Gregg Popovich | SAN ANTONIO SPURS TICKETS

No regrets for Jackson

Stephen Jackson was at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport late last week, minutes from begrudgingly boarding a connecting flight to San Francisco, when his cell phone buzzed in his pocket.

The call was coming from a number with a 210 area code he didn’t immediately recognize, so Jackson let it go to voicemail.

Then came the text message.

It was from Spurs general manager R.C. Buford and contained six words that caused Jackson to step out of line, right there at the Delta gate: “Pop wants to talk to you.”

Moments later, Jackson was on the line with a voice from his past. Gregg Popovich told him the Spurs were on the verge of acquiring him from the Golden State Warriors, who days earlier had acquired him from Milwaukee.

“I teared up,” Jackson said, recalling the story Monday at the Spurs’ practice facility, “because this was something I always wanted to come back to.”

Jackson’s bags would make it to the Bay Area, but Jackson would not. The plane went wheels up without him. Delta re-directed him to San Antonio, a place Jackson spent two of his first three NBA seasons and considered home, even when it wasn’t.

Remarkably, not much has changed since the summer of 2003, when Jackson left in the afterglow of the Spurs’ second NBA championship for a free-agency payday in Atlanta.

Popovich is still the Spurs’ coach. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are still the Spurs’ foundation. They have the same playbook and the same culture of “pounding the rock” Jackson remembers from his first tour in silver and black.

Even the GM is the same.

“R.C. still looks 16,” Jackson said.

In another sense, everything is different now.

Since last playing for the Spurs, Jackson has gone from 24-year-old playoff hero to NBA pariah and back.

The swashbuckling small forward has played for five other teams in nine seasons between stints with the Spurs. He has been arrested. On Nov. 19, 2004, Jackson took part in the most infamous brawl in NBA history, the so-called “Malice at the Palace,” when he went swinging into the stands in Detroit to retrieve then-Indiana teammate Ron Artest.

In 2009, he helped lead Golden State, a No. 8 seed, to a monumental playoff upset of top-seeded Dallas. The next season, the Warriors dealt him to Charlotte, who last June traded him to Milwaukee, where he languished this season while feuding with coach Scott Skiles.

Obtained by the Spurs in a trade-deadline deal last Thursday that sent oft-maligned small forward Richard Jefferson to Golden State, Jackson — now 33 — hopes to recapture some of the magic that marked his first shift in South Texas.

“This is the only place I’ve won a championship,” said Jackson, a Port Arthur native who Wednesday against Minnesota will play his first home game at the ATT Center since the 2003 Finals. “There’s not a day goes by I don’t think about it.”

On paper, Jackson seems like the anti-Spur, a loose cannon often teetering on the edge of impropriety.

Monday, for instance, Jackson — a career 16.1 points-per-game scorer who averaged 10.5 in 26 ill-fated games with the Bucks — described his propensity for clutch shooting with this phrase: “I still make love to pressure.”

Somehow, it’s difficult to imagine those words coming out of, say, Duncan’s mouth.

And yet, there is another side to Jackson, one inexorably linked to even the most sordid elements of his history, and a reason the Spurs had been trying to reacquire him almost since the day he left.

“He’s a diehard teammate,” said Duncan, simultaneously the staid arbiter of the straight-and-narrow Spurs Way and one of Jackson’s biggest fans. “He’s a guy who lays it on the line for his team.”

Jackson also has an unlikely ally in Popovich, a no-nonsense coach renowned for running his team with a drill sergeant’s discipline.

“He’s got an edge to him,” Popovich said. “I like his edge.”

To those who know him, that’s always been Jackson. Swaggering and sometimes misguided, but with a big heart usually in the right place.

The night in October 2006, when he was arrested and accused of firing a gun outside an Indianapolis strip club? That was simply to protect a Pacers teammate, Jamaal Tinsley.

Jackson, who notes he had teeth knocked out in the incident when a car clipped him, pleaded guilty to felony criminal recklessness and received community service.

The “Malice in the Palace?” He only charged into the crowd that night to ensure Artest made it out alive.

For that, Jackson earned a 30-game suspension.

