The San Antonio Spurs used fundamentals to become a dynasty.
Tim Duncan wasn’t the flashiest player in the league by any means, but he mastered the basics of the game in ways not many players ever did it.
For years, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has sort of resisted change, and that’s one of the many reasons why the Spurs aren’t as competitive as they used to be.
That resistance was evident again after their loss to the New York Knicks, as the coach ripped the league for how difficult it is to play defense nowadays:
“Well, for sure, it’s much more difficult to play defense these days with so many people who can shoot threes,” Pop said postgame. “And the quantity is massive, and they come pretty quickly. So people are gonna score. That’s just the way it is. So, averages are gonna go up. Defense is very difficult to — you know, you could still work it on the half-court defense, but in transition, when people can spread the court the way NBA players can now and from the distance they shoot, it’s obviously an advantage. I’ve said before I’m just hoping that the league ends up with a 4-point shot or a 5-point shot so we can make it a real circus. It’ll be a different sport. It won’t even be basketball, it’d just be a bunch of crap.”
"It's much more difficult to play defense. I've said before I'm just hoping that the league ends up with a 4-point shot or a 5-point shot so we can make it a real circus. It'll be a different sport. It won't even be basketball, it'd just be a bunch of crap"
– Gregg Popovich pic.twitter.com/Kd7Yro5xkO
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 4, 2023
We’re watching a different product, that’s for sure.
That doesn’t make it any better or worse; it’s just different.
However, perhaps having one of the greatest masterminds in basketball history ripping today’s game isn’t exactly a solid PR for the NBA.
NEXT: Gregg Popovich Has Hilarious Response To Retirement Question