Tag: Gregg Popovich

What the Spurs and Hornets said after Thursday’s game

Here’s a collection of comments  from both locker rooms after the Spurs’ 93-81 victory over New Orleans Thursday night at the ATT Center.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich

(What helped you get started closing this game out?)

“Lots of things helped us.  Maybe we made a shot, maybe we missed a shot.  I don’t know.  A lot of things happen on the court, it’s not one thing.  Finally the game broke.  We made a few stops in a row and were fortunate enough to score at the other end at the same time and that’s what happened.”

(Discuss the defensive execution in the fourth quarter …)

“Again, the defense generated offense for us as the game went on into the fourth quarter.  I thought Tony was really good in the second half in forcing the issue and I thought Tiago had a great run in there defensively and offensively. The two of them really got us going and that was it.  New Orleans work hard.  You know they’re injured and they got guys out there going 100 percent constantly.  Monty and those guys do a great job with them and they just didn’t have all their pieces and that’s tough.”

 (On Tim Duncan…he seemed to have a lot of energy again tonight after last night…)

“We kept his minutes down.  He didn’t play that much.  As long as the minutes are low, he feels pretty good.”

 (On Tim Duncan…it seems like in the last two games he’s consciously trying to play in the post more …)

“He has.  He feels really good.  He feels like he’s got a good balance and that’s always a good sign when he wants the ball down on the block.”

 (On Tiago and Tony playing together…they seem to have a nice kinship going…)

“Yeah.  At one point, Tony came over and told me what he wanted to run because of Tiago and he thought he could get him the ball and he did it.  Tiago went right to the hole and scored.”

Spurs forward Tim Duncan

(On his aggressive performance tonight…)

“You know, I just took the initiative to be aggressive and attack them a little bit. We didn’t have shots falling from the outside as we didn’t shoot the three-ball real well. Opportunities were there, so I just took them when I could.”

(On whether his high number of free throws was due to being in the post more…)

“I’m just trying to attack when I get the ball. I’ve had some good situations the last couple of games to attack and I’ve gotten to the free throw line luckily. That’s just a big part of it. It helps me get started and it helps me in feeling good, so I just need to get to the free throw line more often.”

(On whether their skipping of practice will be good for them against Oklahoma City…)

“You know, I think we had some tired legs tonight as you could tell with our shooters. Guys were worn out a little bit and it’ll be good for us. It’s a crazy season as it’s taking a lot out of a lot of people. Any rest is good rest. I don’t think we’re going to lose much in just today, as it’s good to get some rest under our belts. I know there are a lot of games coming up as well as the season we have ahead of us.”

(On the defense in the fourth quarter with New Orleans trying to catch up…)

“I don’t understand it either. I thought we were playing pretty decent defense all the way through. They made some shots especially in the first half as they made shots from some guys were weren’t expecting. We stuck with it, stuck with the game plan we had, as it finally started to turn for us.”

Spurs forward Tiago Splitter

(On his performance in the fourth quarter…)

“Well, I think we had a great run as our defense stepped up a little bit. Offensively, I think TP runs the team very well as he finds the right guy open every time.”

(On the comfort he had with the offense tonight…)

“These are the kind of games where if you’re comfortable you have to ask for the ball. Overall, I think I‘ve been doing this for years even though this is my second year in the NBA. I’m feeling good and comfortable on the court, so I’m just trying to play my game.”

(On his drive on the top of the key…)

“That was a weird handoff from Tony but I saw my man sleeping, so I just went to the basket and tried to score.”

(On his thoughts about the upcoming matchup against Oklahoma City…)

“They’re a tough team. They’re very athletic, they play very fast and they have great players. You can see why they’re one of the best teams in the NBA right now. We got to have a great game and start very well to matchup against them.”

(On whether the talks about Oklahoma City being the best is creating motivation…)

“Of course. Also by playing at home in front of our crowd, we want to play good. We want to show our basketball as we know what we can do and it starts with our defense.”

