Tag: San Antonio Spurs

What the Spurs and Kings said after Friday’s game

The Spurs media service people were  busy after Sacramento’s 88-86 victory over San Antonio.

Here’s a sampling of the post-game comments from both locker rooms.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich

 (Was the defensive rebounding in the first half a first indication that it might be a difficult night?)

“We dug ourselves a hole, not rebounding well and not getting back on “D”.  They got inside of us and we got into a deep hole that was the worst part of the game.  The best part was that the guys hung tough and dug themselves out; got back in the ballgame and got the lead and did a great job after playing so poorly in the beginning.  Down the stretch, they knocked down three jumpers in a row.  We defended it and they knocked them down, give them credit.  During that period, we turned it over twice.  A bad combination if you’re having trouble scoring and turning it over down the stretch when the other teams knocking them down.  That’s the ballgame.”

(Was Tim Duncan sitting in the fourth quarter about four games in five nights?)

“No. The group that was out there was blitzing and doing a great job.  They got us back in the game and they got us a six-point lead at one point.”

Spurs guard Tony Parker:

(On the performance down the stretch in the fourth quarter)

“Tough loss. They just never went away as the whole game was weird, as we couldn’t hit a shot. We had some great shots that were wide open as we were 5-25, so it’s going to be tough to win a game shooting 38 percent. We still had a chance as we played good defense which gave us an opportunity to win the game as it just didn’t go our way. During the last 3-4 possessions they made every shot as we didn’t make shots. That’s basketball.”

(On having a short memory with the Houston game tomorrow)

“Definitely. It’s going to be a tough one as it’s always hard to play over there but we’re going to give it everything we got.”

 (On whether energy was a problem at the beginning of the game)

“I don’t know. It’s a tough season with a lot of games as I just felt like Sacramento just jumped on us. They shot the ball very well as we were down 15 but we came back. We fought through it as we had a great chance to win the game. In the fourth quarter, we were up as we just didn’t make the stops that we needed to win the game.”

(On making his first 3-pointer and the rough night for the team overall in that area)

“It was a weird night. We had great shots that were wide open whether Matt Bonner, Danny Green or Gary Neal. I felt like every time I penetrated everybody was in the paint and we had a great shot. That’s basketball, sometimes it’s going to go in and sometimes it’s not going to go in.”

(On making threes in the fourth quarter and if that will provide a spark in future games)

“I don’t know, we’ll see as I’ll tell you tomorrow. We’ll see but if it doesn’t go in, we’ll have to do something else. Whether we penetrate, get some points in the paint, get Timmy or DeJuan Blair going, we’ll just have to do other stuff if we’re not going to make shots.”

(On if he felt awkward seeing Tiago Splitter out there in a tight game instead of Duncan)

“I think Pop is trying to manage Timmy’s minutes as Tiago has been playing great for us. He’s improving every game, he was playing well and I think Coach Pop just stuck with Tiago. He’s been playing well for us.”

Spurs guard Gary Neal:

(On whether this was a game where the Kings shots went in and the Spurs shots did not)

“Yeah, for the most part that’s pretty much what it was. We kind of struggled in the fourth quarter to score the ball and make shots. They made shots down the stretch as you have to give them credit for that.”

(On having a short memory with the game tomorrow in Houston)

“Yeah, the game is over now as you can’t change it and you can’t control it. We just have to get ready to play Houston tomorrow and hopefully try to get a win.”

(On how he was feeling tonight after coming back from his injury)

“I feel O.K.; I’m just missing shots as it is what is. I had probably about four or five easy shots as they just didn’t go in as I just got to keep working. It’s frustrating, but I just got to keep working.”

Kings coach Keith Smart:

(On the Kings’ overall play in the game.)

“I just want to say these guys are responding in a very positive way.  We come in here not having a chance to play, but they played hard and got off to a great start. The start was critical against a team like this. We had the opportunity to a great start and make them chase us. Now understand in an NBA game, you won’t have situations where you have a 15-point lead in the first quarter, in the first half. Teams are going to make runs. Especially good teams at home, so we knew that part. We wanted to stay real, real close, so we had a chance late in the game where we made a ton of plays down the stretch, where guys did a great job. We shot the ball very well, the first time in a game with a winning effort for us, because we’ve been down to the 29th percentile (on offense). John Salmons, who had been struggling, made some critical plays and shots down the stretch. I got to get this out, Francisco Garcia came up to me during a time out and whispered into my ear, ‘Coach, leave Johnny in. Let him go. Let him play.’ And that’s a compliment from a team player right there. He wants the team to do well. He wants John (Salmons) to do well and that’s the partnership we’ve got to form with each individual. More importantly, this group played a great game. Tyreke (Evans) almost had a triple-double, made some big plays, rebounded, and moved the ball how I wanted him to move the basketball, getting other people involved. So right now, tonight anyway, the best guys on our team played well.”