“Every situation I’ve been in was me coming to the aid of a teammate,” Jackson said. “It wasn’t me acting wild on my own.”

That part of the story, Jackson believes, has been lost between the lines of the past.

“I don’t regret any of it,” Jackson said. “Obviously, I lost money because of it and got a bad rep because of it, but I’ve always been a team guy, and I’m always going to be there for my teammates.”

Properly channeled, that is the attitude coaches and teammates have always loved about Jackson. If he will literally fight for his teammates off the court, surely he will figuratively fight for them on it.

“Pop’s going to have to rein him in at some point,” Duncan said. “But all in all, that’s the kind of edge that we want from him.”

Yet for all the edge Jackson offers the Spurs, the Spurs have something to offer Jackson as well.

In San Antonio, Jackson has a chance to not only redirect the trajectory of his roller-coaster career, but perhaps to end the ride on his own terms.

He has one more season left on his contract after this one. He’d like for the move back to South Texas to be his last.

The way Jackson sees it, the call he took from Popovich in the Minneapolis airport last week didn’t just represent a change in airline itinerary. It was a lifeline to a better landing.

“It’s been a long road, but to end up back here is great,” Jackson said. “I get to be around family again, people I call family, and play good basketball and win.

“That’s all I want to do.”

jmcdonald@express-news.net

Twitter: @JMcDonald_SAEN

What Spurs, Sixers said after Sunday’s game

Here’s a sampling of some of the post-game comments from both locker rooms after the Spurs’ 93-76 victory over Philadelphia Sunday night at the ATT Center.

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich:

(On the three games in three nights…)

“I think that they showed a lot of toughness, a lot of character to do that three nights in a row with different combinations and different players playing each night. What’s really great is they appreciate and are happy with the success of their teammates. Whoever’s not playing isn’t hoping that something bad happens so he can get into the game or anything like that. They really pull for each other. Some guys have good games; some guys don’t, but all in all they stuck together all three nights. Tonight was maybe their best performance in the sense that the defense got better from the beginning to the end of the game on the third night. In the second half, I thought we were awesome defensively, really active and we executed what we wanted to do defensively better and they deserve a lot of credit for that.”

(Talk about the lift you got from the bench guys inside with Tiago and Tim both out…)

“Well, DeJuan had one of his better games for us. He played for 48 minutes…which I guess is impossible since I didn’t put him in for that many minutes…but you catch my drift. He did a great job while he was out there and really set a tone for us in that respect. The small guys, they moved the basketball and they moved it well. Matty (Bonner) and Boris complimented DeJuan very well.”

(The three new guys gave you minutes early to help your starters out, talk about that…)

“Well we had to get some minutes from young guys, like Justin for instance, so that we could continue to play and we had to go small for awhile so that the three bigs wouldn’t run out of gas. We had to change a lot of things and they reacted real well to it against a heck of a team. Doug’s done a great job with that group. They’re one of the most physical groups in the league, one of the best defensive teams in the league and they come out every night with that physicality. It’s a good win when you can play like that against a heck of a team that is well-coached and really athletic like that.”

San Antonio guard Manu Ginobili:

(On the upcoming rest for the Spurs after three games in three days…)

“For some of the guys that played in all three games it was hard and it was not easy, especially traveling in the middle. But I think we played very well. We played great defense in the second half. Defensively, we were not that sharp but overall it was pretty good.”

(On playing with the three new players for the Spurs…)

“I like the way they play. They are team-oriented players. Boris (Diaw) and Jack (Stephen Jackson) are always looking to pass and create. It was good to see them. It is good to see them adjust everyday. We need time on the court together, but it looks promising. I am excited today. We only played today with one big. That is not easy to do and we overcame that difficulty and we did a good job.”

(On the effort needed throughout the stretch of three games in three nights)

“It is very important not to make too many mistakes. In the first half we gave them the ball too much. They are a team that forces you into turning the ball over. In the second half we took care of the ball. We made them play five-on-five and really collapsed the paint. We got a lot of steals. I am glad to see the team did not have a great night offensively but winning it with our defense.”

San Antonio center/forward DeJuan Blair:

(On the adjustments the Spurs had to make with Splitter and Duncan out…)

“They are both a big part to our team. I just try to score and play defense the best I can. We got it done tonight.”