New Orleans Hornets coach Monty Williams

(When asked about what he noticed in the game at the start of the fourth quarter…)

“We tied it up and then Gary Neal hit that three at the end of the quarter.  That was a bit of a let down because we know that’s what he does.  You have got to close out on him as the hot guy and make sure he puts the ball down.  They (the Spurs) just executed.  Their main guys stepped up.  They guys we were counting on to step up tonight just didn’t have it.  If you can hold San Antonio to that amount points you take it.  Our shooting and ability to score the ball wasn’t there in the fourth quarter.”

Follow up to previous question (When asked you called that quick timeout in the fourth what did you tell your players?)

“I told them to slow it down.  You don’t have to get it all in one possession.  They (the Spurs) made a run and we expected that on their home floor.  So we tried to go out there and run a set where we could get a good possession and we weren’t able to do it.”

(When asked about the play of Trevor Ariza and Jason Smith, did the Spurs do anything to try to make it tougher on them tonight…)

“I don’t think so.  With Jason (Smith) because he shoots the ball so well, teams are rotating to him.  Outside of that, I don’t think so.  We have to be forceful at the basket and try to dunk the ball.  For the most part, the ball was moving in the first half.  In the second half, I thought it came to a stand still at times.  It’s easy to play against iso-basketball.”

(When asked about the play of his guards tonight…)

“I thought they did O.K. With the circumstances I thought that Greivis (Vasquez) was really good in the first half.  Squeaky (Carldell Johnson) gave us great minutes.”

Hornets guard Marco Belinelli

(On what happened tonight…)

“In the fourth quarter, we only had 13 points and they had 22. That’s good on our defensive part but we just didn’t stick to our principle on offense. We stood with them the entire game. It’s just closing out games like coach said over and over but like I said last night, we just have to flush the toilet on this one and look forward to the next game and continue to work harder.”

(On coming out of the timeout in the fourth quarter, what did coach tell you guys…)

“Just to stay out there and run our stuff. Sometimes when we get into a pinch, we start doing stuff uncharacteristically not us, not running our offense and trying to go one on one basketball. We need to stay with what has kept us in the game and what has kept the game close. I felt like we were starting to get away from that so I tried to get the guys together and get us realigned.”

 Hornets guard Greivis Vasquez

(On the inability of closing out in the fourth quarter…)

“I take responsibility for that because I was the point guard out there today. In the last five minutes, I should have taken control of the game better. It is just a learning process, but I’m tired of learning. I don’t want to learn no more. I really take responsibility because as a young guy here, you have to learn quick. There are no excuses. It’s not coach, we are playing good defense and we are holding teams to a low score. At times we turn the ball over, then we try to come back and it is too late. We waste too much energy and when we are playing all stars we cannot be doing that.”

(Does it get frustrating by each loss?)

“We lost the last two games in the fourth quarter. We play hard in the third quarter and then we do not execute in the fourth (quarter). As a point guard, it is hard to fill Chris Paul’s shoes, but I expect myself to be better and that takes a little work. I’m going to get back and work, watch film and see how I can get better. ”

Spurs overcome late collapse, nip Pistons

By Jeff McDonald

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — The Spurs were rolling early in the fourth quarter Tuesday, up 15 on the hapless Detroit Pistons, visions of an eight-game winning streak already dancing in their heads.

They were doing what most visitors to the desolate Palace at Auburn Hills do these days — handling the building’s floundering, slightly dysfunctional inhabitants without breaking much of a sweat.

And then, Detroit center Ben Wallace did something he rarely did in 1,055 career games. He threw in a 3-pointer.

“I knew right then, the basketball gods had it out for us,” Spurs guard Danny Green said.

Matt Bonner’s take?

“It was like the ‘Twilight Zone,’” he said.

The Spurs finally won 99-95 to run their rodeo road trip record to 4-0, but not before squandering that 15-point lead in 6:03, falling behind by as many as three, then pulling a difficult victory out the other side.

Wallace’s 3-pointer, just the seventh of his 16-season career, lit the powder keg on the Pistons’ comeback.

It came with the shot clock at one second, ruining one of the Spurs’ best defensive possessions, and pulled Detroit within single digits, 79-70, with 9:49 left.

