[PulseGlazerParticipant]

San Antonio this year with Pop has been the single greatest coaching job I’ve ever seen.  The regular season was just ridiculous with how few minutes the starters played, how he integrated a rookie into starting with Kawhi, how he turned a scarp heap pick up like Green into an up and coming great role player, how he got a hugely out of shape Diaw to be a valuable starter who’s a mismatch nightmare, competing without Manu for a month, tossing games at the right time and still having the best record… it’s just absurd how great he was in the regular season at literally everything.  There are a lot of great coaches, Thibs, Doc, and, suddenly Vogel, being awesome in the regular season, but just on this year, Pop has done as much or more than anyone.

And that’s without getting into the X’s and O’s of coaching.  Every single player on this team is an offensive threat in the single best offense I’ve seen since the 7-seconds or less Suns.  It’s right there with the best offenses I’ve ever seen – the 85 Lakers, 86 Celtics, 01 Kings, 7-Second Suns, and the forgotten great, the 78 Blazers. These teams were just at another level at that end of the floor- the Spurs have hit that level with a beautiful team game and arguably less star talent than any of those groups but maybe the Blazers. 

As if all this weren’t impressive enough, Chris Paul is the best point guard since Isiah and Magic at controlling the game, though I suppose you can make a case for Nash and Stockton.  Well, Pop has created defenses that have stiffled (to some extent on Nash, greatly for Stock and Paul) all of them.  What he’s doing to Chris Paul’s entire offensive game is beyond a thing of beauty.  This is a top 5 player in the league and top 3 MVP candidate this year… the Spurs have implemented a defensive scheme that has him looking bewildered.  With an offense this good, getting this kind of defensive performance against a top guy in the league is damn near unheard of.  As great as all those other offensive clubs were, the Lakers never shut down Bird or Zeke totally, Kings were eaten by Shaq and Kobe, Suns by Duncan, and so on.  To have a team competing on both ends at this level is just frightening.

Phil Jackson is an incredible, amazing coach.  He’s the single best coach ever at handling stars.  I’d still rather have Greg Popovich. He’s the single greatest coach I’ve ever seen and this year has submitted the single greatest coaching job of my lifetime. 

[phila9012Participant]

 they are fun to watch. I havent watched them much this year. The just move the ball so well and always get good shots.They also play really smart. The spurs are one of the best if not the best run franchise in sports. They build their teams the right way with high character players

[Chilbert arenasParticipant]

 I would like to see Pop coach a team like the Clippers for a year and see what he could do with a team like that or the Wizards, Knicks or even the Heat.  He seems to put player in their best position to be successful and it would be interesting to watch what he could do or if he’s struggle with players outside of his big 3. 

[omphalosParticipant]

Pop wouldn’t do a whole lot better with teams like the Knicks or Heat, because the reason he’s so successful in San Antonio is because the organisation almost universally drafts/acquires guys who commit to the system, are coachable and put the team first. Shrewd moves by management have helped make Pop’s job a lot easier.

This isn’t to say he’s not an amazing coach, just that the success for the Spurs stems from the entire organisation, and you wouldn’t be able to replicate it with the character of guys on those bottom-feeders, even if the talent is there.

[DolanCareParticipant]

 Beautifully said, Pulse. Let’s not forget about Tiago Splitter either. He’s a player that excels because he knows his own limitations and how to play harmoniously within an offense…. That’s good coaching for ya. 

 

[HitsterParticipant]

Coach Poppovich has done a great job again this season and in the play offs so far.

Is there any reason why Blair has slipped down the rotation apart from the team wanting to use the greater experience of Diaw, Bonner and Splitter alongside Tim Duncan.

[PulseGlazerParticipant]

Blair is still raw compared to Diaw. They each fill similar roles when net to Duncan, but Diaw’s passing makes the Spurs all but impossible to defend, while Blair leaves them merely great on O.

[HitsterParticipant]

Thanks for the feedback PulseGlazer, it was just the same thing happened last year when Diceman suddenly took Blair’s starting space on the run in. And Blair has gone from starting 62 regular season games to a DNP, but I’d never argue with any decision Coach Poppovich makes.

[BA30Participant]

Lets not forget incorporating Jackson back onto the team. Although he hasn’t been filling up the box-scores, this is the most unselfish I have seen him in years. That is respect for coaching and the organization.

[Author]

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