Tag: Manu

Veteran Spurs club takes Game 1 from Clippers

Duncan posts another double-double

NBA pundits have long claimed that Spurs PF Tim Duncan is in the twilight of his career.  Don’t tell Tim Duncan that.

Duncan was again his normally spectacularly fundamental self in game 1 of the Western Conference Semi-finals against the Los Angeles Clippers. But fans who actually follow the Spurs know this is nothing new…he’s been doing it for 15 seasons.

“He’s played like that all year long,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich in the post game press conference. “He’s not going to do anything that’s going to be on a highlight film for TV, but a highlight film for coaches possibly. Just being solid, making a great pass, playing the defense that he did; he’s the anchor.”

Clippers PF Kenyon Martin, who faced Duncan in the 2003 NBA Finals as a New Jersey Net has seen it all before.

“Nothing changes about the Spurs,”  Martin said at the post game press conference. “They just keep doing what they do and Duncan does what he does.”

But it is not just the veteran Duncan who is standing out this season.  Coach Popovich has repeatedly said that this is PG Tony Parker’s finest season and  Manu Ginobili credits the coaches for putting together such a deep team.

“We are optimistic,” Manu Ginobili said. “We had a few great additions late in the season to make us even better. Our defense is slowly improving. I think Boris (Diaw) is doing a great job, Tiago (Splitter) too. Stephen Jackson is putting a lot of character in that defense, getting some big boards.  I think we are a little better. But the league is so tough and anybody can beat another team. We’ve got to stay humble and think only on the next opponent. We can’t be thinking now about the Finals, because it wouldn’t help.”

Former Spurs guard and current Clippers head coach can do nothing but agree.

“It’s easy to get guys to talk about their role, but what he does is that he gets guys to accept their role,” Del Negro said. “Everyone knows that Tim,  Manu and Tony drives the ship. He guides it, and the other guys fit their roles and do their jobs. And that’s why I think they’ve had consistent success.”

Whatever the reason for their success, Clippers Center/Forward Blake Griffin has called on his team to step up to the challenge and at least make the Spurs work for it.

“We’ve got to be able to lock down and stop easy baskets and wide-open three’s,” Clippers forward Blake Griffin said. “We’ve got to make it a little tougher on them.”

Be sure to catch Game 2 Thursday night from San Antonio

 

Veteran Spurs strength coach Mike Brungardt announces retirement

 Spurs strength and conditioning coach Mike Brungardt announced his retirement Friday, ending an association that had made him one of the team’s longest-tenured employees.

Bob Hill was the coach of the Spurs when Brungardt took over the team’s strength and conditioning program in 1994.

Brungardt had actually started working with David Robinson in 1990 before he started working full-time with the team four years later.

“All of us will miss Mike a great deal,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said in a  prepared statement. “He has been an important part of the Spurs success over the last 17 years. He built our strength and conditioning program from the ground up and remains one of the best in the business. He has the respect and admiration of everyone in the organization, from players to coaches to front office staff. On a personal note I hate to see Brungy leave. He is a good friend and a wonderful man.”

Brungardt is the only strength and conditioning coach in the history of the franchise. A graduate of Central State University in Oklahoma, Brungardt has more than three decades of experience in the strength and conditioning field. After wresting and playing baseball in college, he spent nine years as a high school wrestling coach at Grand Island Northwest High School in Nebraska before becoming a highly-respected fitness consultant in Aspen, Colo., where he also played rugby.  Brungardt, along with his brothers, Kurt and Brett, has co-authored five books in the strength and fitness field.

Brungardt is beloved by Spurs players, who have frequently said that his work has kept them away from debilitating injuries over the years.

 “This was a very tough decision,” Brungardt said. “I’ll certainly miss working with class athletes like Tim, David, Sean, Manu and Tony that this organization has always been noted for. 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.”

Spurs forward Tiago Splitteronly a few minutes after the team made the announcement.

One interesting note is that Brungardt’s last day of work with the team will be June 30. An anticipated lockout will begin on July 1.

Some teams have already informed employees that theywill be going into a lockout with a skeleton crew of workers once it begins.

The Lakers reportedly on their player-personnel side, along with both members of their video department, four  of the five members of their training staff and most of their scouting staff, according to the Los Angeles Times.

It is not known if Brungardt’s retirement is related to the looming lockout. But the timing is certainly curious.