After that, everything the Pistons threw rim-ward started going in. Jonas Jerebko swished another 3-pointer after another apparent Spurs stop — Detroit kept possession when Richard ? Jefferson won a jump ball with Ben Gordon by such a margin that the ball went out of bounds.

“We let them back in the game,” said guard Manu Ginobili, scoreless in his second game back from a broken hand until sealing it with a foul shot with 13.5 seconds left. “We gave them life when it looked like it was over.”

A month ago, when they were 0-5 on the road, the Spurs would have taken it. Tuesday, they were appalled by how close they came to giving one away against an 8-22 team.

“It’s a learning game for us,” said Tim Duncan, who finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks for his fifth-straight double-double. “We can’t take anybody lightly, even for a short period of time.”

Of course, there is no defense to prevent a Wallace 3-pointer, besides standing there and begging him to take it.

The 37-year-old Wallace broke the NBA record for most career games by an undrafted player, a mark held by former Spurs point guard Avery Johnson. He did not survive this long by pretending to be Ray Allen.

“It’s because he’s the meanest man in the valley,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

Wallace finished with nine points and five rebounds, and helped hold Duncan to 7-of-17 shooting.

In the fourth quarter, with the Spurs (20-9) in the midst of unraveling, Wallace caught Duncan with an inadvertent elbow that sent the Spurs’ captain sprawling with a small cut under his left eye.

When the best Detroit could muster midway through the fourth was the meanest man in the Valley for three, Popovich liked his odds.

“I hope he won’t be mad at me, but we’d rather have Ben shoot it than Tayshaun (Prince),” Popovich said.

Wallace’s 3-pointer energized the Pistons, sparking a 14-5 run to put them up by three after a Rodney Stuckey free throw with 4:26 to go.

Apparently unmoved by Wallace’s newfound 3-point touch, Popovich chose to purposefully foul him on three consecutive possessions in the fourth.

Wallace went 3 of 6 from the line, but the move disrupted the Pistons’ rolling momentum. From there, the Spurs regained their focus and regained the game.

Tony Parker scored half of his 14 points in the final 1:13, including a go-ahead layup and a teardrop to push the Spurs’ lead to three with 27.3 seconds remaining.

When the fourth quarter began, the Spurs looked ready to set the cruise control for tonight’s game in Toronto. By the end, after a trip through the Twilight Zone via Detroit, they felt fortunate just to survive.

jmcdonald@express-news.net

What the Spurs and Rockets said after the game

The Spurs media services people were ready in the locker rooms with their recorders and notebooks.

Here’s a compilation on post-game comments from both locker rooms after the Spurs’ 99-91 victory over the Rockets.

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich:

(When asked about his captains’ play tonight…)

“Tim (Duncan) and Tony (Parker) did a great job of leading the way for the whole group.  I thought that everybody else followed.  They never gave in, because Timmy and Tony didn’t allow them to.  They did a fantastic team job tonight.”

(When asked about the charge late in the fourth by Gary Neal…)

“We had a couple of charges in the second half that really helped us.  He (Neal) got back on defense very well. They got the benefit from it by getting in good position and taking the charge.”

(When asked about the matchup between Danny Green on Kevin Martin…)

“I think everybody worked their butts off to try to limit him.  He’s (Kevin Martin) a heck of a player and one of the toughest guys to guard in the league.  I thought they did the best they could.  There’s no way you’re going to keep him down.  He’s so skilled and he works so hard at it.  They did everything they could.”

(When asked about the game in Houston where Pop sat some players in the first half … was there something you saw at the end of the second quarter that made led you to believe to go in a different direction…)

“I thought in the first half our defense was really solid.  They made a lot of shots and we made some mistakes.  The combination of them being on fire and us not being able to hit anything. That’s something you have to assess whether you think guys are playing poorly or if they’re playing well.”

Spurs guard Tony Parker:

(On the comeback win…)

“Yeah, it was a great win for us. Houston jumped on us as they shot the ball pretty well and everybody on their team was on fire. It was like they couldn’t miss, so we just tried to stay in the game, hang in there, play defense and set some zones. Finally in the third quarter, they started missing shots and we made a run. It was a great effort from everybody to keep fighting.”

