Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich Registers 1000th Regular-Season Win: What's His Formula For Success?

Aaron Mamiit, Tech Times 10 February 2015, 06:02 am

On Feb. 9, Gregg Popovich secured his 1,000th career win with a victory of the San Antonio Spurs over the Indiana Pacers, 95-93.

All of Popovich's wins are with the Spurs, which he began to coach in the 1996-1997 season.

The 1,000th win in Popovich's career did not come easy though, as the Spurs trailed by 14 points upon entering the fourth quarter. The Pacers still held an 89-79 lead with 6:46 remaining, but a balanced attack by the Spurs got the game close, punctuated by Marco Belinelli's go-ahead jump shot to break a 93-93 tie with only 2.1 seconds remaining.

George Hill, who was a previous player of Popovich's Spurs, was not able to sink a potential game-winning three-point shot at the buzzer. At the end of the game, Popovich praised Hill's play as of late as the point guard is coming back from an injury.

Popovich, however, was not interested in talking to the media about his upcoming milestone. When a reporter asked about possibly winning his 1,000th game in Indiana, the coach playfully cut off the question with mock disgust.

"Oh, jeez," the coach said. "Here we go."

Winning the game in Indiana holds significance because it is Popovich's home state. The Spurs coach was born and raised in northwest Indiana.

"You ask questions like that which demands trite answers, right?" quipped Popovich. "You already know the trite answer and go ahead and say them and I'll say I said them."

When asked about Popovich's formula for success, Popovich deferred the achievement to the players that he has coached over the years.

"I've been here a long time and I've had good players. That's the formula. Getting the players is difficult, but I've been fortunate to have good ones. The time - that's the most important element. You have to be around for awhile. It's more a tribute to [the players] obviously than any coaches," said Popovich.

The list of heralded players that wore the Spurs uniform under Popovich is filled with names of future hall-of-famers such as Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, along with role players Avery Johnson, Sean Elliot, Robert Horry, Bruce Bowen and Kawhi Leonard. Popovich also coached David Robinson, already a member of the hall of fame.

Only Phil Jackson and Pat Riley were able to reach 1,000 victories faster than Popovich, who needed 1,462 games. Jackson needed 1,423 games and Riley needed 1,434 games.

Since Popovich took on head coach duties for the Spurs until the victory that earned him his 1,000th win, the team has enjoyed a .677 winning percentage that has been the highest among all teams in the NBA.

Popovich has led the Spurs to 17 straight appearances in the NBA playoffs, 16 seasons of at least 50 wins, four seasons of at least 60 wins, six appearances in the NBA Finals and five NBA championships. Popovich has also been awarded three awards for Coach of the Year.