The press conference of Gregg Popovich lasted 17 seconds, time for the San Antonio coach to highlight the only thing he remembers from this new setback for his team, at the Wolves.
“You can't win a match when you give away 30 points from turnovers. This is the basis “ explains the coach. “Every time we've done that this season, we've gotten our ass kicked. It happened again this evening and the rest is generally uninteresting. The last match, we gave away 34 points due to turnovers. So. »
The anger is cold but it is felt more and more during meetings. Guilty of 5 of his team's 22 ball losses, on passes that were too risky and transmissions without rhythm, Victor Wembanyama was sent back to the bench just a minute after half-time, following a new mix-up.
“We must be held responsible when we make mistakes” explains Wemby, questioned on the subject. “It’s the only way to progress. But we also have to make these mistakes to progress. The faster we do it, the better. »
Change the message to avoid repeated errors
The Frenchman did not go out alone then Jeremy Sochan was called back to the bench with him after halftime. However, he did not return to the game, unlike the Frenchman.
In the previous match, it was Keldon Johnson who had been “benched” after a defensive error. It was after four minutes of play and the winger had not played for the rest of the match. Asked about the meaning of this punishment, Gregg Popovich only replied that it was because he was ” furious “.
We can imagine that this is also why he “punished” Victor Wembanyama and Jeremy Sochan, the first for losing the ball, the second for his poor defense on Anthony Edwards.
“You have to know how to bounce back when that happens”explains Keldon Johnson, when asked about his reminders to the coach. “All you can do is respect Pop and trust him. »
“Sometimes you have to change the way you get the message across and the way you do things to avoid repeated mistakes”had explained assistant Mitch Johnson, who had appeared in front of the press during the previous match, Gregg Popovich was not feeling very well. “Pop is the best at this. »
