It’s New Year’s Eve and what better way for the San Antonio Spurs (24-8) to play a game than to host the team that comes from the Big Apple area, not the New York Knicks, but the Brooklyn Nets (16-14).
The Nets come in with a new coach after head coach and former Spur Avery Johnson was fired from the Nets last week. “I’ve already made a concise statement about that situation,” said Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich to the media before the game about Johnson’s firing.
"It's San Antonio,” continued Popovich to the visiting Brooklyn media, “we don't talk much. We pretty much keep it in the locker room, keep it to ourselves. We don’t care where you’re from,” continued Popovich on his stance not to discuss Johnson’s firing furthermore.
Popovich did say that Gary Neal would be out against the Nets and he mentioned how the Nets have individuals who can create matchup problems, as he mentioned Joe Johsnon, Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace, and one Brook Lopez.
"He's a strange one,” Pop said of Lopez, “He looks awkward, he's also huge. He's also kind of quick, and he's competitive."
Before wrapping up the session with the Brooklyn media, Popovich answered questions regarding what it takes to put a championship level team together. He said it takes selfless individuals who can root for their teammates in any situation and players who can listen to the head coach and follow the coach’s lead in guiding them in the right direction.
Former Spurs assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo is the interim head coach of the Nets, here’s what Popovich had to say about P.J.: "He's a good basketball coach; hopefully the guys will play well for him."
