Liberal Arts Blog — Tour of the US (XVIII) San Antonio Spurs (basketball): Gregg Popovich, Coach (1996 — Present), Tim Duncan, Power Forward, (1997–2017), David Robinson, Center (1989–2003)
Liberal Arts Blog — Saturday is Sports, Dance, Fitness, and All Things Physical Day
Today’s Topic: Tour of the US (XVIII) San Antonio Spurs (basketball): Gregg Popovich, coach (1996 — Present), Tim Duncan, power forward, (1997–2017), David Robinson, center (1989–2003)
The premise of the series is that the more you know about the more topics more people care most about the greater your chance of having a meaningful conversation and a moment of shared joy. And the more beautiful the world becomes.
This is the seventeenth in a series that has so far taken us to: Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, Boston, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Kansas City, St. Louis, Dallas Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Denver, Miami, Baltimore, Atlanta, and two weeks ago, Seattle.
Today, a city with no major league baseball or football team, but an astounding basketball team whose history features 5 NBA championships (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014).
Their coach, Gregg Popovich, has the fifth most NBA titles of any coach at 5 titles (number one is Phil Jackson of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers with 11 titles, number two is Red Auerbach of the Boston Celtics with 9).
Are you from San Antonio? Have you ever been? Are you a Spurs fan? a Popovich fan?
Is Tim Duncan the greatest power forward of all time? How do you feel about David Robinson?
Experts — please chime in. Correct, elaborate, elucidate.
GREGG POPOVICH “Coach Pop” — longest tenured active coach in NBA (22 years)
1.”Popovich led the Spurs to a winning recored in his first 22 full seasons, surpassing Phil Jackson for the most consecutive winning seasons in NBA history.”
2. “During his tenure, the Spurs have had a winning record against every other NBA team, being a key figure of the sustained success of the Spurs throughout the 1990s, the 2000s, and most of the 2010s.”
3. “He was also the head coach of the US national team at the 2020 Summer Olympics, leading the team to a gold medal.”
NB: Son of a Serbian father and Croatian mother, played basketball for the Air Force Academy where he was team captain and lead scorer in his senior year. Three times NBA Coach of the Year (2003, 2012, 2014). Four times NBA All Star Game head coach (2005 ,2011, 2013, 2016)
TIM DUNCAN “The Big Fundamental” — 6 ft, 11 in, perhaps the greatest “power forward” of all time (1997 -2017)
1. “Born and raised on Saint Croix in the US Virgin Islands, Duncan initially aspired to be competitive swimmer, but took up basketball at 14 after Hurricane Hugo destroyed the island’s only Olympic-sized pool.’
2. “First overall draft pick in the 1997 NBA Draft…Rookie of the Year, .3X NBA Finals MVP (1999,2003,2005), 2X NBA Most Valuable Player (2002,2003), 15X NBA All Star.
3. “The only player to be selected to both the All-NBA and All-Defensive Teams for 13 consecutive seasons.” Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year: 2003.
NB: What is a a Power Forward anyway? “Power forward have played a role similar to centers and are typically the second tallest player on the court. When on offence, they typically play with their backs toward the basket. When on defence, they typically position themselves under the basket in a zone defence or against the opposing power forward in a man-to-man defense. The power forward position entails a variety of responsibilities, including rebounding, screen setting, rim protecting, and scoring.”
Other great power forwards: Karl Malone, Kevin Garnett, Charles Barkley.
DAVID ROBINSON “The Admiral” (1989–2003), center, 7 foot 1 inch, played for Navy (1983–1987) (His height prevented him from serving on any US naval ships; his actual rank was Lieutenant, junior grade)
1. 10X NBA All-Star, 2X NBA MVP (1999,2003), 2X Olympic Gold Medal (1992,1996)
2. “One of only ten players to record 70 or more points in a single game.” (April 24, 1994 against the Los Angeles Clippers).
3. “One of only four players to have recorded a quadruple-double (with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and 10 blocks against the Detroit Pistons on February 17, 1994).
NB: “Robinson is also noteworthy for his harmonious relationship with Tim Duncan. Sportswriter Chris Sheridan noted that it was rare for someone like Robinson to have welcomed and mentored Duncan as willingly as he did and to have reduced his own role in the team’s offense to accommodate a younger star.”
FOOTNOTE — Manu Ginobili “the greatest sixth man ever” — played for the Spurs from 2002 to 2018
1. Considered to be the greatest Latin American NBA player of all time.
2. Argentinian, he also has Italian citizenship.
3. Part of the “Big Three” Spurs — the other two being Tim Duncan and Tony Parker.
NB: See last four links below. Ginobili was the flag bearer for Argentina at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The “sixth man” is the player on a team regularly used as the first substitute.
https://airalamo.com/posts/the-top-30-san-antonio-spurs-of-all-time/17
Sports in San Antonio — Wikipedia
20 greatest power forwards ever: The HoopsHype list
Big Three (San Antonio Spurs) — Wikipedia
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“Make your own Bible. Select and collect all the words and sentences that in all your readings have been to you like the blast of a trumpet.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
My spin — then periodically review, re-rank, and exchange your list with those you love. I call this the “Orion Exchange” because seven is about as many as any human can digest at a time. Game?
For the last four years of posts organized by theme:
PDF with headlines — Google Drive
ATTACHMENTS BELOW:
#1 A graphic guide to justice (9 metaphors on one page).
#2 “39 Songs, Prayers, and Poems: the Keys to the Hearts of Seven Billion People” — Adams House Senior Common Room Presentation, (11/17/20)
YOUR TURN
Please share the coolest thing you learned this week related to sports, dance, fitness. Or the coolest thing you learned about Sports, Dance, of Fitness in your life — whether on the field, on the dance floor or in the gym, whether from a coach, a parent, a friend, or just your own experimentation.
This is your chance to make some one else’s day. Or even change their life. It’s perhaps a chance to put into words something you have never articulated before. And to cement in your own memory something cool you might otherwise forget. Or to think more deeply than otherwise about something dear to your heart.
