Ludden: Hunted feels new for Spurs

[Kori Ellis]

Hunted feels new for Spurs
Web Posted: 01/10/2005 12:00 AM CST

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b....903e2533.html

Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer

SALT LAKE CITY — Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has seen the standings as well as the headlines. He has listened to the analysts praise his team for its ball movement and commitment to defense. He has heard about the opposing coaches who claim the Spurs don't appear to have a single weakness.

Popovich also has seen a few other things. Denver forward Kenyon Martin scored a season-high 26 points, diving over the scorer's table for a pass. Sacramento, its roster thinned by injuries, refused to wilt under a fourth-quarter run by the Spurs. Indiana forward Jermaine O'Neal made one mid-range shot after another, flipping in hooks with either hand.

Sometimes it's enough to make Popovich smile.

"What better laboratory is there than having everybody wanting to come and beat us because of what everybody says about us, that we're this acious team?" Popovich said. "No team is as good as they're talked about, but I love this because it's better than any practice we could have.

"You need to embrace that and enjoy that. That can really make us good by the playoffs."

Provided, Popovich said, the Spurs maintain their focus. Of the Spurs' 28 victories, 21 have been decided by 13 points or more. Not only is their 11.7-point margin of victory tops in the league, it would rank as the fourth-greatest in NBA history if the season ended today.

The season, however, doesn't end for 14 weeks. For a team that usually doesn't surge up the standings until March, the Spurs are more accustomed to hunting than being hunted.

After the Spurs' first loss, a listless performance in Seattle, Popovich had bright red bull's-eyes taped to each player's chair in the locker room. Two months later, they remain one of the league's top targets.

"Everybody is going to bring their best game against us, and we have to match that emotion," Popovich said. "Sometimes it's tough, and I realize that. Nevertheless, you still want them to bring it every time."

That includes tonight, when the Spurs face Utah, a team they have beaten 18 consecutive times. The Jazz also have more problems than the Spurs, having lost nine-straight games and 19 of 22 since forward Andrei Kirilenko hurt his knee at the SBC Center on Nov.27.

Perhaps concerned about a letdown, Popovich chided the Spurs after Saturday's victory over Denver. In the past two games, he has seen signs of the team's concentration slipping: a forced pass into three defenders; a hurried 3-pointer; someone switching on a pick-and-roll when no switch was called.

"Every once in a while you have a down night or a down quarter where you might not bring it as much as Pop might want," Tim Duncan said. "We're trying to keep that focus and have that energy every night, and stay within ourselves and play within the game plan we have.

"We hope that will take care of the down times where we don't bring that energy we need."

The Spurs' loss to Sacramento on Jan. 2, Popovich thinks, was more valuable than their 34-point rout of Portland three nights earlier. It allowed them, he said, to see what they did wrong against a team that played hard the entire game.

"We can't think anyone is going to lay down or we're going to have an easy one," Popovich said. "You'll have an easy one if you embrace the fact that people are coming at you. You should be almost angry if they don't bring it because that's a wasted night for us."

With the Los Angeles Lakers having scattered, the Spurs are receiving more attention than they're used to this early in the season. But as well as they occasionally have played, the challenge is for them to show day-to-day improvement.

Even if someone else considers them the Team to Beat.

"It means nothing if you don't go on further and maybe get a championship," Bruce Bowen said. "If you don't do that, it's all for naught."

[whottt]

Man, I love this article. The stuff Pop is saying is awesome, some of it sounds more like stuff Phil Jackson would say than Pop though.

I'm glad he's not playing humble/trying to lay low for a change, the truth is I think that method has hurt the teams confidence at times in the past....This season he's letting the team know the bullseye is on their chest and asking them to respond to the challenge, and live up to being the team to beat. And he's pretty much acknowledging that he thinks we are the best team in the NBA when takes that "accept the challenge" stance,.

I loved what he said about play hard every night, and for the team to take it personally and get angry when another team doesn't bring their A game against them.
That's just ing awesome stuff.

Cutting edge stuff around these parts and it definitely sounds like he's in touch with the pulse of the team. I just hope he doesn't forget about offense, since the offense is a big reason people are expecting so much from the Spurs this season in addition to the always strong D. No weaknesses!

Play hard every night, expect the other team to be bringing their A game against us, and take it personally and kick their ass twice as badly if they don't...

Awesome.

[Slo spurs fan]

yea!!
Congrats to Pop!

[boutons]

I was hoping SAC game would see some fires lit, but the DEN game was horrible.

And then seeing what IND suffered @PHX and @DAL compared to IND making the Spurs struggle @SBC ... I dunno, these Spurs just aren't tough enough to bring it every game.

[Slo spurs fan]

No,no,no Boutons.
Spurs just wonna hide their possabilities!

[Jimcs50]

Phoenix should have the bullseye, not SA.

[CosmicCowboy]

Man, I love this article. The stuff Pop is saying is awesome, some of it sounds more like stuff Phil Jackson would say than Pop though.

Damn Whott...thats exactly what I thought when I read the article...I just finished reading his book about last year and Pop sounded just like him...I wonder when the meditation sessions are gonna start...

[TwoHandJam]

I was hoping SAC game would see some fires lit, but the DEN game was horrible.

And then seeing what IND suffered @PHX and @DAL compared to IND making the Spurs struggle @SBC ... I dunno, these Spurs just aren't tough enough to bring it every game.

