The San Antonio Spurs looked to be sputtering in the second half of their opening game of the Western Conference finals, looking like they might in fact actually be too old to hang with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the rest of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
VIDEO: Gregg Popovich Needed Nasty, Spurs Gave Him A Win
A timely speech during a break in the game from Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich seemed to change everything, and San Antonio was able to take a 1-0 lead in the seven-game series. Thanks to the TNT broadcast team -- and transcription from ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz -- the nation is keenly aware of exactly what Coach Pop said to get his players to get re-motivated.
“Are we having fun yet?” Gregg Popovich asked the team as they trailed by nine. He raised his voice enough to be heard over “Sweet Caroline,” but no more loudly than he needed to. “I need a little bit more dose of nasty. I’m seeing a little bit of unconfident, a little hesitation. It’s not supposed to be easy. Every round gets tougher. ... Penetrate hard, good passes, shoot with confidence. I want some nasty.”
The nastiness wasn’t exactly palpable as far as their on-court play was concerned, but it wasn’t hard to tell that the Spurs came out with a different energy following that break in the game. It was a brilliant coaching job by Popovich in what is typically assumed to be a player’s league and, thanks to the television cameras, we were all allowed to witness it.
Brilliant.
For more on the Spurs, visit Pounding The Rock. For more on the Thunder, visit Welcome To Loud City.
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