Gregg Popovich Wants the Spurs to Limit Turnovers

The San Antonio Spurs have their backs up against the wall tonight in OKC, as they face Playoff elimination. According to head coach Gregg Popovich, avoiding turnovers is one of the major keys. From the Express-News: “Taking better care of the ball will be among the Spurs’ top priorities in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals, coach Gregg Popovich said Tuesday. In beating the Spurs 108-103 in Game 5 on Monday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder scored 28 points off of 21 San Antonio turnovers to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. ‘Turnovers have really plagued us,’ Popovich said before boarding a flight to Oklahoma City. ‘With 30 seconds to go, it’s a two-point game, so it’s not like everything has gone to hell,’ the coach continued. ‘But they are a good enough team already. I don’t think they need our help. But when they score 28 points off of our 21 turnovers, it’s enough to make you kick yourself. With that, it’s a two-point game and (Thunder guard James) Harden shoots a step-back 3 with 3 seconds on the clock to basically ice the game. So it’s frustrating and maddening more than anything because we have played so poorly as far as handling the basketball.’ The Spurs’ sloppy play also has something to do with the Thunder’s tenacious defense, Popovich said. ‘Their defense has been very good, so they deserve a lot of the credit for that,’ he said. ‘But it’s also uncharacteristic of our guys.'”