Welcome to The Rotation, our daily playoff wrap-up of our favorite stories, large and small, from last night’s NBA action.
Gregg Popovich has always valued the long-term over the short-term
By Brandon Jefferson (@pengriffey_jr)
When Kawhi Leonard tweaked his left ankle twice in a five-minute span during Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals it was clear that the Spurs star forward would not return to the floor that game regardless of what the outcome was. After watching a 23-point lead drift away along with a series opening road win, it was discussed and debated when Leonard would make his return back to the court. That question was answered on Monday night. At the beginning of the 2017-18 season. Popovich decided it wasn’t worth the risk of playing his star player at anything less than 100 percent and that shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.
Coming off a NBA Championship run in Tim Duncan’s rookie season, San Antonio looked primed to make another run at the title the following year. But, tragedy struck when Duncan went down with a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee with four games left to play in the regular season. A lot of teams would have rushed their superstar back on the court as soon as possible. Popovich decided to shut Duncan down for the postseason –which ended in five games at the hands of the Phoenix Suns.
That was in 2000. Duncan responded by playing 16 more years at a high level and rewarded the Spurs with four more NBA titles.
In an era when championship windows open and close in the blink of an eye, Pop has found a way to keep the Spurs’ open for nearly 20 years. He’s done it by always valuing the long-term over the short-term. His philosophy of resting his players periodically throughout the 82-game season was revolutionary when it began and now has permeated through the entire league.
Pop knows that postseason success is tied closely to how healthy a team is. You can have all the talent in the world, but if that talent is wearing suits instead of uniforms there is only so much help they could give you.
San Antonio probably could have given the Warriors a test in the Western Conference Finals with a healthy Leonard (and Tony Parker, and David Lee), unfortunately we’ll never know what could have been this year. Yet, we can be certain that the Spurs will once again find themselves at the top of the standings next year. That consistency is the beauty of Pop’s legacy as a coach.
Mike Brown is pushing all the right buttons
By Matt Cianfrone (@Matt_Cianfrone)
Some NBA coaches are best meant to be assistants. Why exactly that is varies from coach to coach, but look around the league and year after year we see assistants credited with great work fall apart when they get a head coaching job. What has become clear over the course of the last few years is that Mike Brown is one of those guys. After failed stops with the Lakers and Cavaliers (the second time), Brown settled into a role as Warriors assistant coach and once again was credited with being a big part of a great coaching staff. But suddenly these playoffs Brown was once again forced into the head coaching role due to Steve Kerr’s illness and questions arose.
Could Brown handle the head job and all it entails after failing so miserably during his last two stints? Could he do it during a playoff run where the Warriors are overwhelming favorites to win the NBA title? Is Brown a secret sleeper agent for LeBron James and the Cavaliers? Was he always this funny?
And while there still might be one more series with Brown in charge, it is hard to say he has done anything but pass the tests. Now, how much credit Brown should get for his work is debatable. After all he does have two of the four best players in the NBA. And his toughest opponent was without their best player for the majority of the Western Conference Finals. Golden State should have won with ease.
But the fact they did is meaningful. Brown has his team focused despite a multitude of distractions ranging from the illness of Kerr to the discussions surrounding Zaza Pachulia. He has pushed all the right buttons in regards to rotations. Just about every key Warrior rotation player is playing well. JaVale McGee is making a positive impact.
Next: The only 20 emotions Gregg Popovich feels
When Kerr went out it felt like the potential reason the Warriors could fall short of a title this season. While Kerr still might return for the Finals one thing is clear. Mike Brown isn’t completely over matched right now. And that is a big deal.