Danny White
Winter is Coming
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Popovich sees holes in big winning streak
Jeff McDonald
San Antonio Express-News
The scoreboard at the AT&T Center said the Spurs defeated New Jersey on Tuesday night, and by a comfortable tally of 81-70.
A fly on the wall of the Spurs' locker room, privy to coach Gregg Popovich's postgame (cough) pep talk, might not have been so sure.
By the time Popovich was finished, even his players couldn't remember if they had just beaten the Nets, or if the Nets had beaten them.
"The way he was screaming," Tony Parker said, "it was like we lost the game."
Popovich didn't like his team's focus, didn't like its attention to detail, didn't like its offense and really didn't like its defense.
The point of the postgame gripe session was not lost on Popovich's players: With the playoffs rapidly approaching, it's all about perfection.
"It's not that we don't care about winning," Parker said. "It's just the way we are playing is the most important thing. If it was a good team last night, maybe we lose that game."
Against the sagging Nets, the Spurs played just well enough to win their 10th game in a row.
They made just 33.8 percent of their shots, their most cockeyed shooting performance in victory this season. Of course they also held the Nets to a 37.3 percentage — and to 26 points below what they had been averaging the previous 10 games — but Popovich wasn't about to credit the Spurs' defense for those lackluster numbers.
Afterward, he bemoaned his team's lack of mental focus and failure to stick to its defensive principles.
"Earlier in the year, maybe the 23rd game, it's going to happen," Popovich said. "But it can't happen this late in the year."
No balm conceals a team's imperfections quite like a 10-game winning streak. Yet heading down the home stretch of the season, with just 23 games left beginning tonight against Indiana at the AT&T Center, the Spurs are still a team with a few subtle flaws to fix and blemishes to buff out.
Partially behind the Spurs' push for perfection is the ever-tightening nature of the Western Conference race. With five games separating first place from last, and with the Spurs and Lakers engaged in a daily tug-o-war for the top seed, every game counts.
Even those against otherwise lackluster Eastern Conference competition.
"Lack of focus can be detrimental right now," forward Bruce Bowen said. "You can go on a two-game losing streak and end up in sixth place."
With that in mind, Parker called his team's ragged victory over New Jersey, "a good wake-up call."
"That's what happens, you win a lot of games in a row and lose your focus a little bit," Parker said. "Good teams are coming up, so we need to play better."
For the Spurs these days, the hard work is in the details. It's about tightening up defensive rotations, polishing up offensive execution and nudging everyday intensity levels toward a playoff plateau.
Popovich, meanwhile, has his own to-do list.
Typically, by this time each season, he's got his playing rotation set for the stretch run.
Partially due to a rash of midseason injuries and partially due to the recent arrival of new players Damon Stoudamire and Kurt Thomas, Popovich is still tinkering this season.
"I don't know whether Kurt should start or Fab (Oberto) should start," Popovich said. "(Or) if I should bring Manu (Ginobili) off the bench because it's been successful the last couple of years, or whether he should start now because things have changed."
Popovich says he hasn't given himself a firm timetable for providing answers to any of the above.
"It's just something we'll decide on as we move on," he said. "But I know we're not ready to decide now."
If there's one thing Parker knows, it's that Popovich will iron this out, too. Win or lose, his coach is too much of a perfectionist not to.
"That's why he's a great coach and why we've won so many championships," Parker said. "Because he wants everything perfect."
ALL ABOUT PERFECTION
While the Spurs haven't achieved the perfection Gregg Popovich wants, they have put together a 10-game winning streak, based largely on their defense. Here's a look at their numbers during the streak.
Points: The Spurs' 94.4 points per game ranks as fourth-worst in the league over the last 10 games, but their opponents are averaging only 86.1. That ranks as the lowest for an opponent in the league, and the differential — plus 8.3 — ranks as the fourth best.
Field-goal percentage: The Spurs have shot only 44.6 percent, which ranks 21st. But their opponents have shot 40.7, which makes the Spurs the stingiest defensive team in terms of field-goal percentage.
Assists: The Spurs are averaging 20.3, which is 11th-best. Other teams average 16.3, worst in the league, which shows how difficult opponents find it to move the ball effectively against the Spurs.