(On the up and coming back-to-back scheduled on Tuesday and Wednesday…)

“We will play two tough teams. We just need to go out there and play Spurs basketball. We need to go out there and play tough.”

(On the message sent by winning all three of the back-to-back-to-back…)

“I don’t want it to send a message. It was just something that we did. We have another one in a week or so. It is fun. I get to play with the team all day everyday and that is what I love.”

San Antonio guard Kawhi Leonard:

(On holding the 76ers to 27 points in the second half…)

“We went in at half time and discussed our rotations and shifts. We bought into the coach’s game plan and went into the second half ready to play.”

(On the second quarter run…)

“Coach (Popovich) pulled guys out and telling them what places to be in. They were getting easy baskets but everybody sucked in (to the paint) and we got the win.”

(On the 76ers having 21 turnovers…)

“Coach Popovich always tells us to get out on misses and if we get steals to get up the court.”

(On Leonard learning the 3-point shot…)

“Everyday. When I go into practice everyday, I really focus in and work on my all around shot. I will be confident and ready to hit it when they pass me the ball.”

Philadelphia coach Doug Collins:

(Opening statement on tonight’s game…)

“This team (Spurs) brings out the worst in us. They spread the floor and they get you in the middle pick-and-roll and they just put you in a bind the entire night. (Tony) Parker, (Manu) Ginobili you can’t keep them out of the paint. We gave them 27 points off turnovers. We normally turn the ball over 11 times a game and tonight it was 21 turnovers. When it’s all said and done with, I think with 3:30 to go in the third quarter it was 68-63. We missed Andre (Iguodala), because he’s another ball handler. I thought Sam (Young) did some good things for us. The one thing is we lose spacing on the floor when we have a couple of guys who don’t stretch to the three. Then you’re playing in a phone booth. We played in some tight spaces tonight. We were very careless and that’s unlike us. They did speed us up. I have to give their (Spurs) defense credit. They stripped us around the basket around six or seven times. Once it started going south we just couldn’t get it stopped.”

Philadelphia forward Elton Brand:

(On being out of sync tonight…)

“They have been scoring 103 points at home and 113 in the last five games. They just spread the court and they put guys in the right spots to score easy. They got Bonner outside the lane and then Blair on the inside, then you add Parker and Ginobili driving into the lane, it makes their offense difficult to attack.”

(On the Spurs’ defense in the second half…)

“No, it was the same defensive intensity but our turnovers really hurt us. We had over 20 turnovers and that really hurt us and every time we turned it over, they made us pay.”

(On missing Andre Iguodala tonight…)

“He does so much for us offensively and defensively. He gets easy shots for everybody and his defensive presence was certainly missed and hopefully everything goes well with his knee.”

Philadelphia center Spencer Hawes:

(On how to rediscover what the 76ers had going the first few weeks of the season…)

“The schedule we have played recently has been tough on us. We have to understand that everyone goes through stretches like this and we know that the pace we started off with would be a tough one to keep up with the way the season is set up.”

(On when he felt tonight’s game got away from them…)

“In the second quarter, we exerted ourselves pretty well and then they can come at you in a hurry. The Spurs really put everyone in the right positions to get easy shots and at the end of the games, they really put it together. We noticed towards the end of the game it seemed that they either shoot shots in the paint or 3-pointers.”

(On the Spurs offense…)

“There is no secret to their offense, it is one of the most efficient offenses going and they got the better of us tonight. They have been doing it for a while now and that is why they are one of the top franchises in the league for the last decade.”

(On defending the pick and roll tonight…)

“It is tough because the way they complement each other with the guys diving in and with Bonner spacing it, you have to pick your poison.”

Big night from Big Three stops Pacers

By Jeff McDonald

George Hill walked into the ATT Center again Saturday night and noticed something peculiar about the gym he used to call home.

The view from the visiting locker room looks similar to the view from the home digs.

“Same old team,” Hill said. “Nothing has changed.”

Speaking in the hours before his former team, the Spurs, reeled off a 112-103 victory over his new team, Indiana, Hill meant his comments as a compliment.

