Gregg Popovich Downplays Opening Night Emotions, Braces for Long Haul
SAN ANTONIO — There are another 81 games before the San Antonio Spurs can even begin thinking about the long road we call the NBA playoffs.
So while their 101-100 season-opening victory against the Dallas Mavericks lets us forget all about a lackluster 2-5 preseason that included a loss to Alba Berlin, it also reminds us that we've really seen nothing just yet.
Well, almost nothing.
As absurdly small sample sizes go, Tuesday night's game was an encouraging sign for the reigning champions.
They faced the same Mavericks who pushed them to seven games in last season's opening round, this time with a new-and-improved supporting cast that includes Chandler Parsons, Tyson Chandler and Jameer Nelson—three new starters poised to elevate Dallas to a title conversation from which it was never that far removed.
The Spurs, meanwhile, were shorthanded without NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard (eye infection), starting center Tiago Splitter (strained calf) and backup point guard Patty Mills (recovering from shoulder surgery).
Dallas had the Spurs where it wanted them, leading by eight after the half and getting especially strong play from guards Monta Ellis (26 points and six assists) and Devin Harris (17 points and five assists).
But San Antonio tied the game with eight minutes and 21 seconds remaining in the third quarter on the heels of a 9-0 run. Chandler and star forward Dirk Nowitzki received technical fouls in the period, expressing frustration amid a flurry of fouls and three-pointers that got the Spurs back in the game.
Six-time All-Star Tony Parker matched a career high with four three-pointers, making all of his attempts from beyond the arc, including a go-ahead bucket with 1:07 remaining in the game. Dallas lost possession with 48.7 seconds remaining when the ball rolled off Ellis' foot in a close call that required review by officials.
The Mavs got another crack at it when Parsons attempted a three-pointer with a second remaining that wasn't to be, capping off an icy 2-of-10 debut for the prized new arrival.
When it was all said and done, the Spurs had made 14 of 28 three-point attempts—just another day on the job for a team that increasingly makes its living on the perimeter.
And it was just the first of many steps toward that team's objective of winning another title.
The Spurs will take the win and make no more of it than they should. As they embark upon a season that will be defined by one—perhaps final—attempt to win back-to-back championships, Tuesday's opener began with a ring ceremony and the unveiling of San Antonio's fifth title banner in the rafters of the AT&T Center.
Actor Samuel L. Jackson appeared in a retrospective Finals film and spoke of the Spurs' historic teamwork. NBA commissioner Adam Silver later talked about the team's "respect for the game," an apt description of the artful basketball head coach Gregg Popovich's ensemble squad delivers on an obscenely consistent basis.
One might have forgiven the Spurs for coming out flat.
How did the ceremony strike the man who eschews pomp and circumstance?
"Really emotional," Popovich laughingly told reporters after the game.
When asked if it was an emotional experience, Popovich initially said he had no idea how to answer those kind of questions.
Not his department. Nor, really, the Spurs'.
This is an organization that takes its rings and wins alike in stride. Its aversion in equal parts to highs and lows has become cliche by now, one of the many attributes that's historically set this club apart. The 2014-15 campaign will have the same ups and downs the Spurs have always weathered—at least another 81 games' worth of them.
It's a long march. And it's one in which the Spurs—as champs—will have targets on their backs, eliciting best performances from their opposition.
And whereas last season's club could summon the sting of bitter 2013 defeat when in need of motivation, this year's iteration runs the risk of becoming complacent after a historically one-sided act of Finals vengeance against the Miami Heat.
Manu Ginobili said it was a matter of "fighting satisfaction" after Tuesday's game, echoing a sentiment his coach also expressed recently.
"I'm worried for one reason," Popovich told the San Antonio Express-News' Buck Harvey (subscription required) in September. "They are human beings. They are going to feel satisfied."
For his part, the 37-year-old Ginobili doesn't seem satisfied just yet.
He tallied 20 points, six assists and two steals on Tuesday, nailing a wild off-balance three-pointer in the third quarter and ending the period with a smooth step-back 15-footer. The 12-year veteran remains a heart-and-soul figure for these Spurs, and he appeared determined to get their season off to a promising start.
"Sometimes you don't play that sharp because it's the first game of the season," Ginobili told reporters after the game. "You have to move from the success of the previous season to the new beginning. But it all gets your emotions up so you want to get out on the court and do a lot of things, hustle, jump, run and win."
The season opener was by no means San Antonio at its best.
Not when you remember those 20 turnovers.
As ProjectSpurs' Paul Garcia put it, "The turnovers were expected turnovers that were seen in the preseason—players out of position, over-passing, and being careless with the ball. Considering three key players are out and the team still has 81 games left, the turnovers will be something the team can work on."
It's one of many items on a to-do list that remains active even in the wake of a season for the ages.
Withstanding the physical toll of the NBA grind also ranks high on that list.
As has become the norm, there will be questions about whether Ginobili can remain healthy and fully effective—particularly when it matters in April, May and June. Naysayers will similarly worry about the 38-year-old Duncan.
On that front, Spurs fans will take some solace in Leonard's imminent return.
"Don't take this to the bank," Popovich said Tuesday, "but I'm guessing [Leonard] is probable for Friday. Tiago and Mills will be out, but Kawhi might be back."
Even when healthy, other challenges will emerge along the way, particularly in a stacked Western Conference that remains as competitive as ever.
These Mavericks will be no exception. They proved as much on Tuesday.
And while we might like to imagine a postseason rematch between these friendly rivals, we'll have to wait a very long time.
In the interim, don't expect the Spurs to take anything for granted. Their work has just begun.
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