USA TODAY International Edition
Spurs on mission to avenge Finals loss
Defending Western Conference champs off to strong start this season,
Danny Green wasn’t
SAN ANTONIO deeming the San Antonio Spurs the reigning NBA champions because, well, they’re not.
Game 6 of the NBA Finals in June is not only their shared nightmare but also an undeniable truth, one that led to a subsequent loss in Game 7 to the Miami Heat and the championship trophy slipping so painfully out of their grasp. But when Green was asked recently if they feel like the unofficial champs, the team that seemed to win it all without actually winning it all, he offered a window into the Spurs and the way they see their world.
“You guys exposed ...” the reporter’s assertion about the Heat began.
Green, with a grin, interrupted and finished the sentence: “... a lot of their weaknesses.”
The relentless Spurs are still coming, all right, and it’s not just the Heat that they have in their sights. Their 7- 1 record thus far has come in buzzsaw fashion, slicing through the Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers, while losing only a road game to the Portland Trail Blazers. And as Green made clear, their strong start has come amid this cloud of disappointment that never truly went away.
“It’s not easy, man,” he told USA TODAY Sports. “I feel like every day, every game that we have now, you’d think ( those Finals memories) would go away. But it’s always lingering there. Even with the little mistakes, the subtle mistakes here and there, you ( think) back to the mistakes that we made in June. ... We feel like we’re preparing for that now, which is good, and I think it’s going to help us.”
It’s early, of course, but the fact that the Spurs are surging while so many fellow contenders are sputtering would seem to substantiate Green’s claim. Those haunting flashbacks appear to be helping the Spurs more than hurting them, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that their championship- level formula is intact either.
The trusty trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are back for what is their 12th season together, this after Ginobili re- signed as a free agent on a two- year, $ 14 million deal during the summer. Kawhi Leonard is still seen as the resident star of the future and the Spurs’ small forward answer to foes such as LeBron James, Paul George and the like. Center Tiago Splitter, who resigned on a four- year, $ 36 million deal as a free agent, is the necessary and capable big body who plays alongside Duncan.
Reserve small forward Boris Diaw — “Scorin’ Boris” as they’re now calling the free agent- to- be — is looking like a new man, as he is averaging 10.3 points a game. And Green, of course, is one of the many two- way threats who make the Spurs so tough.
Yet Green’s story is symbolic of theirs and one of which the Heat would be well advised to take heed. Never mind that Green was a star when the spotlight was brightest in the Finals; his leash remains short with coach Gregg Popovich because this is the place where even the future Hall of Famers have to prove themselves every day. The sharpshooter who broke the record for three- pointers in the Finals has been reminded again this season that what happened in the past means very little in the present.
It took Green a while to look like himself again, but — with free agent addition Marco Belinelli on hand now to gobble up his minutes if he doesn’t perform to Popovich’s liking — he is again the key cog he was five months ago.
His situation has underscored the reality of playing for Popovich: In his system, in his culture, there is — 14 consecutive 50- win seasons be darned — no time for resting on old laurels. Gleaning strength from past failures, however, is certainly acceptable.
“I think we are going to move forward from ( the Finals memories), but it’s not easy,” Green said. “It doesn’t happen overnight. It was a quick turnaround for us, ( because) June wasn’t too long ago. I think that’s something that you probably won’t forget forever. ... Everybody is kind of feeling it.” Are they ever. “Last year ( was about) knowing our potential, about knowing what we can do,” Diaw said. “We talked about ( the Finals) in the preseason. We watched film of last year and what we didn’t do right. So, yeah, we talk about it. And yeah, it was close. But when you don’t have it, you don’t have it. And you have to work to get it. It’s not easy ... We’re just all focused in and ready to go back for one more year.”