He was half right. And he was half wrong.

The Spurs have changed in undeniable ways since Hill, a player coach Gregg Popovich once dubbed his favorite, was traded to the Pacers in June. Rookie Kawhi Leonard has taken Hill’s place on the roster and Patrick Mills his stall in the locker room, and the Spurs have loaded up for the stretch run by adding Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw.

At their core, however, the Spurs are what they’ve been since long before Hill arrived.

For nine-plus seasons and three titles, the Spurs have been Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Saturday, they were again — even in throwback Dallas Chaparrals uniforms and knee-high socks that were an homage to the ABA.

Duncan recorded 23 points and 11 rebounds, and Parker and Ginobili each added 18 points and five assists as the longest-tenured trio in the NBA pushed the Spurs (36-14) to a seventh straight win.

“Manu, Tim and Tony led the way,” Popovich said. “Those three were all good at the same time.”

How’s this for never changing? Since Ginobili arrived in 2002 to complete the Big Three, the Spurs have not lost a home game to Indiana.

Hill would be pleased to find Popovich hasn’t changed much either. Before the game, Popovich spent two minutes waxing sentimental about Hill’s three seasons with the Spurs and his place in this community.

“He’s just an incredible human being,” Popovich concluded.

Pause.

“But I traded his ass.”

Hill had nine points, seven rebounds and six assists, but his old team used a 15-1 run in a 39-point second quarter to build a 22-point lead.

For the Spurs, a familiar triumvirate cleared the path. It was the third consecutive game Duncan, Parker and Ginobili had reached double figures together. When that trio combines for at least 50 points, the Spurs are 6-0 this season.

When rallying Indiana climbed within eight multiple times in the final five minutes, Duncan, Parker and Ginobili scored to nudge the lead back to double-digits.

“They fought their way back,” Duncan said of the Pacers (30-21). “I thought we finished well. We made some stops there at the end.”

The Spurs won despite being outshot 53.2 percent to 50 percent. They made 27 of 33 free throws — with Duncan hitting 9 of 9 — and outrebounded the NBA’s second-best rebounding team 40-32, including 10 offensive boards.

The Spurs survived a pair of 18-point nights from Indiana’s Danny Granger and Paul George, as well as a 15-point, four-block line from Roy Hibbert, using a bench that outscored the Pacers’ reserves 51-29.

When Indiana coach Frank Vogel sought to explain Saturday’s outcome, however, he pointed to the usual suspects.

“Anytime you have Gregg Popovich, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan, that foursome is capable of doing anything,” Vogel said.

Anything?

“They have a championship core,” Vogel said. “They have a legitimate shot of winning it all.”

It seems the more things change, the more they stay the same. From the other side of the ATT Center, with a different point of view, Hill likely noticed as much.

jmcdonald@express-news.net
Twitter: @J_McDonald_SAEN

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Spurs 112, Pacers 103: March 31, 2012

Spurs’ Tim Duncan (21) drives to the basket against the Indiana Pacers’ Roy Hibbert (55) in the first half at the ATT Center on Saturday, Mar. 31, 2012. Kin Man Hui/Express-News. (San Antonio Express-News)

Spurs’ Manu Ginobili (20) attempts a fade away shot against the Indiana Pacers’ Roy Hibbert (55) in the first half at the ATT Center on Saturday, Mar. 31, 2012. Kin Man Hui/Express-News. (San Antonio Express-News)

Spurs’ Stephen Jackson (03) makes a pass over Indiana Pacers’ Leandro Barbosa (28) in the first half at the ATT Center on Saturday, Mar. 31, 2012. Kin Man Hui/Express-News. (San Antonio Express-News)

Spurs’ Tony Parker (09) goes up for a shot against the Indiana Pacers’ George Hill (03) in the first half at the ATT Center on Saturday, Mar. 31, 2012. Kin Man Hui/Express-News. (San Antonio Express-News)

Former Spur and current Indiana Pacers guard George Hill (03) enters the game against Spurs’ Tony Parker (09) and Danny Green (04) in the first half at the ATT Center on Saturday, Mar. 31, 2012. Kin Man Hui/Express-News. (San Antonio Express-News)

