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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: SPURS v LAKERS


May 23, 2008


Gregg Popovich


LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Game Two

Q. What are they doing to limit Parker's effectiveness?
COACH POPOVICH: Well, I thought Tony was probably a little tentative tonight. He went to the basket fine, but I thought he had shots and he missed a couple and I thought he just backed away from it, wasn't as -- didn't have confidence for whatever reason.
But I think he in the future will have to be more aggressive shot-wise also because he's there, he just didn't feel like taking it for some reason.

Q. Pop, is energy an issue? You are playing every other day after a seven-game series? Was there some thought given to shutting Manu down at halftime?
COACH POPOVICH: There was some thought of shutting him down for the game. We knew it would catch up this game, not last game. We thought our last game was our best shot to get something here and just dig down and do it after the seven games.
But obviously we didn't get that done and by the time the second half came tonight -- the end of the second quarter was tough on a 9-0 run there. We were playing well, the score was tied at 37 and they went on that run and then to start the third quarter.
So I think, you know, being out of gas had somewhat of an effect, but not as much as the good play of the Lakers.

Q. Why was it so tough tonight to make a run at them?
COACH POPOVICH: I think the common denominator, bottom line really isn't about Xs and Os. We have to have more people playing better. We definitely have to have more people playing better to get this done.

Q. How is this different than being down 0-2 against New Orleans? You are kind of in the same situation.
COACH POPOVICH: It's 0-2. It's not different.

Q. Duncan not playing in the fourth quarter and Parker and Ginobili both going out early, is it sort of like marshalling your forces to give them a little extra rest before game 3?
COACH POPOVICH: Well, sure. You know, we wanted to take Manu out earlier and then he made a mistake and made two good moves in a row and then I got all excited again (smiling). Is this a run? Am I going to take him out now? Or he would have already been out. It was perfect timing about the time we were going to pull him, he made a drive or he made a shot or he did something and we stuck with him for another two minutes or whatever it was. I don't remember.
And then pulled the plug on him.

End of FastScripts




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