San Antonio Spurs: Why Gregg Popovich Deserves the COY

Be honest Spurs fans, or for that matter all NBA fans; there is no way you picked the Spurs to finish with the number one seed in the Western Conference and possibly the best overall record in the league!

Rewind to the spring of 2010 and re-live the series sweep administered by the Phoenix Suns over the San Antonio Spurs and it is understandable that no one saw the rejuvenation of San Antonio coming. In that series the Spurs couldn’t defend, they couldn’t score, they simply couldn’t keep up with a younger and more athletic Phoenix team. It looked as if Father Time had finally caught up with Tim Duncan and company.

Over the summer the Spurs made modest changes to their roster. They re-signed Richard Jefferson, finally landed their 2007 draft pick, Tiago Splitter, and signed summer league stand-out, Gary Neal. Neither of these signings was projected to have a significant impact on the team with an aging core. The consensus from most pundits had the Oklahoma Thunder as the biggest threat to the Lakers in the Western Conference followed by the Dallas Mavericks. The Spurs were destined for the middle of the pack.

However, behind the scenes Gregg Popovich, with his lab jacket on, was reinventing his team. Instead of fine tuning this group to play lock down defense, which had been the Spurs trademark en-route to their previous four championships, Pop was rebuilding his version of “Steve Austin” with his “Six million Dollar Team”; and the Spurs would prove to be “better than they were before: better, stronger, faster.” 

Overnight, the Spurs would become an offensive-minded force unlike any previous Spurs team in the Tim Duncan era.

Popovich’s team was no longer the methodical, inside-out half-court juggernaut. Instead they utilized the quickness of the all-star tandem of Parker and Ginobili to push the tempo for easy baskets in transition instead of relying on Tim Duncan to carry the load in a half-court set.

What were the results of Popovich’s creation?

The Spurs opened the season with twelve straight wins! During that winning streak they averaged 108 points per game. This was a far cry from the team that started the year before with a record of six wins and six losses for the first 12 games with a scoring average of only 99 points per game. Was this blazing hot start a mirage or was it the result of a true transformation?  Had the Spurs pulled off the improbable metamorphosis; changing from a slow moving caterpillar to an uncatchable butterfly? Action speaks louder than words.

By the end of December the San Antonio Spurs surpassed their best start ever with a win/loss mark of 27-3. They were on pace to match the elusive 72 win season established by Michael Jordan’s Bulls.

To be fair, there are a lot of deserving coaches this year in the NBA. Doug Collins turned a Philadelphia team lacking a true identity into the East Coast version of the run and gun Phoenix Suns. Nate McMillan’s ability to keep the Portland Trailblazers focused after being overwhelmed by a host of injuries to his best players warrants consideration for the Coach of the Year award.

Then there is Tom Thibodeau who masterfully imposed his defensive mindset on the young Bulls resulting in one of the top defensive teams in the league and the best record in the East.  Unfortunately there can only be one winner of the COY award. While the voting may be a close one between the teams with the two best records—the Bulls and the Spurs—Popovich gets the nod.

Not only did he get veteran players to commit to a new style of play virtually overnight but he also spent a considerable amount of time in the offseason working personally with Richard Jefferson, restoring his confidence which has directly resulted in Jefferson shooting the highest percentage of his career from three point range. Pop has also managed the minutes of the Big Three masterfully. Duncan’s minutes played per game are at a career low yet the Spurs sit atop of the league with the best overall record.

When you compare the winning percentage of the Spurs and Bulls against sub .500 teams in conference and inter-conference play there can be no doubt which coach is most deserving of the Coach of the Year Award. It is a known fact that the Western conference is the stronger conference from top to bottom. Only six teams will finish the season with a losing record; in contrast the Eastern conference boasts eight teams with this dubious distinction.

Spurs vs. Western Conference sub .500 teams—Record: 20-1

Spurs vs. Eastern Conference sub .500 teams—Record: 16-0

Bulls vs. Eastern Conference sub .500 teams—Record: 26-7

Bulls vs. Western Conference sub .500 teams—Record: 12-2

Thus far the Spurs have amassed 36 wins to only one loss to the sub .500 teams in the league with a winning percentage of 97.3, while the Bulls have earned 38 wins and seven loses to the same competition. Their winning percentage sits at 80.9. It’s conceivable to imagine that this Spurs team would have a legitimate chance of tying if not passing the 72 win season of the Chicago Bulls if they played the Eastern conference bottom dwellers 33 times instead of sixteen.

The playoffs will start this weekend.  Great coaches abound in both conferences. Now is the time when they really earn their pay as they traverse from series to series making plenty of adjustments along the way.  Which team will be the last one standing hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy is anybody’s guess.  Nobody knows for sure but the one thing we can be certain of is that Gregg Popovich has proven himself to be most deserving of the Coach of the Year award. However it remains to be seen as greatness is rarely rewarded if it is consistent.