Spurs’ Manu Ginobili (20) drives around the basket looking to make a pass against the Indiana Pacers’ David West (21) in the first half at the ATT Center on Saturday, Mar. 31, 2012. Kin Man Hui/Express-News. (San Antonio Express-News)

Spurs’ Tim Duncan (21) shoots over the Indiana Pacers’ Leandro Barbosa (28) in the first half at the ATT Center on Saturday, Mar. 31, 2012. Kin Man Hui/Express-News. (San Antonio Express-News)

Spurs’ Tiago Splitter (22) reaches high to defend a shot against the Indiana Pacers’ Leandro Barbosa (28) in the first half at the ATT Center on Saturday, Mar. 31, 2012. Kin Man Hui/Express-News. (San Antonio Express-News)

Spurs’ Manu Ginobili (20) drives to the basket against the Indiana Pacers’ Roy Hibbert (55) in the second half at the ATT Center on Saturday, Mar. 31, 2012. Spurs defeated the Pacers, 112-103. Kin Man Hui/Express-News. (San Antonio Express-News)

Spurs’ Tony Parker (09) goes the basket against the Indiana Pacers’ David West (21) in the second half at the ATT Center on Saturday, Mar. 31, 2012. Spurs defeated the Pacers, 112-103. Kin Man Hui/Express-News. (San Antonio Express-News)

Spurs’ Tim Duncan (21) gets fouled as he attempts a shot against the Indiana Pacers’ Roy Hibbert (55) in the second half at the ATT Center on Saturday, Mar. 31, 2012. Spurs defeated the Pacers, 112-103. Kin Man Hui/Express-News. (San Antonio Express-News)

Spurs’ Tim Duncan (21) takes a moment to chat with former teammate, current Indiana Pacer George Hill (03) at the end of their game at the ATT Center on Saturday, Mar. 31, 2012. Spurs defeated the Pacers, 112-103. Kin Man Hui/Express-News. (San Antonio Express-News)

Spurs’ Manu Ginobili (20) gets a hug from former teammate, current Indiana Pacer George Hill (03) at the end of their game at the ATT Center on Saturday, Mar. 31, 2012. Spurs defeated the Pacers, 112-103. Kin Man Hui/Express-News. (San Antonio Express-News)

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich (right) chats with Tony Parker (09) during a timeout in a game against the Indiana Pacers at the ATT Center on Saturday, Mar. 31, 2012. Kin Man Hui/Express-News. (San Antonio Express-News)

Spurs’ Danny Green (04) takes a shot against the Indiana Pacers’ Paul George (24) in the second half at the ATT Center on Saturday, Mar. 31, 2012. Spurs defeated the Pacers, 112-103. Kin Man Hui/Express-News. (San Antonio Express-News)

Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard (02) takes a shot against the Indiana Pacers’ Darren Collison (02) in the second half at the ATT Center on Saturday, Mar. 31, 2012. Spurs defeated the Pacers, 112-103. Kin Man Hui/Express-News. (San Antonio Express-News)

Spurs’ Stephen Jackson (03) attempts a shot against the Indiana Pacers’ Paul George (24) in the second half at the ATT Center on Saturday, Mar. 31, 2012. Spurs defeated the Pacers, 112-103. Kin Man Hui/Express-News. (San Antonio Express-News)

Spurs’ Manu Ginobili (20) discusses the game with teammate Boris Diaw (33) while seated on the bench with Tim Duncan (21) during their game against the Indiana Pacers at the ATT Center on Saturday, Mar. 31, 2012. Spurs defeated the Pacers, 112-103. Kin Man Hui/Express-News. (San Antonio Express-News)

A Spurs Silverdancer performs before the start of the Spurs game against the Indiana Pacers at the ATT Center on Saturday, Mar. 31, 2012. Kin Man Hui/Express-News. (San Antonio Express-News)

Spurs’ Tiago Splitter (22) lays up the ball against the Indiana Pacers’ Danny Granger (33) in the second half at the ATT Center on Saturday, Mar. 31, 2012. Spurs defeated the Pacers, 112-103. Kin Man Hui/Express-News. (San Antonio Express-News)