(On the Kings’ strong start to the game.)

“I’m trying to get this team to become a running team. We have the ability to become a running team that can rebound. That’s unusual when you have a running team that can rebound, but we have the strength of a young team that are good rebounders. So we got out to a great start. You saw early in the game, we had several opportunities where our bigs were finishing plays off the break. The luxury that we have is that our bigs are bigs that can run, they can rebound, and that’s a luxury. Then you have perimeter players that can push the ball. They haven’t been in the kind of shape that’s necessary to be able to be a running team right now, but we are getting there. We’re beginning to put together strings of where we can get out there and run, and once we get in the open court, we can have our fun and play off of each other from there.”

(On the team’s composure closing out the fourth quarter.)

“I think it was a combination of myself and a combination of the players. Now give them credit because they held their composure. One of the assistant coaches made a great comment in a time out. Our staff is a great complement of each other as well, and he said, ‘Guys, we’re on the road, down by two, against this team right here. We wouldn’t trade that for anything to be in this position right here.’ I think the conversation that we’re having amongst ourselves in our time-outs and our huddles is calming the guys down. It is my job now to make sure I get the right play in and the ball to the right people’s hands to make the plays. I called a couple of plays for John Salmons to get the ball to his hands in the area of the court where he can operate pretty well, and he made the shots that were necessary. I think we’re growing. We’re not there yet because we still have a couple of animals on the road that we’ve got to deal with, but tonight was a big step. These guys did something that they haven’t done here in a long time, which is winning a game here. I’ve been in the league for a long time and have never had success in this building. It’s one game, I know, but when you’re trying to build something special, every road win counts for our basketball team.”

Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans:

(On overall thoughts about the game.)

“We just kept pushing the ball. Once we pushed the ball like that, we can beat anybody. We got one of the youngest teams in the league so we have to push the ball.”

(What does this do for the team’s confidence?)

“It shows what type of team we have. We have all the pieces to the puzzle. We have length, big men, and guards. We just have to go out there and play hard for 48 minutes. This shows what type of team we can be.”

Sacramento Kings guard John Salmons:

(What did it mean for the team to go to you in final minutes?)

“It means a lot. I had a lot of coaches in the past that with a guy struggling like that would give up on me. The fact that he continued to believe, meant a lot to me. But for all the coaches in the past, some of them would have stopped believing. They wouldn’t have gone to me in that position.”

(Have you talked to the coach about letting you play through shooting struggles?)

“No, it’s on me. I’m sure if I’m playing well, I’ll be in at the end of the game. It’s just I have to play better. So, I won’t blame the coach or anybody else for not playing me at the end of the game. I just have to do better, that’s been my mentality. I can’t take it personally if he doesn’t play me at the end of the game.”

(How does the win feel for you guys?)

“It’s probably the biggest win of the year so far for us. A playoff-tested team, a championship team. They have banners in the rafters and for us to come and get a win like that in a close game that, just says how much this team has grown. If we can continue to get better, we can shock a lot of people. ”

Spurs to honor ABA history with Dallas jerseys

The Spurs will be among nine NBA franchises who will honor the rich history of the American Basketball Association as part of the NBA’s Hardwood Classics series during the next several weeks.

The Spurs will wear vintage Dallas Chaparrals jerseys and warmups for three games — Feb. 11 at New Jersey, Feb. 18 at L.A. Clippers and March 31 when they host the Indiana Pacers.

I’m just curious why they won’t be wearing ABA San Antonio Spurs jerseys from the franchise’s history rather than one representing a team from Dallas.  

Other franchises participating will include Charlotte, Denver, Indiana, the Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis, Miami, Minnesota and New Jersey. Former ABA franchises in Denver, Indiana and New Jersey will wear their old uniforms from their ABA past. Other teams and their former ABA franchises will include Charlotte (Carolina Cougars), the Clippers (Los Angeles Stars), Memphis (Memphis Tams), Miami (Miami Floridians) and Minnesota (Minnesota Muskies).

The uniforms will be made by adidas, the league’s official outfitter.

