GOSPEL ACCORDING TO POP

Complex.com with a few quotes from yesterday’s press conference via Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.

• On how these Spurs with Duncan, Tony Parker and Many Ginobili have sustained greatness for more than a decade: “I think that it’s a real simple answer. Nobody really likes it. They want me to say something different. It’s a total function of who those three guys are. What if they were jerks? What if they were selfish? What if one of them was, you know, unintelligent? If, if, if. But the way it works out, all three of them are highly intelligent. They all have great character. They appreciate their teammates’ success. They feel responsible to each other. They feel responsible to Patty Mills or to Danny Green. That’s who they are and how they’re built. I think when you have three guys like that, you’re able to build something over time.

“So I think it’s just a matter of being really, really fortunate to have three people who understand that and who commit to a system and a philosophy for that length of time. I don’t know what else to tell you. It’s on them.”

Hoops135@hotmail.com

Twitter: @CoachFinamore

THE SPURS BLUEPRINT

San Antonio swept the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference finals.  Gregg Popovich’s team will have nine days off before they play the winner of the Pacers-Heat series.

Tony Parker was amazing last night.   The Spurs point guard scored 37 points on 15-21 shooting from the field and dished out six assists.  ”He was outstanding the whole series, and he controlled the series with his penetration,” Lionell Hollins said of Parker. “He made shots, made plays. One game he has 18 assists, today he has 37 points. He was huge. But their team played well. You’ve got to give them credit.”

But what really caught my eye was the last play of the game.  The Spurs brought the ball up under ten seconds and Manu Ginobili threw the ball ahead to a wide open Kawhi Leonard.  Instead of laying the ball up Leonard dribbled the clock out.

The Spurs play together.  They don’t care who gets the credit.  And they are well coached.  Popovich holds guys accountable.  You have to defend, share the ball and play hard.  You have to know your role and stick to the game plan.

The Spurs are 12-2 in the playoffs including six in a row;  their only two losses have come to the Golden State Warriors.

“We’re not a one-on-one team, we do it as a group,” Popovich said after the game.

What impressed me through the playoffs is the last man on the Spurs bench, Patty Mills.  The guy doens’t sniff the court but he’s the most energetic guy on the Spurs bench.   His contribution has not gone unnoticed by the people who matter.  Last night during the game,  Jeff Van Gundy, an analyst for ESPN, was full of praise for Mills during the broadcast of the Spurs’ victory, noting the Australian’s support for teammates on the floor, whether it was waving towels, high fives or patting them on the back.

“You know what I love? Patty Mills,” Van Gundy said. ”I’m telling you, if I ever coach again, this is the type of guy you need to keep the energy up through a long NBA season.”

Energy guys not only on the court but on the bench is what helps the Spurs win too.

Hoops135@hotmail.com

Twitter: @CoachFinamore

IN THE POST

A few years ago pundits were discussing how our big men here in America need to work on their outside shooting. They wanted American coaches to allow the “bigs’ to step outside and shoot from three-point range. These same critics called for the ‘International Model’.

While watching the NBA Draft Combine this past week there was some good talk about the lack of scoring in the post from the college “bigs.”  In the NBA, Zach Randolph and Roy Hibbert have shown the ability to score in the post in the 2013 play-offs.

I would agree that there is a lack of scoring in the post.  This is due to many reasons.  One being, your guards have to give up the ball and two, inside players need to work on their low-post game. It’s not hard to develop scoring in the post, it just needs to be emphasized and worked on. We spend so much time on drills for perimeter players, are we spending enough time with the “bigs?”

On a different note, players that really care are important to your team’s success.  Some get it, some don’t.  Gregg Popovich on Danny Green:

“He’s just really matured to the point he takes things personally if we’re not playing well.”

Hoops135@hotmail.com

Twitter: @CoachFinamore

POP LIFE

Jack McCallum on Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.

Great thought from McCallum:

“As Pop sees it, every minute that he’s talking about himself is one minute away from the mission, which is preparation and, ultimately, winning.”

Hoops135@hotmail.com

Twitter: @CoachFinamore

WORD ACCORDING TO POP

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich:

1-Hiring the right staff is most important. You want to hire qualified people, not buddies. Its great if those qualities coincide but it’s not necessary.

2-Your staff must have a work ethic that matches yours.

3-Your staff must show loyalty to the program and the vision you have. It helps to hire varied personalities.

4-Develop relationships with your players.

5-Be honest and straightforward.

6-Show that you care.

7-Tell people what you want.

8-Establish a system everyone can believe in and that you can teach and feel confident about.

9-Make things clear to people; including principles and standards you have set and expect to be followed clear to everyone.

(Taken from Pat Williams’ “The Ultimate Coaches Clinic)

HOOPS135@HOTMAIL.COM

TWITTER: @CoachFinamore