San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is a media favorite. Sure, it’s a touch scary asking the overtly direct 65-year-old a question because the pointed response combined with a death stare from steps away could take even the most confident person down a peg a two. Of course, that adds an element of danger to an otherwise routine pregame activity so thumbs up for that.
Popovich’s often-interesting comments do as well. The four-time NBA champion coach touched on several topics before Wednesday’s double-overtime thriller against the Wizards, San Antonio’s 16th straight victory in the series.
* In response to a question about why the Spurs had not lost to the Wizards since 2005: “We scored more points than they did each time. I don’t know. I don’t think about stuff like - I didn’t think about any kind of streak we have against them to be honest. The only thing it means to me is the percentages are probably with them to do well. I don’t know what to say to that. It doesn’t matter much, really.”
* On the Garrett Temple he sees on tape now compared to the guard’s two previous stints with the Spurs: “I haven’t watched him play at all. I don’t really watch anyone else too much. If we were playing as well as Indiana or Oklahoma City or Miami, I’d take some time to watch other people. I spend my time trying to figure us out, see what I’ve got to do to make us a better team.
* The Russian History major on the Winter Olympics in Sochi. “One would wonder with everything that’s going on why it would be put in a dangerous spot, when you think about the Caucasus and that area and what’s going on. At the time when the Olympics were won it wasn’t maybe as much in the forefront in everybody’s mind. Since that time, a lot of things have happened, and you could almost make the case of ’Where is it not dangerous in the world?’”
* On struggling to watch figure skating, his wife’s favorite Olympic sport: “I can’t watch it though. It makes me too nervous. Very honestly when they fall I feel awful for them. Just like somebody missing two free throws at the end of a basketball game and they go home and want to jump off a building. … I don’t care what country it is, it just drives me crazy so I can’t watch. I turn away like it’s a horror movie. That’s the truth.”
* On how injuries led to decision to sign wing and ex-Wizard (for a day at least) Shannon Brown this past week: “With all the perimeter guys down, we wanted someone that had some athleticism. We lost a lot of that obviously [without] Manu [Ginobili] and Kawhi [Leonard], so we wanted to bring someone that could maybe be strong enough to guard a [small forward] a little bit …[Trevor] Ariza’s probably in there starting to salivate about who is going to guard him tonight.” [Ariza finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds]
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