(On Tim Duncan in the paint in the third quarter…)

“Timmy looked great. He was in rhythm, he was very aggressive and made some great moves. He’s looking good right now.”

(On Pop pulling the plug in their last Houston match-up and if tonight looked similar…)

“Yeah, definitely. I was worried he was going to do that but he stuck with us and we were able to come back into the game. Timmy got into a good rhythm and was aggressive tonight. That was a good win for us.”

(On if the older players wonder when Pop might pull the plug on a game…)

“No, I normally don’t really think like that, but I thought that today since we have a back-to-back. Maybe I thought Pop was going to pull the plug and focus on New Orleans, but I’m happy we kept fighting. We stayed in the game and had an opportunity at the end to win it.”

(On their defense against Kevin Martin in the second half…)

“I think we did a better job. Danny Green and Gary Neal both tried to contain him and make him drive as he made so many shots in the first half. In the second half, I thought we played more physical and were able to contain him as a team and force him to drive towards Timmy or Tiago.”

(On if they changed the approach on Kevin Martin…)

“Yeah, a little bit. We were more aggressive and tried to make him drive.”

Spurs forward Tim Duncan:

(On if the comeback from tonight resembled the game against Dallas last week…)

“You know, I think we learned a lot from their game. It provided a lot of experience for our bench and for our team as well our confidence. I thought we played well last game. We just didn’t have a good start this game. I think we turned the corner a little bit, it didn’t show in that first half, but I think we’re playing better basketball right now. It was good to comeback and it was great to get this win as we know we have a big one tomorrow too.”

(On what worked so well in his attack of the paint in the third quarter…)

“Exactly that, I was just trying to be aggressive. I was trying to get in the paint as they were staying locked up on our shooters. They weren’t double-teaming so I got a chance to attack a little more, get in the paint, and make some shots. I felt good that quarter and just kind of made it work.”

(On if he was happy Pop let him play in the second half…)

“Yeah, I was happy to be on the floor. Like I said, it was a great comeback and a great win for us.”

(On if the team turned up the intensity in the second half…)

“You know what; honestly I thought we played pretty well throughout. They made some contested shots throughout that first half, as we stayed with it and continued to fight through screens and contest. At the end, it turned our way a little bit. All in all, I thought we played pretty good throughout.”

(On Pop resting him on back-to-back games…)

“I don’t think about that. I’m not worried about that, as I hope it doesn’t come to the point where I need to take a day off. I feel pretty good right now and I’m not resting or saving for any other game. I’m just going to play whatever game is in front of me.”

Houston Rockets coach Kevin McHale:

 (Do you credit the Spurs for how the game turned around?)

“We had too many turnovers. We turned it over and we fed into that a little bit. They turned it up a little and we had to respond with more ball movement and more hard drives. They made some shots and made some things happen.”

(Was the team relying on Kevin Martin too much?)

“If he’s hot, you try to get him the ball.”

Houston Rockets guard Kyle Lowry:

(On the last couple of minutes of the game…)

“We needed to lock up and know what we were doing offensively and defensively.  They made a big three and a couple of free throws. We missed open threes and open twos and we missed some shots down the stretch, but that happens. We got good looks but just could not convert on all of them.”

(Frustrating loss for the Rockets?)

“We’ll put it behind us tonight and build tomorrow. We will just keep on building.”

(On the Spurs energy…)

“They picked their energy up. They played with more enthusiasm, but we missed some shots down the stretch. They played good defense and made good shots down the stretch.”

Houston Rockets forward Luis Scola: 

(Was this a frustrating loss for the Rockets?)

“We just have to let it go. We were able to hold (the Spurs) for the first couple of stretches when they were coming back, but then they closed the distance. When they came back and they tied the game, the momentum was on their side and they had the advantage towards the end.”

 (Impact of Dalembert’s fourth foul…)

“I don’t think it is just that one thing. It is the whole game.”

 (On Houston’s Second half difficulties…)

“It’s going to be harder. They are playing at home and they are not just going to let us beat them. They are going to fight back. We were holding them. We were up by 13 or 14 (points) but they shortened the distance. Then they tied the game and the momentum was on their side.”