(Photo: Soobum Im, US Presswire)
Gregg Popovich announced this afternoon that, along with Tony Parker, who is out with a right shin contusion, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili will also sit out for rest against the Golden State Warriors tonight.
ESPN’s Mark Stein was the first to report it:
Spurs just announced Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili are being rested tonight against Golden State … with Tony Parker (shin) still out, too
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) December 19, 2013
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The Spurs won last night at the Phoenix Suns thanks to the heroics of Ginobili, who scored 11 of his 24 points in the final 5:00 of regulation, en route to a 108-101 victory. They travel after tonight’s game to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.
Here are the reasons why Popovich made his decision:
@LetsGoWarriors @patddfan88 Yup. SA got a win last night and play OKC on Saturday. No need to go for broke tonight.
— Andrew A. McNeill (@drew_48moh) December 19, 2013
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@LetsGoWarriors @patddfan88 @drew_48moh 5 games in 7 days. Last 4 on the road. Important (and old) players.
— Aaron (@DukeOfBexar) December 19, 2013
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A little over a year ago, Popovich was fined $250,000 by the NBA for purposely sitting out his top four scorers (the Big Three plus Danny Green). Commissioner David Stern had issued this statement:
“The result here is dictated by the totality of the facts in this case,” Stern said in a statement. “The Spurs decided to make four of their top players unavailable for an early season game that was the team’s only regular-season visit to Miami. The team also did this without informing the Heat, the media, or the league office in a timely way. Under these circumstances, I have concluded that the Spurs did a disservice to the league and our fans.”
Sitting his top players is nothing new for Popovich. NBA beatwriters Sam Amick and Jeff Zilgitt filed this report about the Miami affair last year:
“I can’t run our guys into the ground when it’s time for them to rest based on the schedule and the time they’ve been playing,” Popovich told reporters after the game.
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Popovich has strategic reasons for not playing players. He’s a great coach with four NBA championships and a winning percentage above .600. Last season, he had fun while resting Duncan for a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 25. The reason listed for Duncan not playing: “Did not dress – old.”
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Days later, Popovich told news reporters, “I won’t be doing that again. Some people didn’t find it to humorous.”
Tonight’s game at #Roaracle (Oracle Arena) is on national TV on TNT. It remains to be seen if Popovich will get fined again for resting star players for a nationally televised game, or if the Warriors will still find a way to keep the game interesting despite the lack of San Antonio’s usual firepower.
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