Gregg Popovich has never been a big fan of speaking with reporters during games, and that clearly is not going to change in his 17th season as head coach of the San Antonio Spurs. On Wednesday night, TNT’s David Aldridge caught up with Popovich just before the fourth quarter of the Spurs game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Per usual, Pop was in no mood to talk.
Aldridge asked Popovich if he was happy with his team’s shot selection in the third quarter, and things got awkward in a hurry.
“Happy?” Pop responded. “Happy?’ Happy is not a word that we think about in the game. You gotta think of something different. Happy, I don’t know how to judge happy. We’re in the middle of a contest. Nobody’s happy.”
As Ball Don’t Lie pointed out, the Spurs had just given up a 15-5 Thunder run to close out the third quarter and turned what was once a 61-51 San Antonio lead into a 66-66 tie. Popovich was likely in a better mood after Tony Parker hit a game-winning jumper, but there was nothing Aldridge could have asked that wouldn’t have annoyed him. His wife may not like the way he treats sideline reporters, but you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
