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NBA FINALS: SPURS v HEATJune 11, 2013Gregg PopovichSAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: Game Three Miami Heat - 77 Q. Two questions, Pop. First, can you tell us anything about Tony Parker's injury? Do you know anything about that? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: No. Q. Secondly, can you speak to the perseverance of Gary Neal this season, working through the plantar fasciitis and having to sit for a while and struggle to get back into his role as a shooter. COACH GREGG POPOVICH: You know, he's a professional. He's been doing a lot of two‑on‑two and three‑on‑three for a good part of the season, trying to get back into shape and stay ready. And he's a quality individual, and he made himself ready and he really helped us tonight, obviously. Q. Tim Duncan, to see him chasing down balls on the sidelines and the 14 rebounds he had, where do you think that energy is coming from at this stage? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Just because he's a little older doesn't mean he's lost his competitiveness or his professional will to compete. That's not going to stop. Q. Pop, obviously Kawhi is still a guy that's developing every single game, every single possession. Can you address his steadiness in The Finals going up against a guy like LeBron? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: You know, it's just an individual thing; some guys are affected by the lights and some guys aren't. We haven't done anything to make him the way he is; he already is like that. He's quiet, he's humble, he wants to be a great player, and he works before and after practice every day. So what we're seeing out there is just a part of his personality. He just comes to play. Q. Pop, can you talk about the confidence that Danny Green is playing with on both ends of the court and the energy that he's playing, feeling on both sides of the court? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: That was the missing piece the last couple of years for him. We actually cut him twice. And when we brought him back to camp this year it was the third time. Coach Williams at North Carolina and I double‑teamed him, talked to him about that sort of thing. And I think Coach Williams had a big impact on Danny's mental status. Believing that he belonged. Not getting down if things didn't go well, to continue to push and to work.  And to Danny's credit, he's done that. He's a pretty confident young man right now. Q. Pop, do you have any idea what you guys have been doing so good to take out of the series LeBron James, the MVP in the regular season? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: We haven't stopped anybody. We're trying to play good team defense on everybody. Q. Pop, the belief that you spoke about with Danny Green, is that indicative of your whole team as well, just not getting down after what happened in Game 2 and being able to respond the way that they did tonight? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Well, you know, it shouldn't be a surprise if these are the last two teams standing this season in the NBA Finals, I don't think either one of them is going to go down because they have a bad night. Q. Can you speak to Manu's sort of bounceback game and having him available to sort of run the show when Tony couldn't play much of the second half? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Manu is an experienced player, and we do depend on him to handle the ball quite a bit when Tony is not on the court. Q. Pop, you talked about cutting Danny Green twice before he got the big contract. How did he take the news those times when that happened? And why did you keep taking chances on him? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: He handled it well. He was grateful for the advice we gave him, and we felt that he had enough skills, to come back to camp would only be a positive for us just to see. Nothing to lose, because he's such a quality kid. And again, Coach Williams spending time with him in the interim and really convinced me that he deserved another shot. Q. What was the advice that you gave him? You said you gave him advice both times you cut him. What was that advice? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Well, he just talked to Danny about being confident and about going after a job like he really wanted it. Not to be in float, but to go after it. Take no prisoners, so to speak. Act like somebody is trying to take something away from you, and really be intense, really compete, and at the same time, if you miss some shots or something doesn't go well, don't think it's the end of your chances. Just keep on competing. And he had a great camp. He was never down at all. THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Coach. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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