San Antonio Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich is widely recognized as one of the best coaches in the NBA, but he's perhaps best known in a cultural context for his very short answers to reporters in mid-game interviews and postgame news conferences.
It's part of Popovich's personality, and a large number of fans eat it up. At this point, it's hard to imagine him giving a full answer to any question. Leave that to the other coaches.
At least one sideline reporter who interviews Popovich on a regular basis would like him to stop his act. Here's what ESPN's Doris Burke had to say in an interview with Rembert Browne of New York Magazine:
"We all used to give him a pass because he would say to us privately, 'Well, I just can't help myself. I'm in the game, and this is my job.' " Burke said. "But I don't give him a pass anymore. It now frustrates me to the point where I want to say, 'I'm not giving you a pass because I've seen you when Jeff Van Gundy walks over there, and the interaction is totally different.' "
That portion of the interview was part of a longer discussion of sexism and double standards in sports. It's not clear that Burke is calling Popovich sexist, because he often does the same to men on the sidelines. The difference in the case of Van Gundy is that he is a former coach whom Popovich probably respects more than he does a media member.
If Popovich truly takes his coaching so seriously that he can't tell Burke more than "turnovers" when she is perfectly professional, then he shouldn't be able to humor Van Gundy while he stumbles through a few questions. The only realistic interpretation of this situation is that he could give Burke and others several sentence answers if he wanted to and chooses not to.
It's ultimately Popovich's prerogative not to answer these questions if he wants to, but it's probably time to stop acting as if that decision marks some admirable professionalism or seriousness that other coaches lack.
Pricey
As if this series needed any more drama, it's being reported that some of the Cleveland Cavaliers players are upset about how much more expensive the NBA Finals ticket prices are this year compared to last year's NBA Finals.
"The Warriors offered the Cavaliers lower-level tickets, in the corners of the arena, to buy for their friends and family for $1,300 each," ESPN's Darren Rovell wrote. "Last year, those tickets were bout half that price, sources said."
Rovell also notes that "several members" of the Cavs opted to not even bother purchasing tickets because of the high cost of doing so. When asked, a Warriors spokesman told Rovell that it was a simple matter of supply and demand. He also notes the ticket prices given to the Cavaliers players were actually lower than face value.
Sports on 06/05/2016