San Antonio Spurs' Nando De Colo recently had an interview with French website Lequipe.fr and he took time to reflect back on how the NBA Finals went down.
De Colo noted that it was a big disappointment to come up short in the NBA Finals. Even though he was not part of the rotation, he said that he felt he was still part of the team. Going through the season took a lot of effort and he felt they worked all year to be there. He also said it was a little harder to watch from the side because you can see the adjustments and things that need to be done to improve out on the court.
I think losing is a big disappointment. Even if you do not get on the court, you're still in the team, you've worked all year to be there. You're with everybody, you live the game as the players on the court and sometimes a little more frustrating because you know what you should not do or what we should do to improve.
The one thing that stood out to De Colo was the focus the Spurs had to play with in order to compete with Miami. He says Pop stressed the emphasis of “team” all season and made it known that even the superstars in the league can’t do it alone. De Colo also said no matter what happened, they had to stick together.
As we repeat what Pop (Gregg Popovich) says all season, we're a team. It is not (LeBron) James, Kobe (Bryant) or other players of that caliber that can make the difference alone. Whatever happens, it is necessary that we stay together.
He went on to say that there will be time to rethink everything, but they must regroup after getting some rest. He says they blew a good shot, but he’s looking forward to returning to France and quickly getting behind the national team.
While nobody can doubt the emphasis the Spurs put on playing together, it seems that De Colo had a rocky season to start off his career. With inconsistent minutes leading to falling out of the rotation when the playoffs started, he’s had a tough time watching from the side. His gripe in previous interviews isn’t what the Spurs organization likes from their players, but they can respect that they have a player who wants to compete at the highest level. De Colo is currently in the middle of a guard-heavy roster and will have to buy into the team concept a little more this year if he wants to stick around past this season.
