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NBA FINALS: SPURS v HEATJune 20, 2013Gregg PopovichMIAMI, FLORIDA: Game Seven San Antonio Spurs - 88 Q. Pop, can you sum up what you think happened there, really in the fourth quarter? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: I want to congratulate the Heat on another championship, another NBA championship. Mr. Arison, Pat Riley, Erik, his staff, their players deserve congratulations. It was a tough grind to get through the NBA playoffs. It takes about six months, I think. That's what it feels like. They did a great job. Great crew. I'm happy for them. For our part, I couldn't love our guys more. What they accomplished this year is something nobody would have ever expected. And they showed a lot of mental toughness and a lot of good play to get where they got. And I couldn't be more proud of them. Q. Could you talk about how difficult it was to initiate offense with Tony struggling the way he did and Danny not being able to find‑‑ COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Players step up in the playoffs. Tonight a great example of that was Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. They played Hall‑of‑Fame basketball tonight. That's some of the best basketball they both played at the same time throughout the entire playoffs from what I saw. When you have somebody like Shane come off the bench and knock it down the way he did, that's tough to match. If you're going to match that, you have to be pretty perfect. I didn't think we played our best game in that regard. Q. Can you describe the difficulty in asking more from your guys when clearly they exerted everything they had and you needed a little bit more. So in the timeouts and maybe in huddles when you're asking them to give more, how tough is that? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Well, I thought they gave everything.  That was a tough Game 6. And I think they showed a lot of poise, a lot of mental toughness to come back today and play as hard as they did. I don't think we played very well, but we played hard. We gave it everything we had. They did a pretty good job of forgetting what we let go in Game 6. So I was really pleased at their approach and their effort. Q. Where did that effort and that resolve come from? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: That's just character. That's character. We've got a bunch of guys who aren't going to give in, keep playing with each other, for each other, and really feel the responsibility to each other. So I expect nothing less, and that's what I got. Q. Pop, you've described this as torture and agony leading into this. Is it possible to take a step back and appreciate the nature of this series and how good the basketball was throughout? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: It was a great series, and we felt that. I don't know if "enjoy" is the right word, but in all honesty, even in defeat, I'm starting to enjoy what our group accomplished already, when you look back. And you need to do that, to put it in perspective. So it's no fun to lose, but we lost to a better team. And you can live with that as long as you've given your best. And I think we have. We just didn't play well. And a lot of that had to do with their pressure, their defense, a lot of contested shots. Their athleticism was just tough for us to handle. And it finally showed a little bit in the seventh game. But they hung in as well as they could. Q. Pop, what was your message to the team after the game? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: I just told them I loved them. Q. I know this is early, but are you confident this whole group will be back next season? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: I'm going to go get a meal. I'm not going to think about next season. I'm going to enjoy what they accomplished this season and feel badly about the loss all at the same time. I don't know how you do that, but I'll figure it out. Q. Pop, could you talk about what Kawhi gave you, a 21‑year‑old, really wanting the ball, wanting to make plays. COACH GREGG POPOVICH: I just talked to Kawhi and told him he was absolutely amazing. Nobody expected him at this young age to play the way he has through the whole playoffs. He really is a star in the making. He's just beginning to feel what he has. He's like a little baby learning how to walk, as far as NBA basketball is concerned. He's a senior in college this year, and he's come so far, and a lot of that credit goes to Chip Engelland and Chad Forcier what they've done in developing him. Q. Even in the fourth quarter as LeBron kept coming and they would get a little cushion here and there, it always seemed like your guys made a big shot to stay in it. How did it feel as it was going down the stretch? Did you think you had a real chance to jump back in there and get it? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Oh, sure. We had a three that could have tied it. We had a three right in front of our bench that would have tied the score, and that would have been a huge shot. That would have been the kind of playoff shot you make to stay in a game or win a game. It didn't go down. They went down and scored, and it built from the three point to the five point. And they ended up getting it done. Q. Danny Green, 1 of 12, he complained before the game about being sick, feeling under the weather. Was that a contributing factor at all? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: I don't know anything about that. Q. And Parker was on the bench when Manu committed the final turnover with about 23 seconds left. You guys were down by four. Why was he on the bench? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Because that's what I decided to do. Q. Can you elaborate on that? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: No. Take care. Thanks for everything, guys. Gals. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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