A new year can promise new beginnings. For head coach Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs, they'll be happy with a small step forward — a step they think they might be taking now. Mired in the midst of what would easily be the worst season in Spurs franchise history if they continue as projected, the team does see some incremental improvement, with a win and several competitive losses over the last week.
Spurs taking small steps
ClutchPoints asked a couple of Spurs about their improved play of late.
“I think as a team, we definitely added a step forward. We split one (of consecutive games at Portland), went in there to grab two. I think we showed a lot of good things, some things we can carry as a first step, forward,” Julian Champagnie said, “For the most part, we fought. And I think that's the biggest thing we've got to take away is that no matter who we're playing, where we're playing, we've got to fight.”
Over their last four, San Antonio has won a game and lost two by single digits. A 33-point loss to the Boston Celtics on New Year's Eve serves as the outlier — though the Celtics, who sport a league-best 26-7 record, have beaten up on most teams they've played. The single-digit losses are noteworthy because each of the Spurs' previous five losses have come by wide margins, including 25-point and 36-point blowouts.
“We're just trying to take steps forward and I feel like it was step forward. It was step, not a huge step but a mini step so we've just got to keep moving forward,” guard Malaki Branham added.
Team realities
No matter how big (or small) a step the Spurs may have taken recently, the team's approach isn't on opponents, per say, as they navigate rough waters they hope get smoother.
“We'll continue to just focus on ourselves, continue to try to hone in on the things we want to do well, get out to good starts, continue to get better and better defensively. Make sure that we're trying to stay sharp on that end and then work on our offensive end as well,” point guard Tre Jones said. The former Duke Blue Devils told reporters on Thursday that he's slated to get his first start of the season with Branham doubtful vs Milwaukee because of a right ankle sprain.
As far as his Hall of Fame head coach goes, long-term results are what matters most right now.
“You have to hope that the people you're doing that (holding accountable) with have the character to understand the forest for the trees. It's not about the winning and losing,” Gregg Popovich continued, “It's about understanding how to play, what wins, what loses, what kinds of decisions have to be made, what kind of teammate you have to be, how you handle situations where teams make runs or you have nights where you don't shoot well and your margin of error is smaller because you can't turn it over, or you have to block out better than the team you're playing.”
In other words, it's the small things for a team taking small steps.
Follow Us
Subscribe