He’s Not Joining the Fray

SAN ANTONIO —  OK, Los Angeles, maybe you’re not so hot, either.

With this city, or at least its TV people, bristling about Phil Jackson’s latest sign of disrespect -- he called it a “tourist trap” -- Spur Coach Gregg Popovich turned down a chance to respond in kind.

Asked whether he wanted to give his opinion of Los Angeles, Popovich said, “No, probably not.”

Instead, suggesting tacit support for Jackson, Popovich said he might commute too, with the possibility of three days off between Games 3 and 4 in Los Angeles.

“Well, you might have to,” Popovich said. “We were in Memphis [in the first round] and it’s hard to sit in one place for four or five days.

“You know, you think of your guys in a hotel room for all that time and you just think they’re getting lethargic. So if you can, you usually try to get back home, if it makes sense.”

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Popovich, asked what the last regular-season meeting, an April 4 Spurs’ victory in Staples Center, did for their confidence:

“It’s absolutely irrelevant. The regular season doesn’t exist. There’s nothing to be gained from the regular season.

“We am who we am and we go play.”

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Popovich, who had the No. 29 free-throw shooting team, was asked whether it would be a good thing to get to the free throw line:

“It depends on if you make any or not. If we’re not going to make any, we don’t need to go there.”

He waited for a laugh that didn’t come.

“Have some fun, guys,” Popovich advised reporters.

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The Lakers were No. 28 in free-throw shooting. Three Spurs were below 60%: Tim Duncan at 59.9%, Bruce Bowen at 57.9% and Rasho Nesterovic at 47.4%.

Although the Spurs are a slight betting favorite, Manu Ginobili believes the Lakers are the favorites.

“The thing is, they are so talented, they’ve got so much experience, they know what they won and all that,” he said. “They really play better in the playoffs than during the regular season but we believe we are like that too. So it’s going to be just a tough battle....

“We love it. I think it’s an excitement round. All of us love playing them because it’s a big challenge and every player loves challenges.”

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Someone may be surprised that Kobe Bryant can sit in court in Colorado all day, fly home and play the same night but the Spurs aren’t.

“Frankly, I’m not surprised by it,” Popovich said. “He is and has been and always will be a tremendous competitor, and when he steps on the court, he knows what he’s there for.”

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The Spurs, who’ll have $10 million in salary cap room, are often listed as a possible destination if Bryant leaves the Lakers. Nevertheless, insiders say the Spurs won’t pursue Bryant if it means putting off decisions on re-signing their free agents, Ginobili and Hedo Turkoglu.