Popovich has coached San Antonio since 1996, leading the Spurs to five National Basketball Association titles.
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For now, the Warriors aren’t anxious – They’re still focused on the series at hand. “But I think they’ll be all right”. “Shaun’s was probably a little worse than Kevin’s”.
“I’m good. It’s nothing”, he said when asked about the ankle sprain.
When the Warriors are at their best, they’re controlling the game on both ends of the court.
The tragedy understandably trivialized the task at hand for players on both teams, and the status of the Popovich family became the main concern. “You’re going for it”.
Game 4 of the series at hand is effectively meaningless, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be emotionally charged.
This game nearly seemed trivial in the grand scheme of things for the Spurs, following the death of Erin Popovich, but they tried their best and it wasn’t enough. Patty Mills, Dejounte Murray, Danny Green, Rudy Gay, and LaMarcus Aldridge got the start in front of their home crowd. The Warriors easily beat the spread at +3.5, while the game went over the total of 205.5 points.
The Warriors didn’t play their best game on Thursday. They briefly narrowed the gap to single digits early in the quarter, but the Warriors quickly regained control. Golden State finished 10 for 32 on 3s.
Before the game, nothing in San Antonio’s locker room betrayed the sorrow that hung over the franchise. Dejounte Murray had nine points and four assists in 16 minutes. As Kerr argued afterwards, “our defense consistently over the game was the difference”.
“It’s going to be very hard to play basketball today”, Parker said, “but we have to do it”. “But yet we still wanted to come out and try to win the game”. “I’ve been through that many times”.
BC-BKN-Warriors-Spurs, 1st Ld-Writethru, 912Durant leads Warriors to 3-0 lead over mourning SpursAP Photo TXEG132, TXEG129, TXEG125, TXEG123, TXEG117, TXEG133Eds: Warriors 110, Spurs 97. San Antonio was making the Warriors work for every shot.
When told of Erin Popovich’s death, Golden State’s Kevin Durant said from San Antonio: “Seriously?”
How the Warriors fare likely hinges on their health.
As for the Warriors’ sudden injuries? Iguodala also rolled his ankle at the 4:03 mark.
Nonetheless, the Warriors maintained a broader perspective.
Durant hit nine of his 17 shots to help Golden State outshoot the Spurs 51.2 percent to 42.5 percent from the floor. Kerr played for Popovich in the late 1990s and credits him for helping shape him in so many ways.
“It was very hard”.
“She kind of kept him in check”, Kerr said.
San Antonio Spurs veteran Manu Ginobili says when the time comes, the team will play – even as they mourn the loss of Erin Popovich, the wife of coach Gregg Popovich.
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“The NBA family, we all stick together”.