The Chaparrals originated in Dallas when the league began in 1967.  They were known as the Dallas Chaparrals for the first three seasons of the franchise’s history, before embracing Texas Chaparrals for one season in 1970-71 and played games in Dallas, Fort Worth and Lubbock. They then were known as the Dallas Chaparrals until 1973.

During the summer of the 1973, a group of San Antonio businessmen led by Angelo Drossos and Red McCombs negotiated a three-year deal to lease the Chaparrals and move the team to San Antonio. The ownership group consisting of 35 stockholders changed the name of the team to the Spurs.

Later that year, as support grew for the team, the stockholders arranged to purchase the team from the Dallas group and make San Antonio a permanent home. The Spurs played three seasons in the ABA before joining the NBA in 1976, along with the Nuggets, Pacers and Nets.

I was an old ABA fan from way back, watching the Memphis Pros/Tams/Sounds during my youth there. One of my spectating highlights of my youth centers around a fight I witnessed between bruising ABA forwards John Brisker of the Pittsburgh Condors and Wendell Ladner of the then Memphis Pros back in the day.

All of the NBA eams will be selling merchandise, which is good to keep the memory of the league alive.

But I’ve got a couple of questions.

First, why don’t the Spurs wear some of their own vintage ABA jerseys rather than honoring a Dallas team? Obviously, it’s the same franchise, but I am likely to believe from a marketing standpoint that the Spurs and the NBA stand a better chance selling more Spurs ABA gear to their current fans with the Spurs rather than those representing a Dallas-based team. Leave that for Mark Cuban and the crowd in Big D.

Because using the same rationale, it should be New Orleans celebrating the history of the old New Orleans Buccaneers, who eventually moved to Memphis in 1970 and became the Memphis ABA team. I’m sure the league has more pressing concerns in building support for their league-owned franchise than honoring some previous league there. But if they are truly honoring the ABA past, they should have New Orleans wearing Buccaneers jerseys — just like Doug Moe, Larry Brown and Red Robbins did before them.

And one more personal pet peeve. If the league is reaching back to the ABA to sell a few more jerseys and t-shirts, I certainly think the NBA can be big enough to honor the ABA records as part of its official history. The Spurs’ records don’t exist in the eyes of the NBA before they joined the league in 1976.

All of George Gervin’s points and Bobby Warren’s turnovers and Tom Nissalke’s victories with the team never happened, according to the NBA.  

The NFL accepted all of  the AFL’s past records when the merger between those two leagues was consummated.

If the NBA wants us to buy replicas of the jerseys that Billy Cunningham wore while he played for the Carolina Cougars, they are going to need to add those points he scored with them to the ones he tallied earlier and later in his  NBA career.

What Spurs, Trail Blazers said after Friday’s game

Here’s a sampling of the post-game comments from both locker rooms after the Spurs’ 99-83 victory over Portland Friday night.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich:

(On turnovers in the first quarter)

“Well, I thought we obviously did a better job in the second quarter. In the second half I think they had 36 points or so, and you’re not going to do that very often. I thought we earned it. We competed well. We had a lot of guys that competed defensively and rebounding wise in the second half and it generated a lot for us. Then Tony (Parker) ran the show and kept us even for the whole game. We had some individual performances by guys that were really great. Obviously, Tiago (Splitter) and Danny Green did a great job. Kawhi (Leonard) had a wonderful all around game. We got a lot of good play to go with the defense, so it worked out for us tonight.

(On assessing Kawhi Leonard’s defensive I.Q.)

“Well he definitely has a knack defensively. He has a good nose for the ball. He seems to understand what is going on out there and he reads situations pretty well. That is a nice natural gift.

(On Tiago Splitter’s improvement from last season)

“He has the same exact skills that he had last year. He is just healthy and he’s playing. He is more confident. That is the one place where his game has changed from the past, but everything else is the same. He has been doing this for years in Europe and everywhere. He is a blue-collar guy who just does the basics really, really well. He is a great competitor.”

(On the absence of Marcus Camby)

“He is a tough nut to crack down there. He is really good. He had a couple of blocks before he got hurt and it certainly does change things on the boards for them and defensively.”

Spurs forward Tiago Splitter:

(On the bench stepping up tonight)

“Yeah, we did a pretty good job coming off the bench helping the guys ands playing hard. We played hard defense. Gary (Neal) played like the point guard and Danny (Green) brought energy and  it’s hard to match-up against us.”