Yes. I've thought exactly the same thing. I still want to know what is up with Tim and why he isn't being nearly as aggressive now as he was at the start of the season. Something's up with him.

[Jimcs50]

Yes. I've thought exactly the same thing. I still want to know what is up with Tim and why he isn't being nearly as aggressive now as he was at the start of the season. Something's up with him.

TD is preparing for the playoffs. When SA has failed in the playoffs, it is because his teammates have not been able to help when he was more or less equalized. TD is playing just well enough to make the team great, but he is allowing his teammates to do more, so they can be ready in the playoffs, and carry the Spurs when his game is off.

This is a sound strategy, IMO. Guys like Manu, Beno, Rose, TP, Bruce and Barry are all getting more and more confidence because they are helping more on offense as well as defense. This will lead to a better more well rounded team come the playoffs.

This is something DRob did not have the luxury of doing.

[TwoHandJam]

TD is preparing for the playoffs. When SA has failed in the playoffs, it is because his teammates have not been able to help when he was more or less equalized. TD is playing just well enough to make the team great, but he is allowing his teammates to do more, so they can be ready in the playoffs, and carry the Spurs when his game is off.

This is a sound strategy, IMO. Guys like Manu, Beno, Rose, TP, Bruce and Barry are all getting more and more confidence because they are helping more on offense as well as defense. This will lead to a better more well rounded team come the playoffs.

This is something DRob did not have the luxury of doing.

I hope you're right, Jim because I'd really like to believe that. When he missed that dunk recently because he had no lift though, that got me worried.

Also, I'd like to believe that Pop will let others continue to contribute in tough stretches during the playoffs when Tim is swarmed. He tends to have a history of reverting to pounding into Tim for critical possessions that stagnates our offense sometimes in the postseason.

[timvp]

This is the Popovich I like to see. Last year, I think he went with a soft strategy of not letting the team feel any pressure and deflecting any talk of a repeat championship. That made the team mentally weak and they folded at the first sign of adversity.

He's back to 2002-03 style ... a season where he coached better than any coach ever has. He had Duncan and a bunch of players who should have been too old or too young to win it all.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

There was one play in the IND game that summed that article up for me. I don't remember if it was the end of the first or the second, but the Spurs were milking the clock for a near last-second shot.

I'm pretty sure it was Parker coming around a screen at the top and was going to dish to Barry in the corner since his man had collapsed around Parker in case he went down the lane.

For some reason, Barry missed the call and floated up (I guess assuming Parker was going to take it in) and Parker passed it to the bench. Easy turnover and IND almost used that extra second or three to score.

Pop lit up into Barry during the break as they came back down the floor. This team is dangerous when it wants to be and I can count the number of teams on less than one hand that can go with the Spurs night-in and night-out.

[Jimcs50]

What is you point Johnny, I am lost here?

This post is ducksesque

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

What is you point Johnny, I am lost here?

This post is ducksesque

Read it all, Rocky Top.

There was one play in the IND game that summed that article up for me.

Then, I go on to explain that play and what happened following the end of the quarter/half.

Pop lit up into Barry during the break as they came back down the floor. This team is dangerous when it wants to be and I can count the number of teams on less than one hand that can go with the Spurs night-in and night-out.

I'm guessing my summarization is that this Spurs team can only beat themselves along with maybe 2-3 other teams in the league.

/Off to get some corn from a jar.

[Solid D]

Johnny can speak for himself, but I took his comments as support to Timvp's argument that Pop isn't soft this season and is not letting mistakes go without it being corrected.

I think closing out quarters (the last 3 minutes) is one of Pop's big deals, though.

[BigVee]

This is the Popovich I like to see. Last year, I think he went with a soft strategy of not letting the team feel any pressure and deflecting any talk of a repeat championship. That made the team mentally weak and they folded at the first sign of adversity.

He's back to 2002-03 style ... a season where he coached better than any coach ever has. He had Duncan and a bunch of players who should have been too old or too young to win it all.

Right on. I hated that "don't call this team defending champs" BS. This team is the best in the league. They need to know that, believe that, and play like it every night. The more they get used to that the better. When the playoffs get here and the Spurs turn on the real intensity everyone is going to see just how good this team is.

[boutons]

Closing quarters 1,2,3 is kind of pretext, a short-term tactic, for getting the team to focus for, at least, the next 3 or 4 possessions (on both ends), esp when the Spurs have been lethargic and sloppy in 4 or 5 losses and in some wins.

[Rummpd]

I am sick of hearing about the "break up of the Lakers" as reason for hunted = Spurs thumped them two years and were BS out of a critical win last year against an over-hyped team.

Spurs right on = always the true hunted in the West 2 1/4 years at least.

However, it is the Suns getting all the play, or the Heat = where has the national attention really been on the Spurs?

Pop's at ude is great, now I would like to see a MVP step up and play inspired as ball over last 47 games = saw a glimmer of that in Pacers game and his defense has been great last two. Time to ride this horse!

MadDoc

[spurster]

Things can't be too bad if the fans are complaining about how the team wins.

[Phenomanul]

However, it is the Suns getting all the play, or the Heat = where has the national attention really been on the Spurs?

MadDoc

Anytime they lose they have about 4 times the amount of media coverage when compared to that of a win.