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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: THUNDER v SPURSMay 29, 2014Gregg PopovichSAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: Game Five San Antonio – 117 Q. Why were Duncan and Ginobili so much more effective tonight than they were Tuesday? GREGG POPOVICH: I have no idea. You know, it's a game. Sometimes people have better games one night than they do another night. Q. It looked like you did some things different with Serge, though, tonight, that he was able to do in the last game. What was it that you did differently? GREGG POPOVICH: We just played harder. Q. In Oklahoma City you kept talking about physicality, toughness. Was it really just that simple? GREGG POPOVICH: Well, that's a big part of it. You know, you play with passion, you play with determination. It seems kind of a trite sort of notion, but sometimes players do and sometimes they don't. They're human beings, they're not automatons. Staying on top of that, I think, is really important. Q. Did you get what you wanted out of your lineup change with Matte, and then starting the second half with Boris, both those changes? GREGG POPOVICH: Yes. Q. What specifically did you get from them? GREGG POPOVICH: It worked for a while. I'm not too interested in talking to you about specifics about why things worked or didn't work. I'd rather have other people figure that out. Q. Well, could you talk then about‑‑ GREGG POPOVICH: Probably not, but go ahead. (Laughter). Q. About what you got from Tim Duncan on the interior tonight? GREGG POPOVICH: What you usually see from Tim, and what we've observed for a lot of years, he's just a solid player. He never does anything amazing except in the fundamental nature of the way he plays. It's amazing because so many people don't. He takes great pride in doing everything he can to anchor the defense. He's not going to leap out of the gym or move as quickly as he used to, but he still is the basis for what we do, and he's a great rebounder, got a great knack for the ball, understands the offense and how it works. So he's Timmy, just like Kevin is Kevin and Russell is Russell. These guys are great players, and they do what they do, and they try to be consistent at it. Q. Did it help that Matte was on the floor? GREGG POPOVICH: You know, I have no idea. Q. Can you talk about the defense by Kawhi and Danny, with Danny guarding Russ? GREGG POPOVICH: As I've said before, they just tried to make those guys work as hard as they can. They're great players, they're All‑Stars. They're going to continue to be, and we're going to hear from those guys for a long time to come, so you're not going to stop either one of them. But I think Danny and Kawhi worked as hard as they could on it. Q. After Game 4, you talked about the decision making, driving the lane, and when to try to shoot and when not to. What was it about your decision making that you liked better tonight? GREGG POPOVICH: Well, we got off the ball. We didn't have any ball stoppers. We hit open people and relied on team play more than we did in OKC. Q. Was there something specifically you guys did to neutralize what Ibaka does, or was it just great shooting tonight? GREGG POPOVICH: No, we didn't do anything different. Q. You got 23 assists and shot 50 percent from the three. Is that more like Spurs basketball? GREGG POPOVICH: I don't think we shoot 50 percent night after night, so it's a good night from the three, but the assists are indicative of what we're used to. But most likely you're not going to shoot 50 percent night after night from three, that's for sure. Q. Five games, five blowouts. To us who don't really know the game, how do you explain that? GREGG POPOVICH: You're serious? You really think I can explain that? Q. In simplest terms. (Laughter). I know you can. The question is will you? GREGG POPOVICH: Good Lord. And they pay you, don't they? Q. Very little. GREGG POPOVICH: (Laughs.) Thus the question. You're not worth much. Q. What was the key to limiting the Thunder in transition tonight? GREGG POPOVICH: Well, you know, when you score a little bit, it helps. And when you don't turn it over, it helps. So that's probably most of it. Q. Considering if you lose you go to their place down 3‑2, was this as close to a must‑win game, even though it wasn't a Game 7? GREGG POPOVICH: Sure. Q. Can you explain why these games have been so lopsided? GREGG POPOVICH: No, there's no way. I have no clue, honestly. I think every game, it's a different animal. It really is. We talk to our team about that all the time. You have no clue what's going to happen, how a team is going to come out, whether they're going to be lethargic or hold the ball, don't hold the ball, get 50/50 balls or don't get 50/50 balls. The game is played once it begins and adjustments start. Both sides are going to make their adjustments, whether it's substitutions or changing pick‑and‑roll defenses or who you want to go to, how many minutes so‑and‑so should play. All that happens when the game starts. There are plays, there are calls, there are runs that happen that make momentum stop or get extended. And then a lot of it has got to do with players making shots on a certain night, and it can go in either direction. Obviously, it seems like the home court motivates both teams pretty well. That's one thing I guess you could say. They both look like they feel pretty comfortable playing at home. So that's why we've opted not to go to OKC. (Laughter). Q. What's the key to these guys? Maybe it's just experience, but leaving OKC in OKC, there seems to be no hangover from the last two games. GREGG POPOVICH: You expect that from your team. This is a Final Four team standing and not a 30, and you would think that they're professional enough to understand that you might win one, you might lose one. Don't get too excited about yourself if you win, and don't hang your head and do a pity party if you lose. You know, what's important is the next game, just like the next play in each game is important. They've been around long enough, and OKC is the same way. You just come back and you play again. Q. Besides the starting lineup change, did you guys do a lot differently on the court, or was it just execution, better decision making‑‑ GREGG POPOVICH: I'll give you the whole game plan, and then you can put it in the paper. Q. Was it just better execution and getting physical? GREGG POPOVICH: It was two things. What matters in a game is execution and mental toughness. You have to execute and you have to play with passion. So it's like the old Dean Smith, Larry Brown thing, play harder and smarter than your opponent. It doesn't happen all the time, but if you can do it, that's the goal. Q. Your first‑half defense wasn't great. Thunder got 55 points, shot 50 percent. Second half, particularly third quarter when they still had a chance, you shut them down really well. What happened in the third quarter defensively? GREGG POPOVICH: When those runs happen like that, it's never one thing. Maybe we played pretty good defense during that period and maybe they missed shots, but I'm sure they had open shots that they missed. Maybe we played good D for a while and we made shots, and so you get a run. But it's never you shut somebody down totally. I'm sure it's a little bit of both, and we probably took care of the ball during that period, probably didn't turn it over because that's like a lay‑up for those guys. If you turn it over, it's gone; it's over. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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