NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: SPURS v SUNS

June 1, 2005

Gregg Popovich

COACH POPOVICH: Very happy that we don't have to play those guys again. One heck of a basketball team and, you know, Brian with his staff, Mike and his staff, the players, had an unbelievable season. They were great from beginning to end. They deserve all kinds of credit and kudos for doing what they did this year. They were one of the best teams to watch in the league because of the way they played and I feel fortunate to be in the position that we're in because they are so darn good. Again, I am thrilled we don't have to play them again.

COACH POPOVICH: You know, I did say that because I believed it. I thought -- everybody said, well, in the playoffs they will go half court, everybody said they can't make shots, and I believed from the beginning that they can do exactly what they did in the regular season and they did. They played their style and it was great. So that's why I give them so much credit. They stuck with it. Mike did just a great job in being consistent with that club and doing something that other people haven't really done, and they benefited from it. I am sure they will stick with it. They will just get better.

COACH POPOVICH: I don't know. You all have to judge that. I mean, what was the -- I don't even know the score. What was the score? 101-95. There's a little bit of defense there, I guess. Maybe a little bit -- at least it wasn't 120 to 115 or something like that. But for us to beat them, we have to make some stops because we were not as good as them offensively. They are better than us offensively, so that's what they try to do, probably on the whole we're a little better than them defensively, so we had to make those stops and we made some tonight in the third and fourth quarter that allowed us to maybe have an opportunity to win the game. But we're just different.

COACH POPOVICH: I won't obsess over it because it is what it is. We'll just try to figure out how to keep guys in shape, how to stay sharp and do the best job we can. And when Detroit or Miami come along, we will find out if we were successful at doing it. Other than that, I won't worry about it.

COACH POPOVICH: Absolutely. Tim Duncan was a possessed individual. You would never know it by looking at his face or talking to him, I haven't talked to him for two days. I just leave him alone in these situations if he has a game like he did the other night. And he doesn't need anybody to talk to him. Especially a coach. He's a very mature individual who understands what needs to be done. And what he did tonight he's done many, many times. It's just who he is. It's what makes him so special.

COACH POPOVICH: Well, I think our guys are more suited for that overall, you know, Manu and Tony (Parker) would like to run. We sort of have a split personality because of the personnel on our team. We'll play the same way. We'll try to push it. If we don't have it we will try to do something decent in the half court. But Detroit and Miami do that too. You all have a tendency to label people as half court or running teams, and it's not very accurate very often. Teams are a little bit more multi-faceted than you might guess.

COACH POPOVICH: David Robinson and Tim Duncan. You don't have to say anything else. What franchise has been more fortunate than that to draft a guy that can go 10, 12, 14, whatever David did and then add another 10, 12 with Tim Duncan. What we have done really well is we haven't screwed it up. But that's it. Without that having happened, we're not who we are. So we have been very fortunate.

COACH POPOVICH: Never. Never. I don't know what to do with him. I mean, he's just unbelievable. He's a real unique player. He's only going to get better. I don't know how. I don't know what he can do, score 60, I don't know. What did he get tonight?

COACH POPOVICH: That's the Spurs, we held them to 42 tonight. We're a hell of a defensive club. Detroit and Miami are licking their chops waiting to get to us (laughter).

COACH POPOVICH: No.

COACH POPOVICH: (Laughs).