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NBA FINALS: HEAT v SPURSJune 6, 2014Gregg PopovichSAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: Practice Day Q. I imagine turnovers are frustrating but in a night like last night, when it seemed like you didn't turn it over, you were scoring almost at will at times, does it seem frustrating when you're stopping yourselves? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Well, both teams were a little bit sloppy in that regard for sure and it's always frustrating to a coach with turnovers. Some were forced, some unforced but the unforced ones are the ones that drive you really crazy. As I said yesterday, for us, that's always a bad sign. We escaped last night by shooting the ball the way we did, I guess. So if that continues, we're going to have a big problem. Q. Pop, did you have guys, anybody complaining from stiffness, soreness? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Nope. Q. Did you stress extra fluids before they left last night? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: No, we did the same things we always do. The trainer guys give them shakes and fluids, things I don't understand, and they do their massage and the things they've been doing the whole time, but nothing different. Q. LeBron has been not shy at all about speaking out on social issues. You seem like the same thing over the years, too, you haven't been unwilling to give your opinion‑‑ COACH GREGG POPOVICH: I'm getting more and more unwilling as your question continues but go ahead. (Laughter.) Q. Wondering why not? Why is it not worth the hassle or worth the hassle? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: You're talking about LeBron and myself? Q. For yourself. COACH GREGG POPOVICH: I'm not here to be a politician or a judge or a social changer. I'm here to coach a basketball team. If you want to talk about social change and what's right or wrong with America, you need to be in a different venue. Q. Gregg, before the second half started LeBron came up and talked to you. You guys were talking. What was that conversation about? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: Just between us. It's nobody else's business. You know, we respect each other and I think he's an unbelievable performer. What may be more amazing to me is the way he's conducted himself over the years with all the scrutiny. None of us really understand what that is. He's done it pretty damn well. Q. You know Tony and Manu were talking about last night how they played in Europe with no air conditioning, things like that. Is there a mental toughness that your team has that maybe guys aren't spoiled coming up, taken care of like players in America are? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: You know, I think everything is an individual thing. It's difficult to judge or paint things with too big a brush. I think individual players have their own individual qualities and traits. I think some players are softer than others, some are tougher than others. But that doesn't change, it's just who they are. It depends what you mean by "toughness." Mental toughness is often confused with a blatant, physical sort of aggression, which isn't really true. I think you have to be careful when you talk about whether this person is tough or that person it tough. Q. Coach, were you comfortable with the kinds of shots that they were getting against your defense last night? Were there things that you wanted to tighten up? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: I thought we made a good number of mistakes. I thought they missed some wide, wide open shots that they had, that scare you to death once you watch the film. That's not just blowing smoke or an exaggeration. There were about seven or eight wide‑open threes they had that just didn't go down. Q. Pop, given the conditions last night, Magic and players of his era were talking about how the Garden was back in the '80s when they played. Now that LeBron has a history of cramping in these kind of conditions, can he likely expect that no one is going to make allowances for air conditioning the rest of his career? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: All I know is that I saw all the air conditioning people in the hallways on my way out last night and I sent them home. (Laughter.) Q. Boris' numbers don't always jump out at you, but he is able to impact the game. How is he able to impact the game in so many ways? How does his versatility help you guys? COACH GREGG POPOVICH: You just answered your own question. He's a very versatile, versatile player. Some players have a feel for the game that is better than others. And he's one of those. He can pass the basketball. He sees the floor in a spatial relationship sort of way. He knows where people are. He knows where the ball should go. He anticipates. On defense, although he's carrying around a little bit of luggage, he does his work early and positions himself pretty well. He allows us to play big and play small at the same time, is what it amounts to. THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Coach. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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