NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: SPURS v SUNS

May 22, 2005

Gregg Popovich

COACH POPOVICH: He's fine.

COACH POPOVICH: Yes. That kind of cuts all that right off.

COACH POPOVICH: (Laughter.)

COACH POPOVICH: I don't think so. He had a death in the family. I don't think he will be available today or on Tuesday.

COACH POPOVICH: 39. (Laughs.)

COACH POPOVICH: They have got so many weapons, Steve Nash obviously is the juice and the generator of all the havoc that takes place, but Amare has been absolutely wonderful for all the obvious reasons and the three-point shooting is the best in the league. So there are lots of ways they can hurt you. You can't cover all those options at the same time. So somebody is going to escape and do something horrific. So far our games with them, it has been Amare.

COACH POPOVICH: No, he's the most uncanny player I have ever been around. He's really special, as everybody knows, but I am not sure people really understand exactly why he's so special and he plays better in a frenetic pace than anybody in the league. He's going in many different directions, with all kinds of bodies and arms around him. Like you said in deep traffic and he seems to be able to still find the most dangerous available outlet and he does it night after night over and over again. He's just tremendous as a distributor and he's also dangerous himself, which helps him be the distributor that he is. He's a very special player.

COACH POPOVICH: No, we can't change their pace. There's nothing we can do. If we do try and do that, do this, do that, they will just score more. And we will have less defense available. Their pace isn't going to change. We play half-court basketball and we fast break. We do both. But we don't run as well as they run and so hopefully we will show some wisdom in when we run and when we don't. But we don't plan to play just a flat half-court game. We haven't all year long.

COACH POPOVICH: That's true. And we have been forced into it. If you look at the West and you look at Seattle and Denver and Phoenix, you know, did I say Dallas? Even Houston had to run more to play small at times this year. Jeff and I haven't done that very often in past years as far as up and down the court. But with all the small ball you have got to be able to guard it and you have got to be able to combat it and it's tough for them too. When other teams go small, they have got to guard the same situations in many cases. There's not another Steve Nash out there that makes things more difficult, but small ball is a necessity.

COACH POPOVICH: It doesn't. Everything that we teach and all the principles are the same.

COACH POPOVICH: With Steve it doesn't matter. I mean, obviously, you know, they run so well after makes. It's not just misses after makes they get the ball quicker than anybody in the league. You have to keep playing but that first run up the court, if you don't stop that it's going to be a real long night. If you stop that at least you have a chance in the half court to do something and maybe cause a turnover or maybe they will miss a shot, that sort of thing, but if you don't get the initial transition stopped you are in for a long one.

COACH POPOVICH: It doesn't. It affects their depth. Obviously they'd love to have him, but we prepare for Jimmy the same way.

COACH POPOVICH: Sure.

COACH POPOVICH: Only problem with it is that Steve is involved, generates so many pick and rolls that that puts that defender in a tough situation also. It's not just if he's going to be one-on-one and you are going to isolate him and going to play him that will be good. Since he's putting him in a pick and roll situation, it makes it difficult for anyone playing the pick and roll. The reason is because Stoudemire is the other half of it.

COACH POPOVICH: He's only 22. So he's not going to be as consistent as he will be hopefully five years from now, but he's done a much better job of understanding what is going on on the court, game situation. The other team is on a run. It's two for one at the end of the quarter, all those things that point guards think about in keeping the team together and making wise decisions he's doing those things better.