Beware the Thunder and Lakers, Popovich says

[alh1020]

alh1020: CIA Pop is warming up.

The way Spurs coach Gregg Popovich sees it, if the Western Conference were a race — and we suppose it is — his team is already running behind.

Asked at a pre-training camp press briefing Friday to handicap the West, Popovich echoed an opinion already the consensus of NBA followers with eyes everywhere.

Though the Spurs finished with the best mark in the conference by three games last season (50-16), Oklahoma City and the new-look L.A. Lakers are the two teams to chase this year.

“There are a lot of teams that are competitive in the West,” Popovich said. “But if you look on paper, you’ve got to look at those two teams right off the bat. There are others, but those two hit you in the face pretty quickly.”

The Thunder and Lakers come about their place as conference frontrunners from different directions.

OKC brings back a team at its core identical to the one that backdoor-swept the Spurs from the Western Conference finals last season before losing to Miami in the championship round.

The Lakers, meanwhile, added a Hall of Fame point guard (albeit an aging one) in Steve Nash, and pulled off the coup of the summer by trading for Dwight Howard, the NBA’s premiere big man.

If both of their backs hold up — a legitimate “if” at this point — the Lakers will be a tough out come playoff time.

“When you see what the Lakers did, they have the potential to be a great team,” Popovich said. “Oklahloma City is Oklahoma City. The rest of us want to all improve so that we can catch those guys.”

Spurs Nation

[Uwe Blab]

Well at least he's not in denial like most here.

[Spurd_On]

Originally Posted by Uwe Blab

Well at least he's not in denial like most here.

Yes but thanks to comments from you and Pop, I think I am on the road to recovery now and regaining control of my life.

[Mombear]

[td4mvp2k]

If the Spurs dont add a big you can count on getting hit in the face again and they won't be catching up.

[Uwe Blab]

Originally Posted by Spurd_On

Yes but thanks to comments from you and Pop, I think I am on the road to recovery now and regaining control of my life.

My fee is $200/hr. Expect a bill in your inbox.

[Wesley33177]

Thanks Captain Obvious

[SilverSpur]

The Spurs' coach trained under Don Nelson who believed small ball could disrupt any team with bigs who dominated the middle. Do the math and you'll figure out why Popovich never went after a "badly needed" big the last two years.

[Spurd_On]

Originally Posted by SilverSpur

The Spurs' coach trained under Don Nelson who believed small ball could disrupt any team with bigs who dominated the middle. Do the math and you'll figure out why Popovich never went after a "badly needed" big the last two years.

Worthwhile bigs are expensive and beyond the financial means of the Spurs right now. I think they would love to have one or two more. In the interim, yes they are implementing small ball and doing a great job of it. Do they have another choice?

[theinswes]

i feel better about our chances against OKC, because i think LAL is going to overpower us (unless they get hurt). but i don't think OKC still beats LAL. it really is about matchups.

the x-factor with OKC is always going to be the ability for them to play Durant and Westbrook obscene minutes without a drop in performance, whereas we know we can't expect that from our big 3 -- OKC's youth cancels out any depth advantage we have.

[td4mvp2k]

OKC is the team to beat.

[Rzarector7]

Originally Posted by td4mvp2k

OKC is the team to beat.

I agree there, LA though will be very tough, but they are older IMO.