. But I was always afraid I’d get someone hurt.

“Instead, we had them boxing with (former world champion “Jesse”) James Leija, and I’ve got to give Pop (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) credit for that. But I still wish we’d tried wrestling.”

When Popovich became the Spurs’ executive vice president and general manager in 1994, Brungardt was one of his first hires.

“He built our strength and conditioning program from the ground up, and (he) remains one of the best in the business,” Popovich said. “He has the respect and admiration of everyone in the organization, from players to coaches to front-office staff.

“I hate to see ‘Brungy’ leave. He is a good friend and a wonderful man.”

Brungardt’s career isn’t completely over. He will pursue opportunities to work with athletes individually in the United States and abroad.

“I’m really going to miss the people in and around the Spurs’ organization,” he said, “but there are tremendous opportunities, both in China and in Europe, and I’ve been intrigued for quite a while.

“I’ll certainly miss working with class athletes … but after 17 seasons, this feels like the right time to take everything I’ve learned from the Spurs, especially from Pop, and move into the next chapter in my life.

“I would like to thank all of them, and the entire Spurs organization, for the many special memories, and wish all of them continued success and happiness.”

Blog brother lists the Spurs’ untouchables and others who could be swapped this summer

I always like new and different graphical ways of explaining stories.

B Diddy of Air Alamo.com had an intriguing look at the Spurs roster in terms of their .

Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tiago Splittler and yes, even Tony Parker were listed as near untouchables by Diddy on his graphic. DeJuan Blair, Matt Bonner and Richard Jefferson weren’t nearly as fortunate in their ratings.

It was an intriguing way of breaking down the Spurs’ roster heading into the summer. And it will be interesting to see how closely the strategies of Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford match Diddy’s approximations.

Here are a few other takes from across the blogosphere about the Spurs and a variety of NBA topics.

  • Eric Freeman of Yahoo.com’s Ball Don’t Lie Blog compliments  Ginobili’s toughness in .
  • Pounding the Rock.com’s Big 50 gives Popovich  and for his work during the season.   
  • All-around athlete Erin Rambo of Euclid, Ohio, tells the Cleveland Plain-Dealer that .
  • From the department of potential Spurs roster additions, Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution spells out the reasons why Josh Smith .
  • And Nick Underhill of the Springfield (Mass.) Republican wonders if the in Boston.
  • Alley Oop of Spurslocker.com predicts thatsome day.
  • Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer reports that VCU’s Jamie Skeen, a 6-foot-8 forward,during last week’s draft combine in Chicago.
  • Jeff Washburn of the Lafayette (Ind.) Journal and Courier reports that Dallas forward Brian Cardinal is attempting to become the fifth former Purdue player to play for an NBA champion. One of them is Glenn Robinson, .
  • B Diddy of Air Alamo.com haswith the 29th pick in his mock draft.
  • Ginobili picks in an interview with the Argentinian publication  translated by Jeff Garcia of Project Spurs.com. 
  • Spursfan4life of Spurs Dynasty.com has six reasons why he.
  • Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman liked the move by Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks of in the fourth quarter against Dallas in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.
  • Veteran San Diego Tribune columnist Nick Canepa isn’t including Dirk Nowitzki.