Skip to main content

Gregg Popovich - The Silent Winner

In 1996, the San Antonio Spurs held their worst record in franchise history with only 20 wins and 62 losses - looking more like a Vancouver Grizzlies tribute act than a hardened NBA franchise. In an effort to turn the tables, the Spurs hired the talents of Gregg Popovich who, within 3 seasons, would lead the Spurs to their maiden NBA Championship in 1999 and begin an unmissed playoff run that would last for over two decades. 

Popovich is part of an elite breed of coaches in today's NBA, in that he is able to evolve. Coaching across 3 different eras of basketball, the Spurs have remained both relevant and competitive since 1997, a fact that no other NBA team can come close to. Although the Spurs have had their fair share of Hall of Fame calibre talent, the one factor that has remained constant in their winning ability is Coach Popovich and his unique leading style that promotes team defence, quick ball movement, and league-leading team chemistry. 

When Popovich was hired during the 1996-1997 season, the Spurs ranked dead last in league defensive ranking (30th) - they ranked 2nd the following year and won their maiden championship the year after (1999). They have failed to fall outside the top 11 defensive teams since.  

The Spurs again proved to be a unique franchise throughout the early 2000s as instead of investing in homegrown American talent, they looked to Europe and found Hall of Famers Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. In a league that promoted fast-paced 7-second offences, the Spurs used superior ball movement and slower play to break teams down and resulted in the once desperate franchise becoming one of the most successful of the new millennia, winning NBA titles in 2003, 2005, and 2007. 

This same style broke 'The King' himself, and produced one of the most polarizing NBA Finals series in 2014 against the Miami Heat. Even with ageing superstars, Popovich's Spurs proved that pure and smart basketball will always beat brute force and strength, even if he is a 4 time MVP. 

Today, San Antonio sit 7th in a stacked western conference with a winning record of 22-17, without a single recognised All-Star to their name. They are also in the midst of losing their main centre in LaMarcus Aldridge to a trade deal, but still, Popovich keeps this winning machine on the playoff path, with nothing but DeMar Derozan and a whole heap of role players. 

Popovich's coaching formula is one that looks fairly simple on the surface but has proved to be impossible to replicate and even though the Spurs have failed to reach the Finals since 2014, they continue to silently make playoff appearances and maintain a winning record - something that is becoming increasingly harder to come by in 2021. 



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Athlete's Wages - The Price WE Pay For World-Class Sport

In 2014, Michael Jordan became the first billionaire athlete with his combined assets reaching an estimated $1.9 billion. Since then, athletes such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Tiger Woods and Michael Schumacher have all joined the billionaire club as a reward for their decades of hard work and sacrifice to become some of the greatest sportsmen of all time. However, no matter what year you choose, the world always seems to be in some sort of economic crisis  and every day people lose their livelihoods so that people further up the food chain can live a little more lavishly. Professional athletes are treated like gods whilst the mortals within the general public continue their daily struggle to make ends meet. The worst part? The deeper you dig, the more outrageous this illusion becomes. Let's start with some infamous salaries from this year alone (before endorsements and sponsorship):   NBA: Average Salary - $7 million           Highest Paid - Stephen C...
2 comments
Read more

"Pistol Pete" Maravich - The Most Underrated NBA Legend of All Time

When people talk about inventors that were ahead of their time, some might say Leonardo Da Vinci, Plato, or Hero of Alexandria. But if you ever want to find a man that was born into the wrong era, look no further than "Pistol Pete" Maravich.  Now, I'll admit, Pete Maravich isn't exactly a household name in today's NBA and I doubt you'll find him on any all-time lists. However, in the basketball world, there are two main things that Maravich is known for:  1. Having very bad knees. 2. Being one of the best NBA guards of all time.  As the son of a tough basketball coach, Press Maravich, Pete was sculpted into the mould of a great basketball player. The legend of "Pistol Pete" started at Louisiana State University from 1967-1970 and he immediately set the college basketball scene alight. Over 3 seasons, he averaged 44.2 points per game, an NCAA record that still stands to this day and is a stat that arguably makes him the greatest college basketball pla...
Post a Comment
Read more

We Were Wrong

International football is a strange paradigm. The same fans who pushed England to the brink of their best result in 55 years are the same fans that have brought nothing but disgrace to themselves and the nation after Sunday nights heartbreaking exit at Euro 2020. After just 1 minute at 37 seconds, Luke Shaw raised a nation to it’s feet, only for Italy to bring us crashing back down to our sofas with our heads in our hands 66 minutes later. Despite the outrageous home advantage, it was always Italy’s game to lose and with a 33 game winning streak on the line, they showcased not only why they are the best team in Europe, but maybe even on the planet - something our young lions may one day possess (just not in the immediate future).   There were several major errors both on and off the pitch that ultimately cost the lions their first international trophy since 1966. In fact, England’s problems started long before any ball was placed on a penalty spot. After a scintillating 45 minutes ...
1 comment
Read more