Pop joins the millennium club
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich entered yet another level of coaching greatness, following his team’s away victory against the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 9. The road victory marked the 1000th win of Popovich’s NBA career – all of which were for the San Antonio Spurs.
Gregg Popovich’s career as a head coach began with the San Antonio Spurs in the 1996 season, where he finished with a losing record for the first and last time in his coaching career, when he took over halfway through the season. In his first full season as head coach, the Spurs were able to draft power forward Tim Duncan with the first overall selection.
Gregg Popovich earned the 1000th victory of his NBA coaching career on Feb. 9 with a road win over the Indiana Pacers. All of Popovich’s victories have come with the San Antonio Spurs.
Since the arrival of Duncan, the Spurs have won five NBA championships and eleven division titles under Popovich’s helm. With 16 50 win seasons, Coach Pop is just one behind legendary record holders Phil Jackson and Pat Riley for the NBA record. The only season in which Popovich amassed fewer than 50 wins was 1998-99, where a lockout shortened the season to only 50 games. In the 50 game season, Popovich’s Spurs won 37 games and the NBA championship.
Under Popovich, the Spurs have played a unique brand of team basketball to accomplish their goals. The current core of the team remains Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Duncan. Popovich’s “defence-first” style of coaching, and a focus on teamwork over the individual player has lead to the consistent success of the Spurs. Popovich’s ability to manage the minutes of his best players, while developing the players around the core group of three, has lead to sustainable success of the team over his head-coaching career.
The San Antonio Spurs’ run of success under Popovich displays a level of excellence in which the demonstration of consistency, player development, and hard work reign supreme. General Manager R.C. Buford has been able to draft effectively, while acquiring players who mesh well within Gregg Popovich’s style of coaching. Buford, Popovich and team executives have created a model of consistent performance that is envied by any professional sports franchise.
The run for a sixth
Key injuries to starters Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard this season resulted in a slow start for the Spurs. However, now healthy, the Spurs have a full-fledged opportunity to repeat as NBA champions this season. The road ahead is troublesome, however. With only the top four seeds in the Western Conference securing home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, the Spurs will need to continue rolling.
San Antonio must stay focused to secure a playoff spot in this year’s challenging Western Conference. Memphis and Golden State currently headline one of the most star-studded, competitive conferences in recent memory. It is expected that all eight playoff teams in the West will have a legitimate shot at championship contention, making the task for the Spurs that much more troublesome. It would not be a surprise to any NBA fanatic if the Spurs are to repeat as champions, and their style of play, mixed with a wealth of playoff experience, is a tremendous asset, even if they clinch a playoff spot without the home court advantage the AT&T Center provides.
To emerge from the West, the Spurs will likely have to overtake the conference leading Golden State Warriors. The Warriors are lead by MVP candidate Stephen Curry and sharpshooting Klay Thompson, who have emerged as arguably the best backcourt combination in the NBA. Popovich’s Spurs have proven to fans that they are still able to beat the best teams in the NBA.
The question remains that, if San Antonio stays healthy, will Gregg Popovich be able to guide them to a second straight NBA title? One thing is for certain, Popovich and his players are more concerned about title hopes than they are about Popovich’s magnificent millennium wins mark in the regular season.
Although old, he was also a talented coach.