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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: THUNDER v SPURSMay 29, 2012Gregg PopovichSAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: Game Two San Antonio – 120 Q. Is that exactly the kind of aggression you want from Tony to set the tone for on the fence? COACH POPOVICH: Well, Tony's been great all year. He's been really focused the entire season. What he did tonight, we've seen many times before, so it's not a surprise. But he was excellent. He played a fantastic game in a lot of ways. Q. What is the perspective on how well your offense is playing right now, especially down some stretches tonight? How many times has it been better in your entire time here than it has been in the last month or so? COACH POPOVICH: Well, we've had good ball movement with other teams that we've had here, but I think that the combination of penetrate and pitch and post‑up with Timmy is probably the best that we've had. Other teams were more half court. This team has more pace to it than what we've had in the past. Q. Do you think the Hack‑a‑Shaq or Hack‑a‑Splitter had anything to do with Oklahoma City getting back into the game? COACH POPOVICH: Maybe, maybe. It was a good move. I might have done it. Q. Have you ever tried it? COACH POPOVICH: No, I've never done that before. I think it's a really lousy thing to do. It's unsportsmanlike. No, it's a good move. If there's a reason to do it and they felt there was a reason to do it, and they did it. So it's a good move. Q. Your Spurs were the last team to come back from a 2‑0 deficit in the playoff series. How is it done? COACH POPOVICH: You just play every game. You play every game and whatever happens, happens. Q. In the fourth when things got a little sticky, Manu seemed to be the go‑to guy, making plays. Can you just comment on that? COACH POPOVICH: Well, he and Tony do a great job of that. You can get tired working as hard as they do and taking turns with it seems to work pretty well. There are times when they realize who should have the ball. I don't really tell them. They figure it out. They've been here a long time, and their decisions are usually better than what I'm going to tell them to do. So Tony carried it for a while, and Manu carried it for a while. But I think everybody spread the floor well, they executed, because everybody else has to do their job. The player can't just do it on his own if other people are in the way and not doing what they're supposed to do. Q. What's Kawhi Leonard done to make you comfortable playing a rookie late in a playoff game? COACH POPOVICH: Kawhi Leonard is a really quick learner. He's got a work ethic that's really impressive, and he has no fear. He's enjoying guarding the guys he's had to guard all year long. Coming from one year in college, and coming out and having to guard the people he's had to guard. It's been a great experience for him. I've learned as the year went along to believe in him more and more, now I just wish he knew our plays. Q. Did you think your guys let up a little at 80‑58? Were you impressed? COACH POPOVICH: No, they didn't let up. We called a couple of plays and we flubbed them up. We had people that didn't know where to go. I thought we lost a little mojo then. At the same time, Oklahoma City made some shots, got to the hole. We turned it over a couple of times and that's how those things happen. It's the NBA and it's the playoffs. Teams come back. Teams don't just die. They come back on you. Q. Was there an emphasis on starting fast tonight? You got off to a slower start. Or was it just a matter of making shots? COACH POPOVICH: You never go out and say we're going to start out fast tonight and have a lead of 10‑2 or 10‑8. You don't know that. You don't know what the hell's going to happen. You just want your team to be aggressive. Good teams are aggressive, and it is, as you said, it's a matter of making shots or not making shots. Sometimes getting leads are great. You'd rather have that than the alternative, but it's also your worst nightmare because it's a 48‑minute game, and a lot of stuff goes on. Q. One more question about the offense. When you guys were clicking like you were in the middle quarters tonight, are you still seeing flaws in what you're doing offensively, or is there a point that you're sort of shaking your head saying this is exactly as we drew it? COACH POPOVICH: Sometimes it's exactly as we drew it, and other times it's a miracle, and that's the truth. It doesn't always go exactly the way you planned. Good players get it done. Q. When Oklahoma City's three top players score the way they did tonight, it's tough to beat them. But what was helpful in y'all winning tonight? COACH POPOVICH: I think scoring was important for us tonight. Keeping the pace and scoring, because I thought our defense wasn't near as good as it was in game 1. Q. Can you talk about what Tony does for your team when he's hitting those shots from the outside? Especially early in bulk, I assume that frees up a lot more than just him. COACH POPOVICH: Well, that's what you hope happens. When your players shoot, they make it. I don't know what you're looking for. He did a great job of finding other people, scoring himself at the rim, making jumpers. He played an all-around game and busted his butt on D. I don't know what else to tell you. Q. With Leonard, you talked about his defense, but are you surprised with his offense? Have you learned to trust him more with making those shots? COACH POPOVICH: Well, he's learning what's a good shot and what's not. What we want him to do in his role offensively, and what we don't want him to do. But that's going to take more time. He hasn't been here long enough for that, so there are going to be some mistakes. But I give him credit. He, as I said, is not afraid. He inserts himself into the game, and yes, we were surprised. We didn't know that he'd come along offensively with his shot the way he has. Chip Engelland and Chad Forcier have done a great job with him, and they've really developed him. He comes before practice, stays after. He really wants to be a good player. Q. It seemed like, Coach, a lot of 50‑50 balls went your way, and then them stepping out of bounds, you guys had tapouts. That seemed to be a big factor down the stretch, wouldn't you agree? COACH POPOVICH: I thought in the first half we did a really poor job. They beat us to death on the board and did get the 50‑50 balls and that sort of thing. We got back into that and got our share in the second half compared to the first half. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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