Jeff McDonald
San Antonio Express-News
The scoreboard at the AT&T Center said the Spurs defeated New Jersey on Tuesday night, and by a comfortable tally of 81-70.
A fly on the wall of the Spurs' locker room, privy to coach Gregg Popovich's postgame (cough) pep talk, might not have been so sure.
By the time Popovich was finished, even his players couldn't remember if they had just beaten the Nets, or if the Nets had beaten them.
"The way he was screaming," Tony Parker said, "it was like we lost the game."
Popovich didn't like his team's focus, didn't like its attention to detail, didn't like its offense and really didn't like its defense.
The point of the postgame gripe session was not lost on Popovich's players: With the playoffs rapidly approaching, it's all about perfection.
"It's not that we don't care about winning," Parker said. "It's just the way we are playing is the most important thing. If it was a good team last night, maybe we lose that game."
Against the sagging Nets, the Spurs played just well enough to win their 10th game in a row.
They made just 33.8 percent of their shots, their most cockeyed shooting performance in victory this season. Of course they also held the Nets to a 37.3 percentage — and to 26 points below what they had been averaging the previous 10 games — but Popovich wasn't about to credit the Spurs' defense for those lackluster numbers.
Afterward, he bemoaned his team's lack of mental focus and failure to stick to its defensive principles.
"Earlier in the year, maybe the 23rd game, it's going to happen," Popovich said. "But it can't happen this late in the year."
No balm conceals a team's imperfections quite like a 10-game winning streak. Yet heading down the home stretch of the season, with just 23 games left beginning tonight against Indiana at the AT&T Center, the Spurs are still a team with a few subtle flaws to fix and blemishes to buff out.
Partially behind the Spurs' push for perfection is the ever-tightening nature of the Western Conference race. With five games separating first place from last, and with the Spurs and Lakers engaged in a daily tug-o-war for the top seed, every game counts.
Even those against otherwise lackluster Eastern Conference competition.
"Lack of focus can be detrimental right now," forward Bruce Bowen said. "You can go on a two-game losing streak and end up in sixth place."
With that in mind, Parker called his team's ragged victory over New Jersey, "a good wake-up call."
"That's what happens, you win a lot of games in a row and lose your focus a little bit," Parker said. "Good teams are coming up, so we need to play better."
For the Spurs these days, the hard work is in the details. It's about tightening up defensive rotations, polishing up offensive execution and nudging everyday intensity levels toward a playoff plateau.
Popovich, meanwhile, has his own to-do list.
Typically, by this time each season, he's got his playing rotation set for the stretch run.
Partially due to a rash of midseason injuries and partially due to the recent arrival of new players Damon Stoudamire and Kurt Thomas, Popovich is still tinkering this season.
"I don't know whether Kurt should start or Fab (Oberto) should start," Popovich said. "(Or) if I should bring Manu (Ginobili) off the bench because it's been successful the last couple of years, or whether he should start now because things have changed."
Popovich says he hasn't given himself a firm timetable for providing answers to any of the above.
"It's just something we'll decide on as we move on," he said. "But I know we're not ready to decide now."
If there's one thing Parker knows, it's that Popovich will iron this out, too. Win or lose, his coach is too much of a perfectionist not to.
"That's why he's a great coach and why we've won so many championships," Parker said. "Because he wants everything perfect."
ALL ABOUT PERFECTION
While the Spurs haven't achieved the perfection Gregg Popovich wants, they have put together a 10-game winning streak, based largely on their defense. Here's a look at their numbers during the streak.
Points: The Spurs' 94.4 points per game ranks as fourth-worst in the league over the last 10 games, but their opponents are averaging only 86.1. That ranks as the lowest for an opponent in the league, and the differential — plus 8.3 — ranks as the fourth best.
Field-goal percentage: The Spurs have shot only 44.6 percent, which ranks 21st. But their opponents have shot 40.7, which makes the Spurs the stingiest defensive team in terms of field-goal percentage.
Assists: The Spurs are averaging 20.3, which is 11th-best. Other teams average 16.3, worst in the league, which shows how difficult opponents find it to move the ball effectively against the Spurs.