 (On the performance of the young players on this team)

“Yeah, when you’re going to play against Portland, you have to play hard and that’s what we did. They played tough and physical, we have to do that.”

(On the turnovers in the first quarter and making it up in the second half)

“Once again, there were a lot of turnovers like you said, but we run the floor well. We made easy buckets and we had great defense. If we play like this every night, it’s going to be tough to beat the Spurs.”

(On the match-up against LaMarcus Aldridge)

“He’s a great player. We tried to guard him from having a great night of shooting, yet he made some unbelievable shots. We got the win and that’s what matters.”

Spurs forward DeJuan Blair:

(On what worked tonight for him and the team)

“It was by just playing defense. We played great defense despite starting out sluggish, but we came out in the second quarter and really started playing. It was really good.”

(On whether fatigue played a major factor in turnovers in the first half)

“No, it was just through not being strong with the ball. We let the ball get away from us a couple times but we got it together in the second quarter. We played a heck of a game as we played pretty good defense in the second half.”

(On the match-up against LaMarcus Aldridge)

“LaMarcus is a tough matchup as he’s a great player. I tried to play him as good as possible and we came out with the victory. I had a lot of help as Tiago (Splitter) played him great. It was wonderful.”

Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan:

(On what happened during the stretch of the game)

“We got to play with a purpose out there. I think we were just kind of freelancing with what we do and we got to work together on both ends of the floor. Defensively, even though we got off to a pretty decent start, offensively in the first quarter we had 31 points but we gave up 27. Then offensively, we stopped recognizing what was working, which was going inside to L.A. (LaMarcus Aldridge). We got to understand how we want to play, which is from the inside-out and play out of that. I thought we went away from that.”

(On the team’s defense after Marcus Camby’s injury)

“(Marcus) Camby is basically the backbone of that defense. He kind of anchors a lot of things and you know, for us we’ve been in that kind of situation before. Kurt Thomas has to come in and play, and LaMarcus (Aldridge). We can slide him to the five but he got into foul trouble. Injuries are going to happen, so we need to be more aggressive. They out-rebounded us tonight. They don’t have any monsters in the paint. Tim (Duncan) is good and (DeJuan) Blair does a good job, but that’s not a lot of length. Rebounding is about work and we know that. We need to be a better rebounding team, so everybody has to play a part in that. I thought there were some times where we were assuming a teammate was going to get the board.”

(On the team’s effort in the game)

“We got to understand what we need to do and we got to do it. We’ve done it. I thought tonight we got a little away from what we were supposed to do. Defensively, as well as offensively, I think everyone wants to put up numbers, but we got to play within our offense and it’s not ‘first opportunity, take the shot.’ It’s not a run-and-gun system. We need to get some execution, some type of rhythm and we didn’t get that tonight.”

Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge:

(How would you describe the game?)

“It was a tough loss. We had control of both halves and then we just let it slip away. It wasn’t even their starters tonight. Their second unit came in tonight and played big for them. They put pressure on us, crashed the boards hard and they just had more energy than us tonight. We had control, we just didn’t stay solid.”

(What changed for you guys in the game tonight toward the end?)

“I think in the first quarter, I was definitely rolling so it was a little bit easier. Going into the second half, they doubled and forced me baseline so things were not as easy as it was in the first quarter. But we’ve dealt with that all year, so we have to be more solid.”

(On losing Marcus Camby)

“Definitely losing him is always tough, he’s a big time rebounder and shot blocker. He’s big for us and he’s our starting center, so losing him was tough, but Kurt came in did his job. It makes it tough for substitutions after that because you get used to having Camby, then Kurt. Then now you have to find somebody who can back up Kurt. Coach will figure it out. But, like I said, losing Camby was not our reason for losing this game. We just had control and we didn’t stay solid the whole game.

Portland Trail Blazers center, Marcus Camby:

(Feelings in general of the game)

“It was definitely frustrating. We seemed to be playing good basketball. I didn’t get to see the rest of the game today. We’re going to have to figure out how to play on the road. The schedule has been in our favor the first part because we had a lot of home games and we solidified our home court.”

(Thoughts after initial injury)

“I thought I was going to be able to just get up and walk it off or run it off. I just really can’t put a lot of weight on it now. So, I’m going to stick to the treatments and try to get out on the court as quickly as possible.”

(Any words to teammates after injury?)

“We have a lot of bigs that are going to have the opportunity to play and show what they got. Guys have been working hard at practice, so now they are going to get the opportunity. So, hopefully they can make the best of the opportunity. ”