PROPS FOR POPOVICH

Gregg Popovich doesn’t say much. His word volume seems to be in inverse proportion to what he accomplishes.

The San Antonio Spurs helped Pop add to his lengthy and impressive resume on Monday night when his team rallied from 14 points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Indiana Pacers 95-93. The victory was the 1,000^th of Popovich’s illustrious career, with all of those wins coming with the Spurs. He’s the ninth NBA coach to reach four digits in victories.

His succinct explanation of reaching such a milestone?

“The time. That’s the most important element. You have to be around a while, I guess,” he said. Players, too, he acknowledged, with a nod to the likes of Tim Duncan and Tony Parker now, David Robinson in the past.

Time? Yes. Nineteen seasons for Pop, five of which culminated in NBA titles. He’s the third-fastest among coaches to reach 1,000 wins, behind Phil Jackson and Pat Riley. And only Jerry Sloan (1,127, Utah Jazz) has won more games with a single team.

With a 33-19 record in the Southwest Division, the Spurs hold the seventh playoff position in the NBA’s tough Western Conference. They go after win No. 1,001 for Pop on Wednesday night on the road against the Detroit Pistons.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .