Win or Lose, Gregg Popovich Is Angry
You know, for a guy with nearly a handful of rings, and the respect and admiration of everyone associated with the game of basketball, Gregg Popovich often comes off as one ornery and miserable SOB.
Check out what happened following the Spurs/Nets game two nights ago, and keep in mind that San Antonio won it with relative ease:
By the time Popovich was finished, even his players couldn’t remember if they had just beaten the Nets, or if the Nets had beaten them.
“The way he was screaming,” Tony Parker said, “it was like we lost the game.”
Popovich didn’t like his team’s focus, didn’t like its attention to detail, didn’t like its offense and really didn’t like its defense.
Yikes. This is precisely why no matter what everyone else in the League has done to improve their teams, the Spurs are still the title favorites.
Pop is, um, an intense human being. I can’t even begin to imagine what he’s like the odd time San Antonio mails one in and loses to a sub .500 team. Whatever the case, I hope it involves Bruce Bowen getting hit with something.
37 Responses to “Win or Lose, Gregg Popovich Is Angry”
Mar.6 at 5:07 pm
sush carter says:
first
Mar.6 at 5:08 pm
sush carter says:
and i wish pop would one day get so pissed that he’d punch himself out on the sideline with the spurs up 30
Mar.6 at 5:12 pm
Dominic Brankin-Joly says:
GINOBILI!!!
Mar.6 at 5:45 pm
Blue says:
Pop is just pissed because he came down on Bowen’s foot and twisted his ankle as was walking into the locker room…
Mar.6 at 5:47 pm
Captain America says:
Marcel, why do you think Pop has “nearly a handful of rings?” He’s getting them ready for a very tough Western playoff season.
Mar.6 at 5:52 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Imagine if Pop, Jerry Sloan or Sam Mitchell had to coach the Nuggets.
Mar.6 at 6:08 pm
albie1kenobi says:
then either the nuggets become the powerhouse that everyone hopes they would be, or said coaches would explode. either way you can’t lose.
Mar.6 at 6:11 pm
iLL wiLL says:
The Serbian gangsta in him. It would have been scary if the Nets had actually beaten them.
Mar.6 at 6:11 pm
speedy says:
Good coach. He is focused .
Mar.6 at 6:18 pm
tealish says:
Wow, that is amazing though - Pop coaching the Nuggets. They’d be going somewhere.
Mar.6 at 6:24 pm
Hot Pubes says:
F Pop.. he is a d bag
Mar.6 at 6:46 pm
Jake says:
Pop is the man, however i don’t think he could right the knicks
Mar.6 at 6:53 pm
Captain America says:
I’m not convinced Pop would want to coach the Nugget players and vice versa. But he keeps getting rings.
Mar.6 at 6:57 pm
Candice says:
I could see Pop working out with the Nuggets. They would respect him and Pop is friend’s with Larry Brown so that’s a plus for dealing with AI. Also he was an assistant with the ‘04 olympic team.
Mar.6 at 7:16 pm
Jake says:
why would pop want to leave where he is now?? he is in one of the most stable franchises
Mar.6 at 7:49 pm
Allenp says:
Russ, I wish they would coach the Nuggets. None of them handle business through the media, and all of them deal with their players straight up. I respect that in any coach. Coaches should demand excellence from their players and from themselves.
Mar.6 at 8:24 pm
niQ says:
what a douche
Mar.6 at 8:51 pm
The Notorious King says:
imagine if he were coaching the knicks
Mar.6 at 8:54 pm
cj says:
uhh wow Johhny Rebel
Mar.6 at 11:18 pm
Bigi says:
JigSaw!He look’s like Him,tough…Well,Kobe I’d love to play a game…
Mar.6 at 11:19 pm
Bigi says:
Poppa!
Mar.6 at 11:19 pm
Bigi says:
Big Dippah’!
Mar.6 at 11:35 pm
Bigi says:
Texas Justice!!!!
Mar.6 at 11:36 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
Russ - did you put Mitchell on the same level as Sloan and Pops?!? Blasphemy.
Mar.7 at 12:19 am
iLL wiLL says:
What would happen IF Pop actually coached the Knickerbockers?
Mar.7 at 1:42 am
thasam says:
For the sake of people who love the game and want joy of the game, please, please, I’m praying to the basketball god don’t let these guys go near the NBA Finals again. In fact, I want to see hem get knocked out in round 1. These guys drain the fun, joy, and passion out of this sport like no other time I have ever seen. At least when the Bad Boy Pistons and Riley-era Knicks (defensive-minded, offensively-challeged teams like the Spurs) played with a sort of passion and intensity that you could feel while watching the game. Those Knicks-Heat playoff contests may have been ugly in terms offensive artistry, but you can feel the passion from these teams and after each series the winners celebrated like they won a championship. These Spurs didn’t even celebrate last year’s title - they treated it like it was a game in mid-February, and I was so pissed off seeing that.
Mar.7 at 1:58 am
RV says:
i think they didn’t celebrate because they won it in cleveland, why would you want to celebrate in front of an empty arena, might as well do it in the locker room or back home…and if u love the game it should be easier to appreciate spurs basketball. Basketball isn’t about fist pumps and jumping for joy, its about putting the ball in the hole and playing D.
Mar.7 at 2:03 am
RV says:
great picture on the yahoo gallery of Pop going crazy before tonight’s ejection, would have been perfect for this story
Mar.7 at 2:27 am
Jimmy G says:
I wish Sam Mitchell coached the Nuggets. I bet after a week Sam and JR would have a cage match to the death.
Mar.7 at 7:55 am
chris berman says:
pop is like bill belichick minus the cheating
Mar.7 at 9:15 am
maio says:
You’d be angry too if you had to look into the mirror every day and see Pop.
Mar.7 at 10:03 am
CoolWhip11 says:
bahahahah everyone’s on fire early on slamonline today Ya, Maio you’re right, Pop is just angry cause everyone has HD TV now, and ESPN makes him do extra interviews and be seen in HD.
Mar.7 at 12:40 pm
Kevin Wilson says:
What I always find amazing about Pops is that he had to give HIMSELF the Spurs job. Makes you wonder how many other great coaches can’t get a break.
Mar.7 at 9:43 pm
Arron says:
Hey ThaSam…..!! THE SPURS are a great team thats what basketball is all about.. TEAM and DEFENSE..!! IF you dont like that you should watch GOLF…!! BAsketball GOds appreciate TEAM and Spurs Defense…!! the reason why they didnt celebrate bcoz they were at cleveland..!! oh yeah btw.. Hope your NBA team doesnt make the playoffs.. SPURS will have the last laugh..!! GO SPURS…!!!
Mar.8 at 1:03 pm
jeremy says:
the problem is they get so many calls that when the refs dont call it their way he goes crazy…duncan is an overrated softy that gets so many chippy calls it aint funny.ginobili is a master at flopping and makin the contact look real bad when really he barely gets touched…im just tired of hearin about the spurs…they aint gonna win it this year…its detroits year to win it whether yall like it or not.say what you want about boston but they havent been there and they will choke in a game 7 situation…nobody in the west is gonna win it because by the time the western conference champ makes it out of the west,they will be too tired…get ready cause chauncey,rip,tayshaun,sheed and the bunch gonna take home the chip this year…forget about it!!!
May.14 at 8:41 pm
youngmuggsy says:
easy to take a shot at bruce bowen. what ignorant people don’t know is that he’s one of the most charitable players in the league and is actively trying to improve fitness of children around in SA (not just putting his name on a charity). f**k all of you, sort your priorities out.
Jun.20 at 5:24 pm
jl says:
I swear I witnessed the Jigsaw Killer coaching a basketball game in the playoffs. Watch out for Spurs Coach, Greg Popovich. He wants to play a game.