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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: THUNDER v SPURSMay 31, 2014Gregg PopovichOKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA: Game Six Q. I don't know if you're able to reveal this, but same lineup as the second half of last game? GREGG POPOVICH: I'm not really going to talk about Os and Xs or what we're going to do in the game. It's not rocket science, though. It's pretty simple. Q. How do you feel about how these guys have been in the past in games like these closeout games, even though they've got another one ahead of them? GREGG POPOVICH: You know, I don't even think about that. It doesn't really matter what they've done in the past. It has nothing to do with what happens now or any other time. It just doesn't enter my mind. It doesn't seem that there's anything to gain by thinking about what we did in the past in a certain game or series. Every one is different. Q. You had a conversation with Coach Brown yesterday, he told me. When you talk to him at this time of the year, is it about basketball, or is it just life in general? GREGG POPOVICH: He's a friend, and I just talk to him about a lot of things. Q. Did you study any rocket science at the academy? GREGG POPOVICH: Yeah, I had aeronautical engineering and astronomical engineering courses, yeah. Q. Pretty hard, weren't they? GREGG POPOVICH: I got D's. So far the questions are amazing. I'm enjoying the hell out of this. Keep them coming. This is great. Q. Do you need a big game from Tony in order to win this series or win tonight? GREGG POPOVICH: Do we need a big game from Tony? One would like players to play well, and players that have a great night help their teams win. That's for sure. But does it have to be exactly Tony Parker or Russell Westbrook? It could be somebody else who has a great game. Maybe Butler has a great game tonight. Maybe Patty Mills has a great game. Often times, role players end up being the difference in games like this. Q. How much time have you spent or have you spent much time watching other series? GREGG POPOVICH: Oh, I watch the other games. It's hard not to. It's actually fun because you don't have any stake in who wins or loses, so you're not nervous before the game and you can actually watch and enjoy the play of certain players. And, you know, you might glean something now and then that you think might help you in the future if you're a team that advances. But mostly, it's just enjoyable to watch. Q. Did you get the desired effect you were looking for in the Leonard‑Westbrook matchup? Did you like the way that played out in Game 5? GREGG POPOVICH: Sure. As long as we're making him work. We've said that a lot of times. You don't stop guys like that, but if you can make them work, you're at least on the right trail. Q. You talked about how in the other games in the other series that you watch, that you don't have to get nervous or anything like that while you're watching. I'm wondering on games like tonight, can you give us the moment that you become most nervous? GREGG POPOVICH: I don't know if I can do that. It's awful sitting in your hotel room all afternoon, I can tell you that. That's the worst part of my job is sitting in a hotel waiting for a game. It can be regular season or Playoffs. It doesn't matter. It just seems like wasted time in life. That's as honest as I can be, I guess. Q. You talked about role players. What role player in the series do you think has given you the best effort or performance on both ends? GREGG POPOVICH: You know, I think our bench has done well. Obviously Manu, he comes off the bench, but he's a starter except for the fact that Popovich doesn't let him start. But he's our most important guy off the bench, and he's our most consistent guy. Q. Obviously the home team has won every game in this series. What's it going to take to reverse that trend and break through? GREGG POPOVICH: You know, you ask a question that if I had the answer or if Scotty had the answer, there wouldn't be blowouts and we already would have beaten each other on the other court, so nobody has an answer to something like that. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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